October is Our Lady's Month

I've known since I was a little girl that the month of May was dedicated to Mary, because in elementary school we always said the Rosary during that month--and of course, there was always a May Crowning ceremony, too, where one of the children was chosen to place a crown of flowers on the head of a statue of the Blessed Mother. May is a month that brings with it the beginning of new life, so this makes it a logical time to celebrate Mary, who brought life (and with that life, slavation) into the world.

In later years, I became aware that October, too, is Mary's month; but I wasn't quite sure why, so I did a little digging. The reason that October is Mary's month is this: by tradition, the Catholic Church dedicates each month of the year to a particular devotion, and October is a month that is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. (The Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on October 7.) So, as many Catholics pray a daily Rosary during the month of May, they do so during October as well.

In the spirit of remembering that October is a month dedicated to Our Lady, on this fine Sunday morning in October I decided to post a photo I took of one of my favorite things, a dear picture of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This lovely piece of inspirational artwork is an example of how one person's trash can be another person's treasure. I found it one afternoon a few months back, at the end of a driveway not far from my home. It was propped up atop a couple of other items that had failed to sell at a yard sale, and there was a sign near the sad little pile that said "FREE!" Free is the price I like best, so I pulled my car over and went to see if there was anything worth taking. I was delighted to find this sweet, unexpected treasure. It was completely perfect: clean and brand new-looking, with nary a nick or a scratch on the golden oval frame. I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to part with it! It hangs now in my dining room, in a place where I can see it from the kitchen.

When I look at this image, these are the words that come to mind: HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR US SINNERS, NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH. AMEN.