Before we get to celebrating the feast of the Assumption of Mary, let’s figure out why we are doing this at all. I love the reasonableness of the Catholic faith. The answers to my (and my children’s? questions are always there!
What does the Assumption of the Virgin Mary mean?
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary refers to our Catholic belief that God “assumed” or raised Mary’s body into heaven to be united with her soul. As a special favor, her body was spared the natural decaying process. The Assumption of Mary is celebrated on August 15th and is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Why is the feast of the Assumption of Mary important?
The feast of the Assumption of Mary is important because it reminds us to contemplate her beautiful example of fulfilling God’s Will in her life. The Assumption of Mary also points us to the day when our bodies will be raised and united to our souls in heaven.
Is the Assumption of Mary in the Bible?
No.
As Catholics, we believe our faith is handed down through not only Sacred Scripture, but also Sacred Tradition. Just as the table of contents of the Bible can only be found in Sacred Tradition, the Assumption of Mary can only be found there as well!
You can find a more in-depth article about it here.
How do you celebrate the feast day of the Assumption of Mary?
Go to Mass
The Assumption of Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation, which means you are obliged to attend Mass.
Treat it as a Sunday should be treated
After I converted to Catholicism, there was a progression in how our family began living the most basic liturgical laws. All it took was realizing what the Church teaches about Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation:
“On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass. They are also to abstain from such work or business that would inhibit the worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, or the due relaxation of mind and body (canon 1247).”
- Go to Mass (point covered above)
- Refrain from unnecessary servile work
- If Dad is able to stay home from work that day, he does.
- No homeschool.
- No house projects
- No shopping, eating out, or otherwise requiring others to do servile work on that special day.
- Enjoy the day with appropriate recreation, spiritual reading, meditations, and works of mercy.
Go to a Procession
Larger parishes or cities may host a procession to celebrate the Assumption of Mary. We haven’t found one around here, but keep your eyes open in your neck of the woods!
Plant a Mary Garden
Maybe your Mary garden didn’t get planted in May (the month of Mary). No matter! There is no time like the present!
How to Start a Mary Garden in 7 Easy Steps (from Real Life at Home)
Mary Gardens (from Fish Eaters)
Get yo-self a Mary Statue!
If your family doesn’t already have one, now is a great time to invest in a Mary statue.
Here are just a few of my favorites (all from Amazon- hello 2 day shipping for the procrastinator’s win!):
Decorate a Feast of the Assumption Feast Table
This is how our family began our day! Just a quick refreshing of the feast table while keeping our little Mary statue at the center.
(I promise Mary doesn’t mind that her hands are missing – it only means she has been well loved by the little ones who roam our home.)
Offer Mary some fresh cut flowers
I adore this time of year and the fragrant (and free!) flowers the yard provides for adorning our feast table. Even those who have no room for a feast table can offer Mary a sprig of fresh cut flowers!
The vase is something handed down to me from my great aunt and is as she said “very old.”
Read Books on Mary for the Assumption of Our Lady
With Christian on the medical ketogenic diet for his Epilepsy many of the liturgically appropriate foods are off the table (literally!) for our family. Books have been a staple way for our family to simply celebrate the liturgical year!
Assumption of Mary Books for Children:
Take it the Queen by Nobisso
Jesus and Mary: The Lives of Jesus and Mary and the Story of Fatima for Little Catholics
My Hail Mary Book: A Prayer to Our Mother
Bernadette, The Little Girl from Lourdes
Here is a more comprehensive list of Marian themed literature for children: Marian Must Reads for Young Catholics.
Want more liturgically inspired book suggestions? Check out the AMAZING printable lists in Read through the Catholic Year Book Lists!
After years of missing out on reading along with the liturgical cycle of the Church, I’ve finally created a comprehensive and curated list of Catholic book lists for:
- liturgical inspired book lists by month
- Marian book list
- Rosary book list
- Catholic chapter book list
- Catholic spirituality for kids book list
- Advent & Christmas book list
- Lent & Easter book list
All in easy printable format!
Celebrate with Marian themed Tea!
To tide the children’s bellies over till after our noon mass, we celebrated with a mid-morning tea.
Simple Marin Tea Menu:
Garden Zucchini Bread
Berries with whipped cream (reminiscent of Mary rising into the clouds!)
Various Teas
Read from the Divine Office
The Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours are times the Church sets aside for prayer. It is a way we can join our prayer to the prayers of the greater Church and the prayers are naturally liturgically appropriate!
Sorting out the Office with a breviary can be complicated, but the handy Magnificat simplifies it for beginners like me!
Sing a Hymn
We sang a few verses of Immaculate Mary, a hymn the children memorized a couple of years ago.
Here are a few other good choices to sung or memorized:
- Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning
- Mary Most Holy
- Mater Amablis
- Ave Maria
- All Hail to You, Mary
- Holy Mary, Mother Mild
Enjoying our tea time with more fresh flowers on the kitchen table. Supper was stewing in the crockpot to make evening meal prep that much easier.
The children found gold plates and blue napkins at the Dollar Tree- so appropriate for a feast of Mary!
Have an Assumption of Mary Scavenger Hunt
At our mid-morning tea time, one of the children mentioned that a scavenger hunt would be a lot of fun. I was able to throw the hunt together in a few minutes in the afternoon. Lowell, our eldest son, was laughing at my corny clues, but I told him he couldn’t expect too much from me on such short notice!
The children were excited to get going on their scavenger hunt! Here are our clues. Feel free to rework them to work for your family!
Clue #1
“At Fatima, where was sweet Mary seen?
She floated over a plant of green.
Though they don’t grow here but other kinds do,
Look in the front yard in one for your next clue.”
Answer: A Holm Oak Tree
Clue #2
Our Lady was known most for having the Son,
Where have slept our family’s little ones?
Her Son was born in a manger poor,
The next clue will be found behind that room’s door.
Answer: The Nursery
Clue #3
Stella Maris- what does that mean?
It is Latin meaning Star of the Sea.
It is a title we give Our Lady who protects those at sea,
No ocean in Iowa, but where in our yard could water be?
Answer: The kiddie pool in the backyard.
Clue #4
We honor Mary through prayers and devotion
To solve this next clue you’ll have to spring into motion.
You might light a candle or say a prayer here.
A place to remember that she and Jesus are always near.
Answer: Family Feast Table
Clue #5
Today is the Assumption the day Mary rose to heaven,
Jesus tells us to take out the “leaven.”
Leaven is yeast that raises the dough,
If you were to make bread, where would you go?
Maybe you can solve this last clue,
If you can, I will tell you what we will do.
We’ll sit down in a comfortable seat,
Then maybe mother will serve a sweet treat.
If you are lucky, there may be another thing or two,
So can you solve this one last clue?
Answer: In the Kitchen
Serve a Special Meal
After the children solved the clues for the scavenger hunt, we had a meal of meatball soup, French bread, and fresh peaches. Angel food cake Tiramisu was our dessert of choice – Angel Food for the Queen of Angels!
“Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth.”
Judith 13:18
