In the Garden with Mary
When visitors enter your home they can get a taste of who you are and what is important to you as soon as they walk through the door. The art work and family pictures on display speak volumes. Do you have sacramentals on display in your home? A crucifix, a statue? A picture of the Last Supper in your dining room or kitchen? Are rosaries and Bibles out and easily accessible for use by members of the family and visitors?
What about before they even enter your home? Do you have a statue of the Blessed Mother in your flower bed? If not, now is the time to create a Mary Garden!
A Mary Garden is simply a statue of Mary with flowers that derive their name from our Blessed Mother planted around the statue. On the Cross, Jesus gave His Mother to us and us to her (Jn 19:26-27); planting a Mary Garden is an excellent way to honor our Mother Mary at your home. And when the weather is nice, it's a great place for you to gather your family and pray the Rosary together!
While planting the garden with your children, you can pray a "Hail Mary," talk about your devotion to Mary, or explain our Blessed Mother's role in Salvation History to your children. Engage their imagination: "Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary when the angel Gabriel came to her and announced that she would give birth to the Messiah?!"
Planting a Mary Garden is an old Catholic tradition, and if you are looking for faith-filled traditions to share and pass on to your children, this is a great one to incorporate into your family's faith life.
Visit our Mary Garden at St. Patrick's Parish (located by the Parish Center) to get some ideas for planting your own Mary Garden at home or check out this Mary Garden guide from the University of Dayton.
May is the Month to honor Mary
What about before they even enter your home? Do you have a statue of the Blessed Mother in your flower bed? If not, now is the time to create a Mary Garden!
A Mary Garden is simply a statue of Mary with flowers that derive their name from our Blessed Mother planted around the statue. On the Cross, Jesus gave His Mother to us and us to her (Jn 19:26-27); planting a Mary Garden is an excellent way to honor our Mother Mary at your home. And when the weather is nice, it's a great place for you to gather your family and pray the Rosary together!
While planting the garden with your children, you can pray a "Hail Mary," talk about your devotion to Mary, or explain our Blessed Mother's role in Salvation History to your children. Engage their imagination: "Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary when the angel Gabriel came to her and announced that she would give birth to the Messiah?!"
Planting a Mary Garden is an old Catholic tradition, and if you are looking for faith-filled traditions to share and pass on to your children, this is a great one to incorporate into your family's faith life.
Visit our Mary Garden at St. Patrick's Parish (located by the Parish Center) to get some ideas for planting your own Mary Garden at home or check out this Mary Garden guide from the University of Dayton.
May is the Month to honor Mary