They are the emotional backbones of our families. They make sacrifices for us, improving our lives. They love unconditionally with all their hearts.
They are our mothers.
On Sunday, May 8 we celebrate Mother’s Day, honoring the strong women who brought us into being. Yet the recognition continues throughout the month, paying homage to not only our earthly maternal figures, but to our Heavenly Mother, Mary.
The Blessed Mother is venerated in May, a custom that has spanned centuries. Many parishes across the world hold daily recitations of the rosary, and take time to coronate statues of Mary with crowns of flowers – a practice known as the May Crowning.
At Graymoor, we join the Church in honoring the Blessed Mother.
Servant of God Father Paul Wattson, SA, who founded the Society of the Atonement along with Mother Lurana White, SA, maintained a longstanding devotion to the Blessed Mother during his life.
Father Paul was the first to bestow the name Our Lady of the Atonement to the Holy Mother of Jesus. In April of 1919, Pope Benedict XV gave formal approval to recognize the Blessed Mother under that title.
Father Paul once wrote, “The Mother of God has been pleased to reveal herself to the Children of the Atonement under a new name, thus giving remarkable evidence of the honor, love and prayers to her as Our Lady of the Atonement.”
In a sermon, Father Paul said, “When, therefore, we address the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Atonement, we think of her as the connecting link between ourselves and God … to bring about that blissful state of unity which will constitute the joy of Heaven.”
In the present day and age, the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement hold a special devotion to the Holy Mother. They entrust their charism of reconciliation and healing to her.
As spring blooms, Graymoor offers many places for venerating and praying to Mary, including Our Lady of the Atonement Shrine at the top of the mountain. Graymoor also features several other statues of the Holy Mother.
Find a Mother’s Day Gift at Graymoor
If you are searching for a Mother’s Day gift for mom this year, you need look no further than the Holy Mountain.
The Graymoor Book and Gift Center offers a wide variety of cards, jewelry, statues, rosaries, crosses and much more. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor in the main building and turn right. The store is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Likewise, Graymoor’s Thrift and Antique Shop offers an assortment of gift items, including flowering plants that have been grown at San Damiano Farm. The shop is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.