#WorthRevisit: Parish May Crowning

In honor of the of the feasts celebrating Mary the past two weeks, the Queenship of Mary and the Assumption. I thought it would be a great idea to share my boys first experience at a May Crowning. May Crownings are normally done during May but I think that it would be appropriate to adorn our lady with a crown again during the month of August. The entire month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as well. I believe that I am raising my children to have a strong love for their faith, at least that is my goal, and this way a big milestone for us. I'm not going to lie, reading over this post from four years ago brought tears to my eyes. Time flies and seeing how much my boys have grown as young men of faith is heart warming. Here is my post I am sharing for #WorthRevisit with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Parish May Crowning

I know this is going to sound outrageous but even though I was raised Catholic, I have only been to one May Crowning, and unfortunately I don't even remember it. I was talking to my parents about the ceremony and my mom mentioned my sister and I had participated in one during the year of our First Communion. I thought I had never been to one before, well today my boys and I experienced our first ceremony together! The ceremony was at Little Man's School and it was absolutely amazing, very simple and meaningful.

It so happens that today was also Little Man's last Field Trip so we didn't get dressed up for the Crowning. Next year I hope the timing works out better because I love getting the boys dressed in their Sunday best. The school attends mass Thursday mornings and the Crowning was scheduled to follow mass in the school courtyard. I brought Little Man to school and Squishy did not want to leave him in class so the teacher allowed us to stay and participate in snack and coloring while the courtyard was being set up for the May Crowning ceremony.

 Its the quiet moments like this that make my heart feel so full. I am so blessed with these children. Loving them makes me a better person

Squishy wants to be just like his big brother. He kept "helping" Little Man color his paper too.

Here is a picture of the courtyard while they setup everything. Below is a picture of the bells used to go along with the procession of the First Communion classes. I do not know the name of the song that was sang as the children processed in but it was beautiful... Maybe it was Salve Regina? I'm not sure so please don't quote me. The jingling of the bells complimented the song so well and it caused all the small children to fall into a silent stare, especially Squishy. He was quite restless because he missed his morning nap and was overwhelmed by all the activity but the beautiful colors and sounds of the bells calmed him. I was also quite impressed with the way they executed the performance of the song. There was an older woman holding up cards that had the corresponding colors to the bells pictured to signal the children to ring the bell of the appropriate color. I can still hear the sounds of the bells as I hum the melody to the song.

The children looked so adorable in their First Communion outfits.

Squishy was impressed with the beautiful clothes too because he kept saying "Wow" and "Ooo" as the children walked by, I tried to take a picture with him but he was not paying me any attention. :o)

Little Man was very attentive and was excited to say a decade of the rosary with his class. We also made a Consecration to Mary.

My Queen and my Mother, I give myself entirely to you; and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am your own, keep me, guard me, as your property and possession. Amen.

 I was so pleased I was able to get a picture of the chosen girl placing the crown upon Mary's head. It was such a beautiful ceremony.

I will definitely be holding a casual May Crowning for our family at home this Sunday, on Mother's Day. What would be a better day to do it? It is also the Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima!

Menu Plan Monday: August 22- August 28

Wow! Was your transition back into the school year as crazy as mine felt? We did survive! I guess that's all that really matters. This week should be just as interesting. We have only 3 days of Football practice this week but soccer for Goalie will be starting this week too. In addition to our extra curricular activities, Goalie goes back to Behavioral Therapy this week and I will be working more nights than days. Keep us in your prayers as we navigate through the week please! Here is what is on our Menu Plan Monday linkup this week:

Monday: Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Chicken A La Queen

Tuesday: Feast of Saint Rose of Lima

Solterito

Wednesday: Feast of Saint Bartholomew

Sub Sandwiches
*Cobbler for dessert*

Thursday: Back to School Night

Leftover Dinner Buffet

Friday:

Daddy is Cooking!

Saturday: Saint Monica

Italian Spaghetti Squash Boats

Sunday:

Pizza

We have some new dinner dishes on the menu this week so I thought I would share a few thoughts and explain our choices a little for this week. Monday is the Queenship of Mary and in honor of this we will be enjoying Chicken A La Queen. She is the Queen of the Universe so what better to serve on her special day?

Tuesday is the Feast of Saint Rose of Lima so we opted for a dinner with Lima Beans. A Peruvian vegetarian dish would honor this great saint too.

Wednesday is the Feast of Saint Bartholomew. Saint Bartholomew has a festival that is held in his honor in Sandwich of Kent so I thought it would be cut to have Sandwiches for a play on words. He is also the patron saint of cobblers so a delicious cobbler for dessert sounded amazing too! Not a fan of cobbler? Gingerbread is associated with Saint Bartholomew as well.

Thursday our school is hosting a Back to School Night so we will be in attendance and there is normally treats and food available during the school events so I figured leftovers would be best since the boys aren't extremely hungry when they snack later in the evening. 

Daddy will be preparing dinner Friday because Mommy will be working late night. Good luck Daddy! The boys might get to have breakfast for dinner or go out for a special daddy hang out night. 

Saturday is the Feast of Saint Monica and I decided spaghetti squash boats would be a great dinner idea because she had to chase her son, Saint Augustine, across the sea is a boat several times. 

Sunday is a day of rest but I have to work late that night too so to make things easier for the boys and the babysitter... pizza it is.

What are you doing for your dinner plans this week? Celebrating anything special or have other traditions for the feasts we are celebrating? 

Queenship of Mary {Plus Special Gift}

The feast of the Queenship of Mary is a follow-up to the Assumption. The feast is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast, that is 8 days following the Assumption. If you started an herb garden or Mary garden on the Assumption, today would be a great day to give your garden some extra love and place a statue of Mary in the Garden.

It is traditional to Consecrate your family to Mary the Immaculate Queen on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. If you follow the link, the website offers the prayers to enthrone a statue or picture and consecrate your family. It also offers a beautiful image of Mary that you can download and print for personal use. I also suggest checking out Catholic Mommy Blogs for another great post on the Queenship of Mary. If you are searching a neat printable for your kids to enjoy check out Real Life At Home  for a coloring page that your child can pick the crown they give to Mary!

Are you looking for toys that help your child grow in faith? There is a beautiful Queen of Heaven Peg Doll that your children will love! It is small and easy to carry around and fits nicely with Little People play sets as well. As a special gift, I have been lucky enough to receive a FREE SHIPPING CODE for my readers who would like to purchase one. Use the code PINOTNOIR to receive free shipping through Labor day! I have a son who plays with "fidgets" quite often due to his special needs and these are perfect for Mass. Something small to keep his fingers busy and allow his body to be calm and still. I highly recommend this beautiful doll. Checkout EmmausRoad on Etsy  for this beautiful doll and more. There is an option to have her create-a-saint for you as well.

I am linking this with the Monday Mommy Blog Hop.

For dinner I am preparing Chicken A La Queen. Essentially, it is a chicken pot pie without the crust. It is served over puff pastries of biscuits instead. This recipe is just like Chicken A La King but it sounds better and more appropriate for the feast os the Queenship of Mary.

Chicken A La Queen:

*Rachel Ray's Recipe... follow the link*

8 puff pastry shells, recommended brand Pepperidge Farms (Since most puff pastry shells come in packages of six, buy two -- a little extra never hurt anyone!)
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced on a long angle
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced on a long angle
1 fresh or dry bay leaf
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 heaping tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 pound thin asparagus, cut into one-inch pieces on a long angle
1 cup frozen peas
5 to 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves stripped and roughly chopped

Preheat oven according to package directions for puff pastry shells. Arrange shells on a non-stick baking sheet then place in oven. Bake until golden, remove from oven and let cool.

Place a large deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add celery, onions, carrots, bay leaf and season with a little salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the veggies start to get tender. Add the red bell pepper and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scoot the veggies over to the sides and add the butter to the center of the skillet. Once butter has melted, add flour and cook for about a minute.

Whisk in white wine, chicken stock and cream. Bring the liquids up to a simmer then add the chicken pieces. Bring back up to a simmer and add the asparagus. Simmer mixture until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Add peas and tarragon and stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place 2 shells on each dinner plate and fill each shell with the chicken mixture. Replace pastry lid and top with a sprig of tarragon.

Prayer in Honor of the Queenship of Mary:

O Mary Immaculate Queen, look down upon this distressed and suffering world. You know our misery and our weakness. O thou who art our Mother, saving us in the hour of peril, have compassion on us in these days of great and heavy trial.

Jesus has confided to you the treasure of His grace, and through you He wills to grant us pardon and mercy. In these hours of anguish, therefore, your children come to you as their hope.

We recognize your Queenship and ardently desire your triumph. We need a Mother and a Mother's Heart. You are for us the luminous dawn which dissipates our darkness and points out the way to life. In your clemency obtain for us the courage and the confidence of which we have such need.

Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, You Who did crown with glory in Heaven the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, grant that all her children on earth may acknowledge her as their Sovereign Queen, that all hearts, homes, and nations may recognize her rights as Mother and as Queen. 

Mary Immaculate Queen, triumph and reign! 

Amen.