Giving honor to Mary, the patroness, who has been with the school from the beginning
By Gabrielle Nolan
A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was adorned with a crown of flowers at a special all-school Mass on May 2 at St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge.
The May Crowning Mass kicked off the weekend’s events celebrating the parish school’s 75th jubilee.
Bishop Mark Beckman was the main celebrant of the morning Mass, with three concelebrants assisting: Father Ray Powell, pastor of St. Mary Parish; Father Neil Blatchford, associate pastor of St. Mary; and Father Michael Woods, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade, who previously served at St. Mary Parish for several years.
Deacon John DeClue served as deacon of the altar.
Two eighth-grade students from St. Mary School in Oak Ridge participate in the May Crowning Mass on May 2 at St. Mary Church. Each eighth-grade student presented a rose to the Marian statue. Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated the all-school Mass. (Photo Gabrielle Nolan)
“Having the 75th jubilee weekend begin with a May Crowning was a desire of mine to give honor to Mary, patroness of our school, and who really has been with the school from the beginning with the Sisters and the church and the whole parish who started St. Mary’s School,” said Sister Mary John Slonkosky, OP, principal of St. Mary School. “So, honoring Mary with the May Crowning and Bishop was a dream of mine, and I’m just so happy we were able to have it all come together.”
During his homily, Bishop Beckman discussed Mary as the “Morning Star.”
“A word from the prophet Isaiah: people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those words that we heard this morning are also proclaimed at Christmas, the dawn of grace from on high, symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ, who became human to set us free from sin and death,” the bishop began.
“But before the sun rises, if you ever get up early in the morning at certain times in the year, there is in the eastern sky what we call the morning star. It’s really the planet Venus, brilliantly bright in the morning sky,” he continued. “As dawn approaches, it prepares us for the light of day. And Mary has been called the Morning Star. She is the one the Father sent as the one who would say yes to giving birth to our Savior. And in the Gospel today we heard of that miracle in Luke’s Gospel when the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, and Mary’s response, though initially fearful, was ‘yes, be it done to me according to Your Word.’”
Bishop Beckman recalled that as a young child, he also participated in May Crownings at his Catholic school in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
“I remember my mom helping me find flowers that grew wild in our area,” he said. “So, there’s something special about this time of year. Everything is new, green, growing. It’s a sign that God wants to bring new life in our hearts, our souls, and our spirits.”
Following the Mass, there was a reception of drinks and desserts in the courtyard, which featured another smaller statue of Mary with flower vases surrounding her.
Sister Mary John said that when she thinks about the Blessed Virgin Mary within the Holy Family, “she is as all mothers and fathers are, the first teachers of their children.”
“So, having Mary as the patroness of this school is giving honor to her and to mothers and fathers, the parents who educate their children first, and we help them,” she continued. “And having Mary as our patron, she’s helping us teach the children and bringing them to her Son, our Lord Jesus. The special connection with Mary as patroness of the school goes perfectly well with the whole mission of Catholic education and bringing children to the Lord and faith and education and all aspects of creation.”
Several third-grade students attended the reception after the Mass.
Fernanda Lopez said the Mass was “amazing” and that she does have a relationship with Mary.
“She’s wonderful. She did all this stuff for us,” Fernanda said. “She even saw her own Son die on the cross, which must have been really painful. That must have been sad.”
Emma Johnson remarked that the Mass was “cool because the bishop was there and Mary had her crown on her head.”
Bishop Mark Beckman incenses and blesses a statue of the Virgin Mary at a May Crowning Mass at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge on May 2. Pastor Father Ray Powell stands in the background. (Photo Gabrielle Nolan)
When asked what she enjoys most about school, Emma shared that she likes it because “we learn about God, and we get to have amazing friends that know stuff from God.”
Natalie Carmona enjoyed the May Crowning and said that her relationship with Mary is “praying to her Son.”
“I feel like her Son is relating to Mary, telling her my prayers,” she said.
Natalie enjoys school at St. Mary because “we get to learn about Jesus.”
Seventh-grade student Alton Antonas said it was “very special” to have the bishop present for the Mass, and “great that all the Fathers were here, too.”
Alton enjoyed the May Crowning and noted that in his relationship with Mary, his patron saint is St. Dominic.
“He’s talked to Mary, so I always thought I had a connection with her and the rosary because of St. Dominic. I thought I’ve always had a connection with her, even if my patron saint wasn’t St. Dominic,” he shared.
When asked what he likes most about his school, Alton noted that “the food is a big thing.”
“But also like the students here are amazing; the teachers help out a lot; it’s great and they have religion class. Religion class is awesome; we talk about God during school,” he said.
Alton, who has been at St. Mary School for nine years starting with pre-kindergarten, had a special message for his teachers on the 75th jubilee.
“I just want to thank them for all the years they had to put up with us and also all the different students that they helped,” he remarked. “I’ve noticed people in high school are really good because of them. I think we owe most of our religion to them and how much we’ve learned from them.”
More jubilee events will occur at St. Mary School in the fall. For more information, visit school.stmarysoakridge.org.
