It's Coronation Day at Woodstock church
It's Coronation Day! St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock is hosting the Coronation of the Queen of Heaven. This May crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual that occurs in the month of May of every year, and all around the world.
St. Mary will host this event during morning Mass at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, May 5, in the sanctuary of the church. The public is welcome to join the time-honored ceremony.
St. Mary invites the public to join the coronation and experience this admiration of their patroness. During the coronation, an image or likeness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is ceremonially crowned to signify her as Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God.
Images are venerated "not because of a belief that these images themselves possess anything of divinity or power, but because the honor shown them is directed to the prototypes they represent" (Council of Trent session 25) [BB, no. 1258]
During the crowning, the students will present flowers and sing Marian hymns. One selected student will place the crown of flowers on Mary's head. This student is an eighth-grade girl chosen by her peers, because of her Marian qualities of gentleness, kindness, and love.
Gina Kenyon, mother of 2014 May Crowner, Lucca Kenyon, said "We were so touched and humbled that Lucca was chosen to crown Mary. There are several reasons that day was so special and meaningful for us. Lucca has always had a strong faith and has lived it well even as a little girl, and she was chosen from her classmates because she displayed Marian qualities. It was such an honor!"
To learn more about this event at St. Mary Catholic School, please contact St. Mary Catholic Church at (815) 338-3377 or visit their website at www.StMary-Woodstock.org.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 5, located at 312 Lincoln Ave., Woodstock.