PORT EWEN — Traditionally, the month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Catholics. That devotion is shown in various ways by Catholic individuals, families, and parishes. At Presentation Church, which is the church at Port Ewen of Presentation-Sacred Heart Parish (Port Ewen-Esopus), after Mass on Sunday morning, dozens of local Catholics across generations participated in the annual May Crowning, that is the crowning of an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God and of the Church as well as Queen of Heaven and Earth. The crowning took place at a structure dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Hoyt Street in back of Presentation Church.

Chosen for the honor of crowning the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary were a few children who made their First Holy Communion earlier this spring. In a ceremony of song and vocal prayer led by Fr. Arthur Rojas, pastor, after the Mass, these children placed on the head of the Marian statue a floral crown made by Mrs. Maria Omura, a parishioner. Observed Fr. Rojas, “What a lovely confluence of events to honor Our Lady after a Mass held on Pentecost Sunday, which honors the Holy Spirit and celebrates the birthday of the Church in order to conclude the fifty days of the Easter season.”

Presentation-Sacred Heart Church is a parish of the Archdiocese of New York, which serves the town of Esopus, including the hamlet of Port Ewen. Two churches are maintained by the parish: Sacred Heart at Esopus and Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Port Ewen, which is also home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Hudson. Find out more about our parish at www.presentationsacredheart.org