Our Holy Father's
Prayer Intention for May:
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"Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.”
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Amen.
Pastoral
Letter
May 2026
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May!
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Here in the Midwest, the month of May usually signals a definite end to the hibernation of winter as new life springs into being with greening grass, unfurling leaves, and splashes of color in the landscape. For the Christian, as we continue through the Easter season, the new life of spring is yet another reminder of the new life we receive in Christ, Who is risen from the grave! As yet another sign of this new life, the tradition of May Crowning has become a common way of marking the month with special devotions to the Blessed Mother.
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Mary is known by many titles, esteemed most as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, because it was in her virginal womb that the Holy Spirit of God conceived the Christ - the source of new life for the human race. Mary, like the spring, brings new life into the world like fertile ground for fruitful plants. In the late 18th century, a priest from the Society of Jesus (the order of Jesuits) promoted May as a time dedicated to the Blessed Mother as a way of counteracting the immoralities of his day. An image or statue of Mary would be crowned with flowers, signifying her beauty and virtue as the Queen of Heaven, and her unique role of bringing the new life of Christ into creation. While the tradition of crowning images of Mary dates back at least as early as the 7th century, this new Jesuit tradition of May Crowning quickly spread among their academic institutions and throughout the Church, until popes in the 19th century stabilized the practice by attaching certain indulgences to May devotions.
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At Immaculate Conception, May begins with the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, and continues with the crowning of our Lady's statue of the Immaculate Conception following Mass. Our students present her with flowers, which are arranged by our Eighth Grade students to the singing of hymns. It is a beautiful moment of devotion to show our appreciation to St. Joseph for his fruitful labors and to the Virgin Mary for saying 'YES' to God and becoming the Blessed Mother of Jesus and the Blessed Mother of the Church!
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Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and Queen of Heaven,
Pray for Us!​​
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Oremvs Pro Invicem!
Father Albert Beltz, KHS, Pastor​​
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Our Lenten Sermon Series on the Mass
may be found here for those who missed any:
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