Learning about the Canonical Coronation
March 5, 2020 •

As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of St. Augustine, the statue of Our Lady of La Leche will be crowned in a canonical coronation on her diocesan feast day, Oct. 11, 2020. To prepare children and and their families for this historic event, the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother are visiting Catholic schools of the diocese to teach students about the significance of the coronation.

  • Sister Kathryn high fives a student at Cathedral Parish School in St. Augustine during their presentation. (photo by St. Augustine Catholic/Woody Huband)
  • Sister Kathryn and Sister Karen explain the symbolism of Our Lady of Leche’s garments and expressions.
    (photo by St. Augustine Catholic/Woody Huband)
  • Sister Kathryn juggles for students.
    (photo by St. Augustine Catholic/Woody Huband)
  • The Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother juggle, spin plates and more for a group of Students at Cathedral Parish School .
    (photo by St. Augustine Catholic/Woody Huband)


After an entertaining show of juggling, plate spinning and other tricks, the sisters explained the meaning behind this “big, big party for Mama Mary” to a group of elementary students. They described that in order for a statue of Mary to be canonically crowned, three things must happen:

  1. Evidence of favors granted (miracles)
  2. Popularity of cult (honor and devotion to the image)
  3. Antiquity of cult (devotion has been present throughout history)

The sisters dove into the history of the image of Our Lady of La Leche, and how it was brought to the shores of St. Augustine from Spain long ago. Then they taught the students how each part of the statue of Mary nursing the baby Jesus symbolizes something special. The sisters explained the history of the Martyrs of La Florida and how they died for their faith. Finally, they closed with a prayer of consecration to Our Lady of La Leche.

“The idea is to try to evangelize to families through the children so that they’ll get excited about it and want to come with their families to the coronation,” said Sister Kathryn. “But the most important thing is to establish a relationship with the Blessed Mother and give them a reason to love her.”

To learn more about the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of La Leche, visit 150years.dosafl.com/coronation.