Alright, I confess: I love the old-fashioned May Crowning hymns myself. I know they're sentimental and a bit schlocky but nothing beats them for a May Crowning with little girls and baskets of flowers and the whole nine yards.

There are so many lovely memories wound around them from my own childhood and my children's that I almost feel obligated to continue the tradition.

At our Latin Mass we sang Bring Flowers of the Rarest after the Last Gospel as our three First Communicants brought flowers to Our Lady's statue, and then Father processed out the door to a rousing rendition of Hail Holy Queen with SATB choir. Good stuff.

We flanked Wendy's solo (one verse only) of "Bring flowers..." by preceding it with Dufay AVE REGINA CAELORUM and Arcadelt (arr. Jones?) AVE MARIA @dismissal. Nice to use the AM as a "recessional," as the exiting hordes at least stopped their yapping.

Very low-key. Second graders, having received their first communion on Saturday, brought flowers to the Blessed Virgin just before the 10:45 Mass on Sunday, accompanied by an organ improvisation on Salve Regina. If they want more next year, I hope they tell me earlier than five minutes before it happens...

Marc, out of curiosity, which rite? I know that the CDW issued a document in the late 80'scalling for the devotion, but am unawares of a formal ritual that occurs within the framework of Mass?
And no one ever mentions the May Crowning to me personally, but I figure first Sunday in May I'm going to see Catholic Daughters in robes at a morning Mass and plan something like I mentioned above.
Talk about not being told stuff, I just yesterday learned we have a fourth confirmation on May 18. No one thought to let music ministry know. Nice.

MeloCharles: "Does this shock You?"

There is an Order for the Crowning of an Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It can be done within Mass, within a Celebration of the Word of God, or within Vespers. I think, strictly speaking, it is meant for miraculous images or images that have a great devotion. The local bishop is the celebrant. It's also got an appendix full of chants. We've used it at our little parish, though.

The May crowning at my little parish has always been a rather big deal and the school children always look forward to it. It used to occur outside after mass. The priest would lead the procession followed by altar servers, a thurifer and second grade children in their First Communion clothes. During the procession we would all say the rosary. Once the procession reached the status of Our Lady, the hymns would start ("Bring flowers of the rarest", Immaculate Mary, Hail Holy Queen, On This Day, etc.). When the new pastor took over, the crowning was moved to inside the church and done immediately after the homily at the children's mass, but it still involved all the school children bringing their gifts of flowers to the Virgin and the First Communion children in their finery. It's always a special time. This year I also included several chants while the children were setting their flowers at the Marian altar.....Ave Maria, Regina Caeli and Salve Regina.

That's the Order of which I was speaking. The Latin edition has all the chants.