Kevin Kelly/Key photo One 5-year-old girl, like Isabela Jilka, and her father will be chosen to crown the statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the huge Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade May 25 at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.

Deacon Justin McMenamy, local leader of the upcoming Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade, had one of his frequent brainstorms.

Since the event is set for the Feast of Corpus Christi, and since the Feast of Corpus Christi is May 25 this year, and since May is a traditional month devoted to Mary, and since May crownings of icons of Mary have long been a popular Catholic devotion along with the rosary, why not add a May crowning to the huge celebration planned for Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals?

And who better to crown Mary - or rather the Our Lady of Fatima statue of Mary that is making the rounds of Catholic schools in anticipation of the Global Living Rosary rally - than a 5-year-old girl and her father?

Deacon McMenamy, also a longtime leader in the Cursillo movement, decided to conduct a drawing about a week before the May 25 event to choose the girl who would crown Mary. He sat down at his computer, came up with a registration form, and distributed it by e-mail to some Cursillo friends.

They in turn forwarded the deacon's e-mail to their address lists, who in turn forwarded to their address lists, and within days, Deacon McMenamy had received his first response - from the Philip and Mary Jilka family, on behalf of daughter Isabela, who are members of St. Ann Parish in Excelsior Springs.

Within days, Deacon McMenamy had received scores of applications, all of which will go into a drum with one name pulled at random.

That still isn't enough, he said. He wants more. Registration will remain open until the moment of the drawing, and applications can be found in some parish bulletins, or by contacting the local Eucaristic Family Rosary Crusade committee through the Web site, www.eucharisticfamilyrosary.com.

Deacon McMenamy did invite the early-bird Jilka family - including mother Mary, and siblings Madeline, 13, and Philip, 8 - to help promote the May crowning by inviting them to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist motherhouse in Independence for a photo opportunity.

He stressed, however, that although Isabela was the first to enter, her name will be placed among all the others who have an equal chance of being chosen to crown Mary.

Her father, who will lift Isabela up to crown the statue if she is chosen, said it would be an honor for the family.

"It's a great way for us to witness to Mary for what she does for our family, and for our church," said Philip Jilka.

"She is our family patroness," he said. "She watches over us."

Deacon McMenamy said the May crowning will take place on the baseball diamond at approximately 3:30 p.m. before the Global Living Rosary is prayed.

The free event - which also includes free parking at the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex - includes a full afternoon of devotion and prayers, with gates opening at 2 p.m.

Sponsored by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, the event will include the two prelates of the dioceses - Bishop Robert W. Finn and Archbishop Joseph Naumann - leading a procession to bring the Holy Eucharist into the stadium for adoration.

People carrying inflatable "globes" three feet in diameter will represent the beads of the rosary. Each of the 59 prayers will begin with a lay person reciting the first half of the prayer in a native tongue, with the crowd - expected to number in the thousands - responding in English.

Deacon McMenamy said he has no doubts that the event will draw thousands. Already, he said, parishes throughout both dioceses are organizing busloads of people, and he expects people to attend from throughout the Midwest.

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