. Religion
& Spirit
Focus On ... .. The
Marian Month of May  | Ghent
Altarpiece
Jan van Eyck, c. 1425 |
Salve
Regina Mater misericordiae,
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra,
salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae;
Ad te
suspiramus gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia
ergo advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad
nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis
post hoc exsilium ostende.
O Clemens, O pia,
O dulcis
Maria.
The Salve Regina Within
the Catholic Church, May has come to be associated with devotion to
Mary, Mother of Jesus. ... The custom of
devoting the entire month to Mary, which probably dates back to no
earlier than the 17th century, has nonetheless attracted a considerable
following, not only abroad, but here in the States. ... The
association of Mary with any date in May first emerges in
Christian custom before the end of the 6th c.. According to the Catholic
Encyclopaedia, which provides a brief history on "Devotion
to the Blessed Virgin Mary," In some
manuscripts of the "Transitus Mariae" -- dating from the
late fifth century -- we find mention of three annual feasts of the
Blessed Virgin: - one two days after the feast of
the Nativity,
- another on the 15th day of Iyar,
corresponding more or less to May, and
- a third on the
13th (or 15th) day of Ab (roughly August), which probably is the
origin of our present feast of the Assumption.
 | Mary,
Queen of Heaven
Master of the St. Lucy Legend |
.  | Coronation
of Mary
Master of the Housebook |
The
association of Mary with May might also have to do with the many flowers
associated with her, particularly the rose, which was, perhaps, made
most famous by Dante. ...
Whatever
the origins of these celebrations, however, there is little doubt that
Mary has inspired many, including the artists whose works we are
presenting here this month. Click
here to read John Henry Cardnial Newman's "May, the Month of
Promise & Joy," from his 1893 Meditations & Devotions. .....
... .....
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