SLIDESHOW: New Raven Vocations Crown Mary

On May 2, nine students — five women and four men — assisted in the May Crowning at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

Each May, students who are entering religious life crown the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in Mary’s Grotto, in the center of Benedictine’s campus.

Students were grateful for the easing of the pandemic the college has witnessed, as students took place in the outdoor activity without masks.

At last year’s crowning, Abbot James Albers, an alumnus of the college who leads St. Benedict’s Abbey on campus, prayed:

“In this difficult time we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Peace, to ask that she intercede with her Son for all those who are affected in any way by this pandemic. As we renew the consecration of our Abbey, our College, our country and of ourselves to the Mother of the God, we implore her maternal care for her children.”

He added, “May Our Heavenly Queen’s floral corona be a sign of her victory over the coronavirus.”

Participants in the 2021 May Crowning, pictured below, are:

President Stephen D. Minnis, Annabeth Demary, Matt Maguire, Martina Lorang, Chris Lauderdale, Fr. Ryan Richardson, Michael Shaneyfelt, Rori Richardson, Carmella Faillaci, Matthew Conner and Colette Cassar.

By Editorial Staff