Create a May Altar at Home
Honor the Mother of Jesus in May, the Month of Mary
Set aside a corner of your home to pray to Mary in the month of May. An interesting religious activity for families.
May is a special time in the church calendar when Catholics honor Mary, the mother of Jesus. This month is a time to look forward to better weather and enjoy the flowers and plants which are starting to bloom. This is a good time to create a small altar at home, to pay tribute to Mary throughout the month. This can be a focus for May devotions and a peaceful place for prayers to Mary.
Creating an Altar to honor Mary
Choose a room in the home where you can set up your altar. Perhaps a corner of the hallway or an area in a bedroom. Find a flat surface which will act as your altar; a small table or chest of drawers is ideal. You could cover the altar with a cloth, but this isn’t essential.
An image of Mary will be your centerpiece. Use a small statue if you have one, or a picture of Mary from a prayer card or prayer book if not. A set of rosary beads or a small crucifix placed on the altar can also help with devotions.
Have a chair or stool nearby, to encourage family members to stop by and perhaps offer prayers to Mary during the day. If you have any prayer or Mass cards with images of Mary, these could also be placed on the altar.
Decorating a Home Altar
Any flowers can be used for a home altar, the main point being to reflect on the joy of the coming summer season. However, there are many plants, which throughout history, have been associated with the Virgin Mary.
The rose and lily are two of the best known flowers with Marian associations. Lily of the Valley, which flowers in May is known as ‘Our Lady’s tears’ and May hawthorn, sometimes known as ‘Mary’s flower of May’ is a seasonal plant, which was often used for church celebrations in times past. Sweet pea is another flower associated with the Virgin Mary, which will add a beautiful scent to the altar.
Candles can be another addition to your special area, and could be lit during prayer times. Do remove these when not in use, if you have children in the house. Even pre-school children can understand and appreciate the use of candles during prayer. When the candle is lit, they can offer their prayers and extinguishing the candle ends the prayer session in a peaceful way.
Creating a home altar to Mary can be a meaningful activity, which creates a special area in your home throughout May, the month of Mary.
Resource
Bauer, Judith A (Ed), The Essential Mary Handbook, [Liguori Publications, 1999]
