Virtual Marian celebrations planned

Friday, May. 01, 2020

The women of the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Council of Catholic Women are inviting Catholics from across the diocese to join them in a special evening of reflection on the Virgin Mary on May 20. 

Using Zoom, a videoconferencing application, the CCW has arranged for Father Christopher Gray, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, to lead the reflection. 

Originally the chapter had intended to invite just the women of the Salt Lake Deanery to participate in an in-person event, but after the coronavirus shut down churches, they decided to extend the invitation to all Catholics in Utah to the virtual event, said Sts. Peter and Paul CCW President Cynthia Collingwood-Johnson.

“People are starting to get a little antsy, anxious,” Johnson said. “It’s hard for us, especially as Catholics; we tend to be a very social group. Not being able to get together for Mass is hard. We’ve been trying to set things up so we can think outside the box so we can get together and do things even though we can’t be together physically.”

During the reflection, Fr. Gray will address several questions regarding Our Lady, including why she is venerated in May and the meaning and symbolism of the rosary and its different mysteries – “things that most people in the pew wouldn’t know,” Johnson said. “Fr. Gray is really, really good with history of the Church and how a lot of our practices began.” 

After Fr. Gray’s presentation, there will be a question-and-answer period, followed by a recitation of the rosary by all participants.

“I would love for everybody to have a chance to really understand the rosary, where things came from and why,” Johnson said. “Prayer is the number one wireless connection in the world. The more people we can get to pray, the better off this world is going to be, especially in the face of COVID-19.”

While they do not have any formal Utah events planned during May, local volunteers of the Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata are encouraging Utah Catholics to participate in online events planned by the organization.

In the place of their traditional crowning of Mary at St. Mary Parish, the MI members will have a virtual family crowning of Mary on Saturday, May 2 at 2 p.m. This can be accessed through the organization’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/kolbemissionusa/live where multiple prayer services have been posted. The presentation will be recorded and can be accessed later. 

Local Catholics may choose to follow along with the ceremony and crown their own Blessed Mother statue in their home. (A Facebook account is not necessary to participate in the services.)

A new village of the Immaculata, the Knight at the Foot of the Cross, an online group which has its own consecration prayer, is being formed in Utah. 

“This is a special branch of the Missionaries of the Immaculata where people can offer their sufferings as a prayer united to the cross of Christ, specifically for the intentions of the MI and for their own personal sanctification,” local volunteer Donna Masek said.

“We are in the Easter season and yes, there are a lot of challenges, but people found Christ in a new way after his resurrection,” Masek said. “I think at this time when our usual ways of getting together and associating with people has changed, we can still find him perhaps in new ways, reaching out to people in new ways, always seeking his face which is always present for us to find.”

During May, Catholics are also invited to plant a “Mary Garden,” and fill it with flowers associated with various virtues of Our Blessed Mother, Christ, St. Joseph and other saints. For information, visit https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/a/annuals-mary-gardens.php or https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/_resources/docs-pdfs/p/plants-for-a-larger-mary-garden.pdfy

For information on the crowning or on Knight at the Foot of the Cross, contact Masek at miutah.stmary@gmail.com.