Mass Plans Brought to You by CTN

Following the guidelines from the Directory for Masses With Children this Mass plan was created to help teachers guide their students in creating a liturgy for a school Mass. Recognizing that every school and Liturgy is unique, you and your students may wish to amend these Mass plans. An important goal is that each of your students feels involved in the planning and celebration of the liturgy so that they may grow in their understanding and appreciation of the Mass.

SCHOOL LITURGY CELEBRATING MARY MAY CROWNING CEREMONY Theme: Mary, Mother of Jesus May Crowning
PREPARATION LARGE ROSARY POSTER A week or two before Mass, design and create a LARGE Rosary on a LARGE piece of poster board using construction paper to make the beads and cross. Give a construction paper bead to each classroom teacher and ask them to recite the prayers of the Rosary and to discuss with their students one special intention they would like to pray for during the month of May. Have them write this intention on the class bead and return to you so you can assemble the Rosary adding these class beads. This poster will be brought to the altar in the Entrance Procession. PRAYER TABLE Set up a prayer table on the Altar. A statue of Mary will be carried in during the Entrance Procession and placed on the prayer table. You will need a bouquet of owers, a Cross, and some Rosary beads as symbolic gifts brought forward during the Offertory to place on the prayer table. MAY CROWNING CELEBRATION Hosting Class may wear their Sunday Best free dress Prayer Table with statue of Mary Crown of owers for Mary statue One ower for each student and or vase Students will need to learn 4 songs: Holy Mary, An Angel Came From Heaven, Bring Flowers of the Rarest, Immaculate Mary INTRODUCTORY RITES _____________(Student) Good Morning and welcome to our liturgy celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary. During this month of May we pray especially to Mary, the mother of Jesus and Queen of Heaven. She is our mother, too, and we honor her as the Mother of the Church. ______________(Student) When we planned this liturgy we thought about Mary and about how she answered Gods call to be the mother of Jesus. We thought, too, about how all our mothers answered Gods call...... and arent we glad they did! When God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, she said Yes. We pray that we might follow Marys example and listen to God and do what God asks with joy. ______________(Student) There is very little written about Mary in the gospels but what little there is says ALOT. Marys whole life is a living, breathing model for us. She lived her life fully... she didnt just let life happen to her. She knew great joy and terrible suffering. Mary reminds us that God graces us in every moment of our daily lives: in work, play and prayer. The Blessed Virgin Mary is like a window through which the light of Jesus falls on us, helping us to grow in faith, hope and love. _____________(Student) If we can follow Marys example and look at life with wonder and say How can this be? rather than Oh, no, what next? We can celebrate our place in Gods kingdom and be free, as Mary was, to answer with joy, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to Gods word.

________________(Student) We have been told that Mary has appeared to children and adults in the world and asked us to pray the rosary. All of the students in our school were asked to recite the prayers of the rosary and each class was given a bead of the rosary to write one special class intention. All these class beads together make up one very special rosary which will be brought to the altar this morning in our entrance procession. After Mass we will display our special Rosary in our school entrance. We know that Mary will bring our intentions to Jesus, her Son, and ask him to grant us our petitions. ________________(Student) At the conclusion of our liturgy today we will have a special ceremony to honor and crown our Blessed Mother in this month of May. Our presider this morning is _______ ______. We honor Mary as we stand and join together to sing our gathering song, Sing of Mary. GATHERING SONG Sing of Mary by Roland Palmer & Christian Lyre ENTRANCE PROCESSION Statue of Mary Large rosary poster Lectionary Altar Servers Presider(s) GREETING ________________(Presider) PENITENTIAL RITE ________________(Presider or Student) Loving God, we are sorry we have sinned against you and against each other. We ask for your mercy and forgiveness. ______________(Student) Lord, for the times we ignore our mothers when they need our help. Lord, have mercy All: Lord, have mercy ______________(Student) Lord, for all the times we have been mean to or made fun of others. Christ, have mercy All: Christ, have mercy ______________(Student) Lord, for the times we say no when we should have said yes. Lord, have mercy All: Lord, have mercy

OPENING PRAYER ________________(Presider or Student) God, Giver of Gifts, hear our prayers. We have come together to thank you for Mary, Mother of Jesus, and our mother, too. She always did what you wanted her to do. Help us to listen to you, and to do what you want with joy. We pray that we will see your Spirit in others as we celebrate your love and joy and we thank you for the gift of each other. This we pray, Jesus, in your name. Amen Please be seated for the First Reading LITURGY OF THE WORD First Reading: Isaiah 12:4-6 Introduction of First Reading ______________(Student) God, our Father, is wonderful. With Mary, we would like to tell the whole wide world how good God is! This is a reading from the Book of Isaiah. Chapter 12, verses 4 through 6 ____________(Student) I want to tell the whole wide world - God has been good to me. I want to tell the whole wide world - God is wonderful. I want to sing and to shout, because I am happy. For God has come to me, and God is great. The Word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God RESPONSORIAL PSALM Adaptation of Psalm 40, Here I Am by Christopher Walker, OCP Publication ____________(Student) Our Responsorial is an adaptation of Psalm 40, Here I Am. Please join us in singing the response. (Student or Choir will lead the Response and Verses) Sing: Here I am, O my God, I come to do your will. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Sung Alleluia

GOSPEL: Luke 1:46-55/The Canticle of Mary And Mary said, I sing with praise the greatness of the Lord, and my heart nds joy in my Savior. The Lord has chosen me, a humble servant; now all people will say I am blessed. The Lord, who is mighty, has done great things for me. Holy is Gods name. God has destroyed the power of people who are proud and honored those who are poor and humble. God has given good food to hungry people and sent the rich away with nothing. God has come to help the people of Israel because of the promise made to Abraham and Sarah and their family forever. This is the Good News of the Lord. All: Praise to You Lord, Jesus Christ HOMILY ____________________(Presider) PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL (Presider will invite students to the Altar) ____________________(Presider or Student) Joyful Lord, hear our prayers. We pray now, together, for the needs of our world and our community. Teach us to be like Mary who served as you serve. Our response will be through Mary, our mother, we pray. _____________(Student) Lord, May each tear, touch, act, word and prayer for all the families whose children are killed in war remind them of your love and compassion in their time of sorrow. Let us pray to the Lord. All: Through Mary, our Mother, we pray ______________(Student) Lord, we pray for all mothers and fathers who work hard to provide for their families. Please give them the strength to continue on. Let us pray to the Lord. All: Through Mary, our Mother, we pray ______________(Student) Lord, we pray for our mothers and for all those who help us grow and teach us about you. Let us pray to the Lord. All: Through Mary, our Mother, we pray ______________(Student) Lord, We pray for the sick of our parish and for all our relatives who are ill. May they feel your healing presence.

Let us pray to the Lord All: Through Mary, our Mother, we pray _____________(Student) We pray for those in our school and parish community who have gone before us in faith. May they live forever in peace with you. Let us pray to the Lord All: Through Mary, our Mother, we pray ______________(Presider or Student) Lord, as Mary went out in love to others, so must we. We pray that her spirit and the spirit of Jesus will keep alive in our hearts our love for you, our love for ourselves, and our love for one another. We pray this together in the name of Jesus. Amen. LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Presider invites the students preparing the altar to come forward and those bringing up the symbols and gifts go to the back of the church. PREPARATION OF THE TABLE (Students or Altar Servers) Altar Cloth, Corporal, Chalice, Puricator, Sacramentary OFFERTORY SONG Quiet Background Music SYMBOLS BROUGHT TO THE ALTAR (While the Altar is being prepared, have your symbolic gift readers at the lectern explaining the symbolic gifts that are brought up the aisle to the altar from the back of the church. Place these symbols on the prayer table.) ______________(Student) With the bread and the wine we bring to the altar a bouquet of owers to honor Mary, our Mother. Mary symbolizes what we hope to attain: a life of faith in this world and eternal life with God in heaven. ________________ (Flower carrier/place owers on prayer table) ______________(Student) We bring to the altar a cross. Mary stood by Jesus always. She saw the violence which hatred and prejudice caused when her Son, Jesus was crucied. Mary, Queen of Peace, we ask for the grace to be people of Peace. ___________ (Cross carrier/place Cross on prayer table)

_____________(Student) We bring to the altar a rosary. The name rosary comes from the ower, the rose, which is a symbol of life eternal. Mary, the rst to be redeemed by Christ has been called the Mystical Rose. ________________ (Rosary carrier/place Rosary on prayer table) GIFT BEARERS (Students) Wine, Paten PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS ______________(Presider) Lord, Jesus, the small sacrices your mother made for you daily prepared you for the greatest sacrice of all - the giving of your life for us. As we remember this sacrice of love today and offer these gifts of bread and wine may we be prepared to give as much. Amen EUCHARISTIC PRAYERS Holy Holy (sung) Memorial Acclamation (sung) Amen (sung) Our Father Sign of Peace Lamb of God (sung) EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS Communion Songs (Suggestions) 1. Hail Mary, Gentle Woman by Carey Landry, NALR 2. Digo Si Senor by Donna Pena 3. On This Day O Beautiful Mother by Lambillotte CONCLUDING RITES Prayer After Communion ________________(Student) Good and gracious God, you bless us with the presence of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven. Just like Mary we do not know what will happen tomorrow or the day after. This is not important. What we do need and ask for now is trust and condence in you, even though we may not always understand what you want of us. Grant that we may live faith-lled lives with Jesus through whom we pray now and forever. Amen.

FINAL PRAYER ________________(Presider) Let us pray. Joyful God, You renew us with your sacraments. Help us to thank you by living lives that are guided by your Holy Spirit. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen BLESSING AND DISMISSAL Presider GOING FORTH SONG _______________(Student) After singing our Going Forth song we ask that you please be seated as we will celebrate a Crowning Ceremony of Mary, our Mother. Please join us in singing our Going Forth song: Hail Holy Queen (The class that is Hosting the Crowning Ceremony should leave the church and line-up in the vestibule for the entrance procession. As they process up the center aisle, each student should be holding a ower that will be put in vases that will be placed in front of the prayer table.) MAY CROWNING CEREMONY (After the Going Forth Song a student will announce) _____________(Student) Please be seated. The students in grade ____ will be processing forward in a few minutes for the Crowning Ceremony of Mary, our Mother. Please remain seated throughout the celebration. (Two students will set the prayer table, with the statue of Mary, in front of the altar. They will then position themselves on each side of the center aisle with vases to receive the owers the hosting class will be bringing forward in the procession.) OPENING/WELCOME ______________(Student) Welcome to our May Crowning Celebration. Today we celebrate Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our mother, too. Joseph was her husband and the earthly father of Jesus. _____________(Student) Together, Mary and Joseph took care of their son. Fed him, worried about him, hugged him, laughed with him, taught him and loved him. ____________(Student) Mary had the courage to trust God and say Yes to all that God asked of her. When we honor Mary, we are really praising God.

_____________(Student) The ____ Graders will now come forward carrying gifts of owers to offer to Mary, our mother. (Hosting Class processes up the center aisle singing the processional song, Holy Mary. Each student places their ower in one of the vases and les on to the altar. When all the students have placed their ower in the vase(s) and led on to the altar, the vase(s) should then be placed in front of or near the prayer table. Opening Prayer speaker processes to the lectern.) PROCESSIONAL SONG Holy Mary by Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt/ OCP OPENING PRAYER ______________(Student) We begin our celebration by making the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Dear God, please be with us as we honor Mary today. We give thanks for her courage to say yes to you. Amen Now we will sing a song about what happened many years ago. SONG An Angel Came From Heaven by Christopher Walker/ Paule Freeburg, DC, Stories and Songs of Jesus/OCP (After the song the Poem speakers line up at the lectern) POEM FOR MARY _____________(Student) We invite you to listen to a special poem about Mary. ________________(Student) Mary, Mary, lovely lady, why did God choose you to be the mother of his son on earth and a special mother to me? _______________(Student) Last night I heard a secret of a Lady dressed in blue And I knew dear Mother Mary that the pretty lady was you. ______________(Student) Now here is a secret, dear Lady, a secret just for we two. Ill try to be like you always in each little thing that I do. _______________(Student) And when I go to heaven to live with Jesus and you, you will remember our secret wont you, dear Lady in Blue?

(Poem readers go back to their places and the Petition readers come to the lectern.) PETITIONS _____________(Student) Please respond by saying Hail Mary, Full of Grace after each of our prayer petitions. _____________(Student) Holy Mary, we thank you for our school, our friends, our teachers, and our families. We love you and know you love us, too. We Pray...Hail Mary, Full of Grace All: Hail Mary, Full of Grace _____________(Student) Queen of Angels, Bless all the children of the world. Please protect the children who are hungry or living in war. We Pray...Hail Mary, Full of Grace All: Hail Mary, Full of Grace _____________(Student) Blessed Mother, thank you for giving us our mothers, caregivers and grandmothers. Keep them safe. We Pray...Hail Mary, Full of Grace All: Hail Mary, Full of Grace _____________(Student) Queen of Peace, Help us to love one another and help bring peace to our world. We Pray...Hail Mary, Full of Grace All: Hail Mary, Full of Grace (All speakers go back to their places.) CROWNING Crowning Song: Bring Flowers of the Rarest ____________(Student) To honor Mary, as we crown her, we will sing Bring Flowers of the Rarest. (Two students (boy & girl) will come forward and stand in the center aisle. The boy should hold the crown. They process forward to the prayer table when the students sing the chorus of the Crowning Song. The boy will hand the crown to the girl and she will place the crown on the statue of Mary. They bow respectfully and return to their places.)

PRAYER TO MARY _______________(Student) We invite everyone to honor our Blessed Mother, Mary, by joining us as we pray her special prayer, The Hail Mary. _______________(Student) In the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Hail Mary, Full of Grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen CLOSING PRAYER ______________(Student) Thank you God for our time together giving honor to our mother, Mary. We pray that we will be lled with joy, like Mary was. Help us to answer yes and to Love our God, our neighbor, and ourselves. Amen. ____________(Student) We will end our celebration by singing one more song about our blessed mother Mary. CLOSING SONG Immaculate Mary by Lourdes Hymn