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.
• 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 some useful prayer and rosary resources on the Knock Shrine website by clicking here.

(Material used with the kind permission of the Knock Shrine Communications Office)