“Mothering is a capacity that resides in each of us. It is not a biological destiny nor can it be confined to a sphere of life. For love is sweet labor — fierce, necessary, life-giving. Who do you mother? Who mothers you? How do you mother yourself? To love and be loved is our birthright.”   -- Valarie Kaur

Gerard Manley Hopkins, the great Jesuit poet, said in his poem, “The May Magnificat,” that the reason May is Mary’s month is that it is the season of growth. In Mary grew the vision that made her open to the Incarnation; in Mary grew the image of the strong and independent woman; in Mary grew the Christ who changed the lives of all of us. Mary is not a plaster statue. Mary is the woman whose commitment and courage saved the world from self-centeredness. - Sister Joan Chittister, Vision and Viewpoint Newsletter