Piarist Vocations

Queen of the Pious Schools - May is the month of Mary

We have many Piarists in the Philippines

On May 8, all Piarists celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God of the Pious Schools. In the context of this feast, the Order wants to celebrate its consecration to Mary.
Known by everyone is the presence of Mary in the charismatic and spiritual itinerary of Calasanz. Already as a child, he is imbued - especially by her mother - in devotion and filial love for Mary. This filial relationship with Mary will accompany him always. From Mary, Calasanz receives the intuition of the ministry and of consecration.
According to witnesses during the process of beatification, it was on a visit to the Madonna dei Monti that he decided that his life would be tied to the education of children and youth while reading the psalm ”To you the power has been entrusted, you will be the help for the orphan.” Before his death, when this “work of the Virgin” was destroyed, the same Madonna dei Monti went to comfort him and give him encouragement about the future of the Pious Schools. Calasanz dedicated to Mary both his person and the work of the Pious Schools.
“Saint Joseph Calasanz’s life and apostolate were consecrated through an intimate and filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to whom he offered himself as a perpetual slave; wishing the same from all his children, he established that the profession to the Order would be done, not only to God, but also to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. In addition, to make it appear more clearly that she was the Mother and Teacher of all, with deep theological sense, he gave to the Order of the Pious Schools the name of the Most Holy Mother of God. He called her the mother of his Work, and to her maternal care he entrusted both the Christian instruction of the children and the restoration of the destroyed Order” (DD, 170, 349).
“And in particular I can say that when he was looking at the image of the Virgin, he fixed the eyes with so much affection, that he didn’t move ever and seemed engrossed in it, and he used to say that he was undeservedly a slave of the Virgin, and this I can say for certain, having observed his behavior with mere attention, and having asked the same Father Joseph how is called the congregation that he founded?” He replied in the Spanish language “it is called the Poor of the Mother of God, of which I am an unworthy slave” (Declaration on Calasanctian spirituality, Rome,1969, note 33).
The choice of May aligns with the broader Catholic tradition of Marian devotions in May, a month historically dedicated to honoring Mary as the "Queen of May." These devotions, which began in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, include prayers, hymns, and acts of consecration to Mary, emphasizing her role as intercessor and guide. Celebrating the feast in May reinforces the spiritual connection between the Order’s educational mission and Marian devotion.