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Mothers honored during May Crowning ceremony at Uniontown school

By Holly Hendershot hhendershot@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read
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Holly Hendershot | Herald-Standard

First-grade student Kamora Bass crowns her mother Kishauna Rose of Uniontown during the May Crowning at St. John the Evangelist Church Tuesday.

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Holly Hendershot | Herald-Standard

First grade students Gracie Spike of New Salem and John Klimko of Smithfield crown a statue of Mary as part of the traditional May Crowning.

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Holly Hendershot | Herald-Standard

First- and second-grade students and their mothers kneel in prayer during the May Crowning ceremony on Tuesday.

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Holly Hendershot | Herald-Standard

Second-grade student Kennedy Savage of Uniontown lays flowers in a basket at the base of a statue of Mary during the May Crowning at St. John the Evangelist Church Tuesday.

First- and second-grade students at St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School crowned their mothers with flowers as part of a May Crowning tradition that’s occurred at the school for more than 50 years.

At the ceremony, held Tuesday at St. John the Evangelist Church, the children spoke at the podium, sang hymns and crowned a statue of the Virgin Mary, laying flowers in a basket at her feet. Then, they brought in flower crowns and each bestowed them upon their mothers.

Kishauna Rose, mother of first-grader Kamora Bass, said the ceremony meant a lot to her, and she will cherish the flower crown her daughter gave her.

“It shows me how much I really mean to her,” the Uniontown woman said. “There’s not words that can describe how much joy and happiness it brought me, and with Mother’s Day coming up, it shows me that I am doing a good job.”

Traditionally, first-grade students perform the crowning of their mothers, while second grade stands as honor guard, Christine Roskovensky, principal of the school, said. This year, students in both grades participated in the crowning because the ceremony had to be canceled last year due to the pandemic.

“Due to the fact that we are going through all these COVID changes, this was an exciting day for them,” second-grade teacher Cheryl Kurosky said. “It was something for them to look forward to.”

A few of the children who were unable to bring their mothers instead brought their grandmothers.

Roskovensky said she hopes the ceremony serves as a constant reminder for the children to always honor and respect their mothers and caretakers. She has heard from mothers of students she had many years ago who say they still have their crowns from the ceremony.

“They remember it fondly,” she said. “It’s one of the greatest memories that they have here.”

Cathy Poninsky, first-grade teacher, said the tradition is so important to them and the children because it’s a great way to celebrate both Mary and the children’s earthly mothers.

“We always say make your mother queen of earth,” she said. “Like Mary is queen of heaven, your mother is your queen here on earth.”

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