The Franciscan Crown Rosary

Unable to have a May crowning in your parish? Not to worry. There is a wonderful tradition that goes back to the year 1442. A pious novice in the Franciscan Order was told by his novice master that he would not be able to crown the statue of Mary. Disheartened, he began to pray the rosary in front of the statue. Much to his surprise, Our Lady appeared to him with encouraging words. She told him not to be distressed but that he could honor her by praying the "seven joys of Mary." They are 1) the anunciation, 2) the visitation, 3)the birth of Jesus, 4) the adoration of the Magi, 5)the finding of Jesus in the Temple, 6)the resurrection of Jesus, and 7)Our Lady's glorious Assumption into heaven. The novice master who was observing the novice in prayer saw an angel place a crown of roses on Our Lady's head after each decade of the rosary. This is a wonderful devotion and shows how we can take our thorns and turn them into beautiful roses. For further information you can do a google search for Franciscan Crown Rosary. The rosary can be prayed on a usual five decade rosary or a specially made 7 decade rosary. Have a lot of thorns in your life? Let Mary turn those thorns into a wonderful crown of roses!