On the Annunciation of the Lord, we celebrate when the angel Gabriel visited Mary to announce that she would bear the Son of God and Mary’s yes to that call. Venerable Fulton Sheen said, “In the garden of her womb, Mary would bring Redemption.” It is typically celebrated on March 25 - 9 months before Christmas - but in 2024, it is moved to April 8th as to not fall in Holy Week or the first week of Easter.
We have some fun ways to celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord.
1. Create a Giftable Mary Garden
- Seed paper
- Flower-shaped paper punch
- Watercolor paints
- Paintbrush
- 4x6-inch cellophane bags
- Cardstock
- Stapler
- Printer
- Scissors
Print and cut the template on cardstock. Paint the seed paper with watercolors and let it dry. Punch out lots of flowers from the seed paper with the paper punch to make seed paper confetti. Fill the cellophane baggies with the flowers, and staple the template-printed cardstock on top of each. Hand out to friends to “plant” and make their own Mary Gardens.
2. Pray a Nature Rosary
Take a group nature walk in silence. Each person collects small objects in a basket—rocks, leaves, mushrooms, pods, nuts, sticks, etc. The leader should collect 6 rocks, 2 sticks, and 3 found objects, and then set out a string (twine, yarn, or a rope) in the shape of a rosary. Bring everyone back together to begin the prayer. Assign someone to be in charge of each decade or prayer.
To pray the nature Rosary, lay a found object out for each “bead” of the rosary, as follows. The leader begins by arranging two sticks in the shape of a cross at the end of the string and reciting the Apostles’ Creed. Then, they place one rock above it and pray the Our Father. Next, they pray three Hail Marys as they place each of the three found objects—for faith, hope, and charity. With the next rock, they pray the Glory Be and the O My Jesus prayer.
Then the first decade is announced. The person in charge of that decade will pray the Our Father. Then, as they lay out ten found objects, they pray ten Hail Marys, followed by a Glory Be and O My Jesus. The leader places a rock for each Our Father bead. Repeat for all 5 decades, allowing each person to lead the decade to which they are assigned. When everyone is finished, the leader ends the Rosary with a Hail, Holy Queen prayer.
3. Make a Fiat Wall Decor
- Paper
- Marker or pen
- Tape
- Armature wire
- Needle-nose pliers (optional but useful)
- Wire snips
- Embroidery thread (optional)
The yes that Mary gave is called her fiat. Write out the word fiat in cursive on a big piece of paper. Tape the paper to a flat, sturdy surface, like a table. Use needle-nose pliers to shape the armature wire to match the cursive, taping down the wire as you work for stability. Once you’ve reached the end, cut the wire to size. Leave as is, or wrap with embroidery thread before hanging on a wall..
4. Make Edible Flower Lollipops
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2/3 cup of water
- 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
- Spoon or whisk
- 2 to 3 drops flavoring oil
- Measuring cup
- Edible dried flowers
- Small pot
- Kitchen thermometer
- Lollipop molds and sticks
Make these lollipops to recall the “garden of Mary’s womb.” Combine the sugar, Cream of Tartar, and water in a pot. Stir them together until it is dissolved. Boil the mixture until it’s 290°F. Remove the pot from the heat, and when it stops bubbling, add the flavoring oil.
Put the mixture into a measuring cup for ease of pouring, and pour a little bit into the molds for each lollipop. Sprinkle on a few dried flowers, and then cover with more of the mixture. Insert the lollipop sticks. Let them cool and hardencool before gifting or enjoying!
5. Eat Waffles or Seed Cake
The word for waffle in Swedish is very close to the term for Virgin Mary, so it became the traditional Annunciation food. Enjoy a waffle today, adding strawberries to symbolize Mary’s fruitfulness (see p. 00).
England’s traditional Annunciation food is the seed cake, which symbolizes Jesus, who became flesh as a seed in Mary’s womb. Enjoy a seed cake in memory of Mary’s motherhood.
6. Buy Some Madonna Lilies
The Lilium candidum or Madonna lily is a symbol of the Annunciation. You can see it in paintings of the archangel Gabriel bringing the message to Mary as well as in paintings of Joseph, who was to care for Mary and the Son of God. Purchase some Madonna lilies for your home to celebrate the Annunciation.
