Preparing Your May Altar At Home

Your May Altar at Home

As we approach the month of May – the month dedicated to Mary – we invite you to prepare a May altar at home. This old tradition of honouring Our Lady in our homes during the month of May has been passed down through the generations.

You can create a space for  your altar on a small table, on a windowsill or on a shelf  in your home. Central to the altar is a statue or image of Our Lady, placed on a small blue or white cloth. May altars are traditionally adorned with flowers, either wild flowers such as primroses which are plentiful in the hedgerows at this time of year or some of your own personal favourites. Many flowers are dedicated to Our Lady such as lilies, roses, irises and periwinkles.

Place a candle on your altar that you can light as you take some time each day during the month of May, for quiet prayer, to pray the rosary and ask for Our Lady’s intercession.

Find useful prayer resources for the month of  May here.

The Knock Apparition Gable

This beautiful Knock Apparition Gable plaque has been specially commissioned by Knock Shrine. The plaque is a representation of the Apparition Chapel at Knock Shrine,  the site of the 1879 Apparition which features statuary by renowned Italian sculptor Lorenzo Ferri.

This can be used as a backdrop or centerpiece to a prayer space or altar in your home, a beautiful reminder of Knock Shrine. Decorate with flowers and use in conjunction with prayer resources such as Rosary Beads, the Knock Prayer Book and a lighted candle for quiet moments of daily prayer.

Find out more here.