Father Hathaway’s Column — May 3, 2026
May is “Mary’s Month,” dedicated to the Mother of God and our beloved spiritual mother. She cares for all of us day-in-and-day-out without fail, interceding in even the smallest matters. For that, she deserves our love, devotion and an entire month in her honor. I encourage you, in some particular and concrete way, to honor Our Lady during this month. Ways to do that are as varied as the people who honor her. Favorite Marian devotions include reciting the Hail Mary, praying the rosary and the Angelus (or the Regina Caeli between Easter and Pentecost, which is May 24 this year), wearing her Brown Scapular or Miraculous Medal and honoring her through small, frequent acts of love and sacrifice.
You might make a May pilgrimage, a great family activity, to pray a rosary at a Marian shrine, such as the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Or, you can make a mini-pilgrimage to visit any image of Mary, such as the beautiful statues in our Basilica sanctuary and the Mary Garden just outside the church. Nearby Saint Rita and Saint Joseph churches also have lovely outdoor statues of Our Lady.
Another meaningful devotion is to begin your day with a Morning Offering, seeking Our Lady’s guidance. For example: O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins and the reunion of all Christians. Amen. (Written in 1844 by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet)
MAY CROWNING & FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
A wonderful May tradition is to crown a statue of Mary with flowers to represent her beauty and virtues. This “May Crowning” also reminds us to do our best to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtues in our own lives. Every Catholic home should have a statue or another image representing Our Lady in a special, prominent spot. During May, you can crown that image with an actual or spiritual crown of flowers. We will have our traditional Basilica May Crowning at the 12 noon Mass on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10. At that Mass, we also will welcome our First Holy Communion children to the Eucharistic Banquet for the first time on the Lord’s Day. They will help us with the May Crowning, placing a crown of flowers on Our Lady’s statue in the sanctuary, honoring her as Queen of Heaven and Earth and Mother of God. When we honor Our Lady, we honor her Son, who first crowned her as His Queen. Please keep our 106 First Holy Communion children in your prayers as they prepare to receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist for the very first time on May 8 and 9, marking the beginning of their life-long spiritual journey. May God’s love always comfort, guide and bless them.
MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA
May 10 also begins our traditional Mother’s Day Novena of Masses. Click here to learn how you can honor and enroll someone special in those nine days of prayer.