May is traditionally devoted to the Blessed Mother!
“[Mary] puts herself around [her true children] and accompanies them ‘like an army in battle array’ (Song of Songs 6:3). Shall a man who has an army of a hundred thousand soldiers around him fear his enemies? A faithful servant of Mary, surrounded by her protection… has still less to fear. This good Mother… would rather dispatch battalions of millions of angels to assist one of her servants than that it should ever be said that a faithful servant of Mary, who trusted in her, had had to succumb to the malice, the number, and the vehemence of his enemies.” -St. Louis de Montfort
During this month of May, let us place our trust in the Blessed Mother, confident that she, like the best of mothers, will help us in all of our needs as we strive to live as disciples of her Son.
Some ways that you can observe this month include:
-Praying a daily Rosary, or just a decade each day (perhaps focusing on a different set of Mysteries each week)
-Displaying an image of Mary in a prominent place in your home
-Visiting one of our Jubilee pilgrimage sites that honor Mary (Immaculate Heart of Mary/Shrine of the Green Scapular in Monona, the Schoenstatt Shrine in Madison, St. Mary Church in Fennimore, or Nativity of Mary Church in Janesville) and receiving the Jubilee indulgence. Details at http://madisondiocese.org/jubilee!
-Visiting one of the three major Marian shrines in Wisconsin (Our Lady of Champion, Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, or Holy Hill in Hubertus)
-Visiting some of the small Marian chapels in our own diocese, such as Our Lady of the Fields in Hill Point or the St. Mary of the Oaks Chapel in Indian Lake County Park
-Making a plan to consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary on a coming Marian feast day (there are many methods of doing this; Fr. Michael Gaitley’s book “33 Days to Morning Glory” is a popular choice!)
-Reading a book on Mary (“True Devotion to Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort, “Hail Holy Queen” by Dr. Scott Hahn, and “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary” by Dr. Brant Pitre are all great choices!)
-Consecrating your household/family to Our Lady (A prayer that you can use: https://catholicparents.org/prayer-consecration-family/)
