As May Crownings approach, I know that many are saddened that our traditions in schools and parishes celebrating Mary are on hold. But there is no better time to honor Mary in our homes and ask her intercession over our families. We can certainly have a May crowning with our own Mary statues at home and encourage our students to do the same. And it might also be fun to have a little craft project make-your-own shrine that would fit perfectly on a child's bedside table or dresser. Keep reading for a printable shrine in both color and black and white you can easy share with the families at your school or parish!
Here's a little excerpt of why we honor Mary from the printable I created for this project:
"We love Mary because Christ loved her first. God chose Mary from all other women to ask to bring Jesus into the world, and Mary said yes! Her whole life was spent glorifying God. At His death on the Cross, Jesus gave the Church His Mother as our own. We often honor Mary by having a picture or statue of her in our homes and churches, much like you hang up pictures of your family members. One way to show Mary your love and ask for her prayers is to create a little Marian Shrine. You can decorate it with flowers and candles. Sometimes we also have a May Crowning. We celebrate Mary by giving her a crown of flowers, remembering that Jesus has made her the Queen of Heaven. Our love for Mary is because she always leads us to her Son."
Here are the steps to make these shrines. They are also included on the first page of the printable to make it easy to mail these in packets or include in an email for those of us finding ways to support families during the current stay at home orders. (Sharing is totally ok to do with resources from my blog if you are a parishes or school, fyi! I want to help you as much as I can during this strange time).
Choose and print either the color set or the black and white set. I printed on cardstock, but regular paper will work too. If starting with the black and white set, add your own color with colored pencils, watercolors, or crayons:
Cut out all pieces (no need to be precise on the flowers- just cut a bubble around the details):
For the shrine background, fold on the solid lines and cut on the dotted line. Overlap and glue the pieces on either side of the cut:
Cut, fold, and glue the triangle stand on the back of the Mary statue. (FYI, this is based on a truly beautiful white marble statue in the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria, IL. It is believed that this is the statue that Venerable Fulton Sheen made his consecration to Mary on the day of his Ordination to the priesthood! I do have it as a sticker with his episcopal motto in my Etsy Shop too!)
You can fold or trim the bottom a little to help with balance if needed:
Cut out the flower crown and (with grownup help) cut the dotted line in the center with an exacto or other sharp knife (or just cut around the flowers and glue directly on Mary’s head). Decorate your shrine with the garlands and flowers:
Set Mary in the center, place the crown on her head, and lay the bouquet of flowers at her feet. Then sing your favorite Marian song or say the Hail Mary!
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Click here for the pdf that contains the background info and instructions, a few assembly photos, two pages for the color shrine, and two pages for the black and white shrine:
“His Mother said to the servers, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’” ~John 2:5
I'll be back in a few days with a round up post of ideas for Mary and May, but in the meantime you might also like these posts:
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