May is one of the most beautiful months of the year. The Church celebrates first communions and May crowning, flowers bloom, and the weather finally stays warm. 

It’s also the month that the Catholic Church dedicates to Mother Mary. In December, we celebrated Mary under the specific title of “Immaculate Conception.” In May, we focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary without emphasizing any one title. 

The origin of Marian devotion

The first Biblical instance of Marian veneration occurred when the angel Gabriel addressed her with “Hail, full of grace.” Again in the Bible, we hear Elizabeth venerate Mary with the words, “Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Before Catholics held a formal devotion to Mary, the early Church venerated her as the “New Eve” and “Theotokos (God-bearer).” Christians started to express devotion to Mary through worship and icons in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The oldest known Marian prayer invoking her intercession, the Sub Tuum Praesidium, is from as far back as the 3rd century. 

Mainly in the Eastern Church, liturgical feasts in Mary’s honor started developing. 

A few saints stand out in early Marian devotion: 

• St. Justin Martyr described Mary as the “New Eve” around 140 AD.
• St. Ambrose stated that Mary was free from sin in the 4th century. 
• St. Athanasius called her the “Theotokos” in the early-mid 4th century, with Sts. Augustine and Basil using the term later in the same century. 

A Jesuit priest named Father Lalomia began dedicating May to Our Lady with some students of his society’s Roman college. This dedication spread throughout the centuries until it became customary toward the end of the 13th century. Pope Paul VI solidified it in his 1965 encyclical Mense Maio.

Why Catholics venerate Mary

Mary is venerated as a sinless queen and the mother of God, not adored as an equal to Him. 

We venerate her because God has placed her in such high esteem and made her Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mary herself humbly declared that, “From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). 

Mary is one of two humans who was ever conceived without sin and the only one who wasn’t also God. Such a person is worthy of the highest respect and honor. She is one of our greatest role models second to Jesus. 

We also pray to Mary since she is our most powerful heavenly intercessor. She encourages us to devote ourselves to her so that she can bring us closer to Jesus. Just as a child goes to his mother with a large request so that she can bring it to his father, we commit our prayers to Mary so she can intercede on our behalf. Jesus loves his mother dearly and wants to grant her requests. 

Mary’s influence in heaven allows her to:

• Strengthen us 
• Save us from falling into sin 
• Take our petitions to Jesus
• Help us grow in virtue
• Appear to us (Lourdes, Fatima, etc.) 

How to form a devotion to Mary

To have a real relationship with Mary, it’s not enough to only talk to her when we need something. We need to pray to her every day and rely on her for strength and heavenly support. She is a loving mother who wants to help us. We just have to open our hearts to her.

Whether you’ve never prayed seriously to Mary or want to deepen your devotion, here are five ways you can turn to the Blessed Virgin during this month dedicated to her. 

1. Pray a daily Rosary: this may seem like a big ask, but it only takes 15-20 minutes of your day. To those who faithfully recite the Rosary, Mary promises 15 things, including:

• Powerful graces
• Special protection
• The flourishing of virtue and good works
• Abundant mercy from God
• Deliverance from purgatory and high glory in Heaven

2. Make St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary: St. Louis de Montfort had a strong devotion to Mary and wrote many works on her virtues, devotion to her, and how she leads us to Jesus. 

He created a 33 day program of readings and prayers designed to help Catholics turn to Mary and deepen devotion to her. The program typically culminates in the Act of Consecration prayer recited on a Marian feast day. 

3. Incorporate prayer to Mary into your daily routine: it’s important to form a habit of praying to Mary as part of your morning and/or nightly prayers. You can recite the Hail Mary, the Memorare, any other Marian prayer, or make your own personal prayer. As you grow closer to Our Lady, your prayers to her will become more like a conversation. 

You can also keep Mary in mind by reciting a short invocation throughout the day: “Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” This can be said whenever it comes to mind or for strength in times of temptation. 

4. Pick a Marian virtue to focus on each week: Mary perfectly embodies every good virtue, but obedience, humility, chastity, submission, gentleness, and love stood out in her life. 

Every week, you can choose a different virtue to grow in at home, at work, and everywhere you go. Remember to ask Mary daily for help in practicing it faithfully. 

5. Read a book on Mary: many saints and theologians have written extensively on Mary, and it can be beneficial to us all to study their writings. Here are a few suggested books:

• True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
• The Secret of Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
• Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God by Scott Hahn
• Visits to the Blessed Sacrament by St. Alphonsus Liguori
• 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael E. Gaitley
• The World’s First Love by Fulton J. Sheen 

Mary will conquer the world

St. Maximilian Kolbe wrote: “The Immaculate will conquer, through us, the whole world and every single soul.”

We should never underestimate her significance. Mary does and will continue to do so much good for us. In return, we owe her great honor and respect. We should accept her as our mother, given to us by Jesus on the cross, and love her like a child. 

Great graces await those who form a devotion to Mary. This May, let’s all embrace her as our sinless queen and mother, our powerful intercessor, and our dear heavenly friend.

Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us.