‘Minister of holiness, queen of love’

PATERSON  The annual diocesan May Crowning was celebrated in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here May 19. Bishop Serratelli led the coronation of the Blessed Mother with several priests joining him and homilies by two young diocesan priests, who were ordained in 2018 — Father Krzsyztof Slimak, parochial vicar at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany, and Father Jader Avila, parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wayne.

Since 2005, the Diocese has hosted a May Crowning celebration. The yearly event highlights the traditional crowning of a Marian image, songs for Mary, along with Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This was the first diocesan-wide celebration held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

The mid-Sunday afternoon celebration included the Rite of Crowning with the placing of a crown of flowers on an image of Mary by the Bishop. The event also paid homage to the Blessed Mother’s son, Jesus, through Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Through prayers and songs, Marian praises were also recited.

In his welcome to the congregation, Bishop Serratelli said, “We have come here this afternoon to crown the statue of our Virgin Mother of God. As we begin this celebration let us be attentive and listen to the Word of God in faith. This ceremony has a lesson to teach us about the Gospel. That the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who are foremost in serving and in love. Our Lord himself came to serve, not to be served. Our Lady, whose glory we proclaim today, was the humble servant of the Lord when she was on earth. She gave herself utterly to her son and his work with him and under him; she was an instrument in our redemption. Now in the glory of heaven, she is still the god bearer to Christ’s brothers and sisters. She cares about our eternal salvation. She is the minister of holiness and the queen of love.” The Gospel reading from Luke proclaimed during the crowning celebration recalled the moment Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she was to be the

Mother of God, known as the Annunciation.

As tradition of having newly-ordained priests give the homily at the diocesan May Crowning, Father Slimak and Father Avila shared their reflections on the Mother of God, in English and Spanish respectively.

Father Slimak said, “One of the biggest aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary and today we celebrate devotion that recognizes Mary as a queen of heaven and earth.”

Recalling devotion to Mary in his home country of Poland, he said that May 3 marks a public holiday in honor of Our Lady Queen of Poland. “Blessed Mother, queen of heaven and earth lifts us right out of the last cold days of winter and firmly plants in our hearts promising soil of spring.”

He concluded his homily by saying, “We too have been called in our own special way. We too have been called to say ‘yes’ and an unconditional ‘yes’ to following Jesus. Now this beautiful month of May is a special time to renew that love through Mary’s help and example.”

After the homilies, the Rite of Crowning took place. The Bishop crowned the image of Mary as everyone knelt in reverence to the ultimate model of motherly love. The celebration continued with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and Exposition. It ended with the recitation of the Divine Praises.

At the end of the crowning, the Bishop said: “Thank you for your presence today. When we come together to honor our Blessed Mother, we come as representatives for the whole Diocese. Mary will continue to bless and protect us and our families.”