Article written by A.F. Patricks
Exhibition organisers would know that the most challenging part of putting together a show happens months earlier with the gathering and curating of content.
Members of CDM’s Marian Ministry, who were tasked with putting together the “Mary, Queen of Heaven” exhibition which took place in CDM on August 19-20 2023, found the whole experience both enlightening and uplifting.
While sifting through the scores of online articles and videos, they initially felt that they were ill-equipped to organise such an exhibition. Their knowledge on the subject was shallow, and the many topics and themes to pursue and information to filter through was overwhelming.
After much research, the team narrowed it down to Vatican-approved apparitions of Mary, and saints to whom Mary had appeared to. From here, the journey was interesting.
For instance, did you know that out of the thousands of apparitions of Mary reported around the world, only seven have been endorsed by the Vatican? These are Our Lady of Good Health, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Knock and Our Lady of Fatima.
The team found it fascinating to learn about the origins of the humble yet powerful Rosary.
As Catholics, we speed through the beads and recite the Hail Mary habitually without thinking much about how it came to be – the Mysteries, the beads, the prayer itself. The original rosary, for instance, consisted of 150 beads of Hail Mary, while the words to the Hail Mary prayer, rich in its meaning, is irrefutably found in the Bible.
The exhibition also looked at the four Marian Dogmas, namely Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and the Assumption. All are rooted in and can be substantiated by the Bible.
The exhibition also saw the creativity and enthusiasm of the Sunday School children all depicted through art. Some 70 art pieces were submitted, and 40 were selected to be exhibited while the remainder were displayed on the Sunday School notice board.
There were oil and water colour paintings, a 3D collage and even a moving carrousel, all celebrating “Mary, Queen of Heaven”.
To add a touch of finesse to the displays were small flower arrangements laid out by CDM’s Flower Deco team to brighten up the art pieces.
Overall, the exhibition space was filled before and after all the weekend masses as the faithful lingered studying the posters and appreciating the art pieces. The event saw the participation of various ministries making this parish event a success.
The “Mary Queen of Heaven” exhibition is scheduled to make a comeback in October 2023, the month of the Rosary. Also look out for CDM’s Rosary Relay 2.0 The Night Edition on October 7 2023 immediately after the sunset mass.