Post by admin on May 17, 2008 8:26:44 GMT -5
We will never find this in publice school, how sad.........
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080517/NEWS01/805170373/1285/LOCAL09&GID=qwbXHTT+fHpf89syyU0fD5pE0mSqur4gK39tI1r2pi8%3D
FREEHOLD — For the mother of their savior, nothing less than a crowning would do.
"She (Mary) is a kind, loving spirit . . . She's like my mother — always listening to what I have to say," said sixth-grader Cassidy Coulombe of Freehold.
To honor Mary, Jesus' mother, the St. Rose of Lima School held its traditional May Crowning ceremony Friday, despite being plagued by some very unspring-like weather.
Second-graders in their First Communion finest walked from the school to the church's chapel Friday morning, the girls in long white dresses and veils intently looking downward as they passed through the morning's light drizzle. Following them were the school's eighth-graders, the girls in white robes and the boys in the green robes they will graduate in on June 6.
As they entered, the rest of the student body — already awaiting them in the chapel — broke into the strains of "Ave Maria."
"It (the ceremony) gives our children an opportunity to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and their devotion to our Blessed Mother," said the Rev. Rocco Cuomo.
May Crownings are a traditional Roman Catholic ritual held every May, during which worshippers place a crown of flowers atop a statue of Mary. The ceremonies are sometimes held to coincide with Mother's Day.
Mary has historically been associated with May, said Celeste Hinlicky, associate director of campus ministry at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
In May, Catholics generally celebrate the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, which commemorates the period when Mary and other women prayed with Jesus's disciples after he is said to have ascended into heaven. Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, after being told she would give birth to the Messiah, is also celebrated at the end of May, Hinlicky said.
Mary is also widely revered in the Roman Catholic faith as the mother of Jesus and is considered Jesus's "ultimate disciple," Hinlicky said.
"It (May Crownings) are revering her for all the virtues that she has," Hinlicky said.
On Friday, pupils showed their reverence for Mary, who several said held a special place in their own hearts.
Forming a sort of living rosary, 11 second-graders held aloft paper flowers so large they nearly covered some children's faces. Ten children held bright pink flowers, to signify the 10 Hail Marys said during each decade, or sequence, of prayers said in the rosary. One lone boy held aloft a purple flower meant to symbolize the Lord's Prayer said during each decade.
Students from the second through the seventh grades then spoke about their love for Mary.
"The Blessed Mother is a person I can trust to be there for me," said Millstone fifth-grader Gabrielle VanderGaag.
"She inspires me to work hard in all I do," added Pat Drum, a seventh-grade student from Manalapan.
The thought of Mary comforts him when he is upset about not succeeding at something, he said.
"I think she should be a role model to every woman," said John-Paul Sattorusso, a sixth-grader from Manalapan.
As Friday's brief ceremony neared its end, St. Rose's eighth-graders proceeded up the chapel's main aisle to the statue of Mary placed prominently before the altar.
Second-graders Taylor Innocenti, Manalapan, and Anthony Arciero, Freehold Township, both 8, walked between the eighth-graders, with three of the older girls trailing them. Innocenti held aloft in her hands a white pillow that cushioned a small crown of blue and white flowers.
When they reached the statue, the crown was placed on Mary's head.
"It was so touching . . . It really makes me feel proud that my daughter is at St. Rose," said Jean Soccodato of Freehold, whose daughter Melissa is in second grade.
After the crowning, the school's second- and eighth-grade students filed past Mary's statue, bowing as they did so.
And as they headed back out into the rain Friday, their fellow students lifted their voices once more to sing the praises of their Blessed Mother.
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080517/NEWS01/805170373/1285/LOCAL09&GID=qwbXHTT+fHpf89syyU0fD5pE0mSqur4gK39tI1r2pi8%3D
FREEHOLD — For the mother of their savior, nothing less than a crowning would do.
"She (Mary) is a kind, loving spirit . . . She's like my mother — always listening to what I have to say," said sixth-grader Cassidy Coulombe of Freehold.
To honor Mary, Jesus' mother, the St. Rose of Lima School held its traditional May Crowning ceremony Friday, despite being plagued by some very unspring-like weather.
Second-graders in their First Communion finest walked from the school to the church's chapel Friday morning, the girls in long white dresses and veils intently looking downward as they passed through the morning's light drizzle. Following them were the school's eighth-graders, the girls in white robes and the boys in the green robes they will graduate in on June 6.
As they entered, the rest of the student body — already awaiting them in the chapel — broke into the strains of "Ave Maria."
"It (the ceremony) gives our children an opportunity to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and their devotion to our Blessed Mother," said the Rev. Rocco Cuomo.
May Crownings are a traditional Roman Catholic ritual held every May, during which worshippers place a crown of flowers atop a statue of Mary. The ceremonies are sometimes held to coincide with Mother's Day.
Mary has historically been associated with May, said Celeste Hinlicky, associate director of campus ministry at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
In May, Catholics generally celebrate the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, which commemorates the period when Mary and other women prayed with Jesus's disciples after he is said to have ascended into heaven. Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, after being told she would give birth to the Messiah, is also celebrated at the end of May, Hinlicky said.
Mary is also widely revered in the Roman Catholic faith as the mother of Jesus and is considered Jesus's "ultimate disciple," Hinlicky said.
"It (May Crownings) are revering her for all the virtues that she has," Hinlicky said.
On Friday, pupils showed their reverence for Mary, who several said held a special place in their own hearts.
Forming a sort of living rosary, 11 second-graders held aloft paper flowers so large they nearly covered some children's faces. Ten children held bright pink flowers, to signify the 10 Hail Marys said during each decade, or sequence, of prayers said in the rosary. One lone boy held aloft a purple flower meant to symbolize the Lord's Prayer said during each decade.
Students from the second through the seventh grades then spoke about their love for Mary.
"The Blessed Mother is a person I can trust to be there for me," said Millstone fifth-grader Gabrielle VanderGaag.
"She inspires me to work hard in all I do," added Pat Drum, a seventh-grade student from Manalapan.
The thought of Mary comforts him when he is upset about not succeeding at something, he said.
"I think she should be a role model to every woman," said John-Paul Sattorusso, a sixth-grader from Manalapan.
As Friday's brief ceremony neared its end, St. Rose's eighth-graders proceeded up the chapel's main aisle to the statue of Mary placed prominently before the altar.
Second-graders Taylor Innocenti, Manalapan, and Anthony Arciero, Freehold Township, both 8, walked between the eighth-graders, with three of the older girls trailing them. Innocenti held aloft in her hands a white pillow that cushioned a small crown of blue and white flowers.
When they reached the statue, the crown was placed on Mary's head.
"It was so touching . . . It really makes me feel proud that my daughter is at St. Rose," said Jean Soccodato of Freehold, whose daughter Melissa is in second grade.
After the crowning, the school's second- and eighth-grade students filed past Mary's statue, bowing as they did so.
And as they headed back out into the rain Friday, their fellow students lifted their voices once more to sing the praises of their Blessed Mother.
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com