Religious Education

All students attending St Louis de Montfort's Aspendale have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.                                                                                     Marylene Douglas

For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of May to honour Mary, Mother of God. Not just a day in May, mind you, but the entire month!

 

Many believe the month of May was chosen to honour Mary because, in the northern hemisphere, May is the month when spring is in full bloom. May is the height of spring; gardens everywhere are alive with blooming flowers and trees are filling their branches with leaves. This new beginning and new birth in nature reminds us of the life Mary gave to Jesus. Without Mary giving birth to Jesus, all the events that followed: Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection wouldn’t have happened. So, it’s believed that May (when nature is showing signs of life) is the ideal month to honour Mary, the woman, who gave new life to the world when she gave birth to our saviour Jesus Christ. It is also, therefore the ideal month to celebrate all mothers who give birth, provide love, and nurture the lives of their children through the recognition of Mother's Day celebrated on the second Sunday in May. 

 

There are a number of ways people honour Mary in the month of May. One Catholic tradition to honour Mary is by crowning her statue with flowers. The reason why we crown Mary is best summed up by Pope Paul VI who wrote in 1965 that May is an occasion for a “moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world pay to the Queen of Heaven.” The crown symbol is attributed to Mary because she is the Mother of the Son of God, who is our Heavenly King.   

 

 

It is also common for parishes to have a daily recitation of the Rosary during May, and many erect a special May altar with a statue or picture of Mary as a reminder of Mary’s month. It’s also a reminder to the faithful to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtue in our own lives. Students in Year 2 created their own amazing Mary Altar adorned with flowers and prayers and descriptive portraits of the Blessed Virgin.

Some of our St Louis’ students were invited to lead the Rosary at church on Saturday afternoon. It was a very prayerful occasion and Mia, Gab, Georgia and Annalisa did a brilliant job leading the rosary for the parishioners. A number of Year 4 students also joined our parishioners at St Louis' church and participated in a daily recitation of the rosary last Tuesday morning.

May altars and rosary recitations aren’t just “church” things. We can 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.

I encourage you to erect a prayer corner in your own homes. No matter how fancy or simple it is. The main point is that it’s a place designated for God, and more specifically, for spending time with him. Just as you need a proper atmosphere to sleep, you also need a proper atmosphere to pray.

 

Devotion to Mary is an important part of our Catholic identity. As our mother she is an example of a committed “Yes” to the will of God. Because of our devotion to her, many people ask her for help in the most difficult moments of their life as any child does with their own mother.  

 

Pope Francis tweeted "During the month of May, let us lift our eyes toward the Mother of God, our consolation and sure hope, and let us pray the Rosary to face the trials of this moment together and to be ever more united as a spiritual family."