Dear Brothers, receive fraternal greetings from the desk of the Chaplain.
As we celebrate all workers today, I think it also worthwhile to remind ourselves of the Month of May which is specially dedicated to Our Mother Mary, the Mother of God.
This has been a celebration for centuries by the Church. It is not just a day, but the entire month.
A bit of history:
This honour spans from both centuries and even cultures. It has it roots going back as far as the Ancient Greeks. In Greece, May was a month dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity.
Again, in ancient Rome, the Romans dedicated the month of May to Flora, the goddess of blooms or the blossoms and they used to ask for her intercession for all that blooms.
In the medieval times, similar customs and traditions were celebrated which were centred around the expulsion of winter, because 1st May was traditionally considered as the start of new growth.
It was at this time that the tradition of _Tricesimum_that the “Thirty – Day Devotion to Mary” came into being to honour her who is the Mother of God and our Saviour.
Instead of praying to other goddesses, this month was dedicated to her for all Christians around the world to ask our Lady to pray with and for us to Her Son, Jesus.
In this special month, all forms of spiritual activities and exercises are done to ensure that Catholics in particular and all Christians enter into a deeper relationship with God as Mary did for which she was chosen to play a special role in the redemptive history of humanity.
In this month, we want to see you pray the Rosary everyday to reflect intensely on the life and mysteries of Jesus who has opened wide His arms to embrace us and to lead us into an immense joy and inner peace with His Mother.
Don’t look down on this special grace and blessings of this month. Let everyday of this month be a day of Rosary. Again at least a decade of the Rosary is well appreciated to lead you to the presence of God.
Shall we make it as part of our program to meet as a family, as a Church community and as individuals to come close to our Mother to learn from her examples and to ask her to pray with us.
May God bless you and strengthen you with His grace as you go through this spiritual exercise and encounter. Remain blessed.
A Happy Workers Day.
W/Bro. Rev. Fr. James Bour-Mensah, ASCH