Crown of Mary Prayer Circle

Our reflection this month will focus on the Ninth Star of Mary’s Crown — Your Loving Witness

• Donation-based • Recommended donation is £25 • All are welcome, no one will be turned away. • 

You are invited into Crown of Mary’s next prayer circle — an opportunity to learn spiritually, but also to open yourself to a direct experience of the light of Christ, through the Blessed Mother Mary.

Together, we allow the stories of the Gospel to come alive in our hearts. We visit them not just to understand them, but to encounter them — with the intention of awakening a deeper relationship with Mary’s life and Christ’s teaching.

This gathering is open to all. No one will be turned away. Everyone is welcome. Come as you are.

In life, we can all relate to those moments when we witness someone we love carrying something we cannot carry for them. To see someone we care deeply about struggling under the weight of something mentally, emotionally, or physically can leave us feeling helpless.

This is something reflected in the tradition surrounding Mary as she watches Jesus carry His cross towards the crucifixion.

In this month’s Crown of Mary prayer circle, we’re going to visit the moment Jesus meets His mother — the moment Mary sees Christ on His way to the cross.

Together, we’ll pray from that sacred space where sometimes the greatest gift we can offer is not fixing, healing, or rescuing someone, but simply becoming a loving witness to their pain.To fully see them.

To hold space for them.

To remain present with them in their hour of need.

There is no Gospel passage that directly describes this moment, but it has been honoured for generations through the Stations of the Cross. And while Scripture does not explicitly tell us Mary met Jesus on the road to Calvary, we know from the Gospel of John that she remained close to Him, even at the foot of the cross.

In this prayer circle, we’re going to take this sacred moment and place it over our own lives. We’ll reflect on those in our world — past or present — who have carried burdens we wished we could take away. We’ll pray for the grace to become loving witnesses for others, offering compassion, presence, and understanding.

But we’ll also place this story over our own hearts.

If there is something you are carrying that feels overwhelming, painful, or heavy, we’ll invite Mary to become a loving witness for you too.

Because Mary does not only witness suffering — she witnesses the light within us. Just as she did for Christ on the cross, she sees beyond the wound, beyond the struggle, beyond the pain. She holds space for redemption, for liberation, and for the miraculous unfolding of who we truly are.
 

Apparition of the Month
This month’s apparition focus will be Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We’ll explore the story of Saint Simon Stock, an English Carmelite friar who, according to tradition, received a visitation from Mary during a difficult period for the Carmelite Order in the 13th century.

The title “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” comes from Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, a sacred mountain associated with prayer, contemplation, and the prophet Elijah. Over time, it became deeply connected to the Carmelite spiritual tradition and devotion to Mary as a mother, protector, and guide.

It’s said that during this apparition, Mary appeared holding the Brown Scapular and offered it as a sign of her motherly protection, spiritual guidance, and closeness to all who sought to live a life of devotion. Her appearance became a symbol of comfort, refuge, and the reminder that we are never abandoned on our spiritual journey.

The Brown Scapular itself is a small garment of devotion worn over the shoulders, often made of two small pieces of brown cloth connected by cords. Traditionally, it represents placing ourselves under Mary’s care and choosing to walk closely with Christ through prayer, humility, and faith.

Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to spiritually clothe ourselves in compassion, prayer, and the loving presence of the Divine Mother. We’ll also invite the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel upon all those present, extending those prayers and blessings to the people we hold dear — whether here on Earth or now in heaven.