A Message from Mrs. Fortunato
May 2, 2020
Mrs. Fortunato’s Message
Happy Gorgeous May~
It’s common for parishes to have a daily recitation of the Rosary during May, and many create a special May altar with a statue or picture of Mary as a reminder of Mary’s month. It’s also a tradition to crown the statue of Mary during May – a custom known as May Crowning. Often, the crown is made of beautiful blossoms representing Mary’s beauty and virtue. It’s also meant to remind us to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtue in our own lives. May Crowning, in some areas, is a huge celebration and is usually done outside of Mass, although Mass may be celebrated before or after the actual crowning.
May altars and crownings aren’t just “church” things. We can and should be doing the same in our homes. When we echo the customs and traditions of the Church in our homes – our domestic churches – we participate more fully in the life of the Church. If you have a Mary statue or picture at home, you can have your very own Crowning. Give her an actual or spiritual crown and make it a subtle gesture or ornate ceremony. It does not matter when you decide to crown Mary, you can do it in the beginning, at the end of May or anywhere in between.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you and your family to make a prayer corner in your home. Keep it simple as you designate a place for God, and more specifically, for spending time with him. Have fun giving Blessed Mother Mary a special spot in your prayer corner. It can be a statue or picture, but place something that represents our Blessed Mother. Make it appealing and a real tribute to her beauty and virtue. I like to include fresh flowers from my yard near my Mary statue.
As I often think of ways to support our teachers as they work so incredibly hard at home, I am so incredibly proud of them! It would be a wonderful gift if you and your family take some time next week to pray the Rosary and dedicate your intentions to our super star teachers. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I know if you are exceptionally prayerful, your teachers will feel your blessings and their hearts will be filled with joy!
Next Thursday, May 7th is "First Thursday" and Father Jay and Father Mike will celebrate our monthly school Mass online. We will send the link when it is ready. Our Faith Family project will bring good cheer to all the residents and employees at Country Arch Care Center in Pottstown. I would like all students (Little Lambs ~ 8th graders) to make/design a picture or card to help bring love and joy back into the hearts of the residents at Country Arch. We are all "Knights of Christ" and this nursing home needs our love! Please see the flyer for details.
I believe we will soon hear how school will continue from til the end of the school year. Once the Office of Schools gives the ok, I will send the next letter of communication as well as an action plan for collecting personal belongings and how we will celebrate our future 8th grade graduates. If we are not allowed to go back to our school buildings, school will continue virtually and I will update the school calendar to include when school will end for the Early Education programs and the elementary grades. Although we want to be back as normal, we also want everyone to stay healthy. The teachers have done a fabulous job providing lessons and activities starting with our 2-year olds all the way up to our oldest students, our eighth graders. No doubt, the past eight weeks have been emotional, challenging and rewarding, but the great news...our students never stopped learning! We have stayed connected to our school families and that is a blessing.