Feast of the Assumption 2014

Our celebration of the Feast of Our Lady's Assumption into Heaven was low-key but relaxing and lovely.

The day began with Mass at 7:00 a.m. and it was no easy trick to get these children who now (finally!) sleep later than that up and at 'em. Weeping was involved.

At Mass I discovered that I am, in fact, very much addicted to my daily two cups of coffee.

Then we went to a local diner for breakfast: can't hardly beat French toast with strawberries and whipped cream served with bacon.

At home we took the day off of school. We did our regular daily chores and music practice, plus colored some feast day-themed pictures: gone are the days when I do fancy craft projects, which requiring planning ahead, with my children on each Catholic feast day. We spent the afternoon playing in the back yard in the glorious weather, and then sat and worked on our cross-stitching projects.

I am so excited to have begun passing on the craft of cross-stitching to our children! I spent hours and hours cross-stitching as a child and teenager and produced some large and complex projects. The children are learning with a first project of stitching their names and declare that they 'love it!'

How my heart sung this afternoon, sitting with two getting-bigger children, the three of us cross-stitching peacefully, while my three- and one-year-olds played in the grass.

The children enjoyed a lazy afternoon watching a movie, their new favorite: "So Dear to My Heart." Oh, what rollicking fun ensues when two little children adopt a black lamb, right? This movie gets five out of five stars from our movie critics.

Assumpta salad

For dinner, I made meatloaf, Assumpta Salad, baked acorn squash, with angel hair pasta and marinara. My feast day-themed dessert had to be abandoned (read directions ahead of time: dessert needed to freeze for six hours in advance), so I served ice cream dressed up with cookies, strawberries, and whipped cream.

A hot fire in the humid August of the South

In the evening, we made a traditional bonfire at which we burned all our broken rosaries, brown scapulars, and sacramentals.

Assumption 2013

Happy Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We had quite an enjoyable celebration. It began with attending a (true) vigil Mass (versus an anticipatory Mass) in the old rite at our home parish--a true vigil Mass has its own readings that are in preparation for the upcoming feast. It was an extraordinarily beautiful solemn high Mass (priest, deacon, subdeacon) and we got to see the new violet vestments, which were breathtaking.

After Mass, which I guess about 300 people attended, most of the families stood around talking for an hour while dozens and dozens of children raced around on the grassy hill in the gathering dark.

Praying by the statue of Our Lady

On Thursday we made a day trip to South Carolina to attend the Assumption Mass in the old rite. We ran into some new friendly acquaintances we'd made recently, so went to lunch with them afterward. One is a jovial seminarian at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and hanging out with one of those fellows is always very enjoyable! I already have at least two new book titles added to my reading list.

We didn't get home till five o'clock, but I'd done some dinner cooking early in the morning, so was able to finish the rest of the meal--a little fancier than usual. Dessert was loads of fun: diced pears cooked in lots of butter and topped with homemade whipped cream and homemade chocolate sauce. Certain picky members of the family ate a boring old ice cream sandwich, to which I say the refrain I learned from my mom: "Fine! More of the good stuff for me!"

From Divine Intimacy on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

"The Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we contemplate today assumed body and soul into heaven, reminds us very definitely that our permanent abode is not on earth but in heaven where she, with her divine Son, has preceded us in all the fullness of her human nature. . . . Mary's Assumption shows us the route we must follow in our spiritual ascent: detachment from the earth, flight toward God, and union with God. . . . The first requirement for attaining God is this total purity, the fruit of total detachment. The Blessed Virgin, who lived her earthly life in absolute detachment from every created thing, teaches us not to allow ourselves to be captivated by the fascination of creatures, but to live among them, occupying ourselves with them with much charity, but without ever letting our heart become attached to them, without ever seeking our satisfaction in them."

Feast of the Assumption 2012

Our sweet John on his way to Mass with Daddy . . . I went to Mass later so that for once I didn't have to stand in the narthex with the baby. Yay! 

We made a Marian triptych celebrating her immaculate conception, her assumption into heaven, and her queenship of heaven (directions here). 

We baked white cupcakes and decorated them white and blue frosting. Why yes, that is a box of conventional cupcake mix and containers of pre-made, chemical-mix frosting . . . I do the best I can and sometimes that best is less than on other days!

Feast of the Assumption of the BVM

The Assumption of the Virgin Altarpiece by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Monday was the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which I learned is the Blessed Mother's highest feast day throughout the year and is a national holiday in something like 40 countries . . . although not in ours!

We celebrated the Vigil by having some new friends (with kids ages 5, 3, and 11 months--so similar to ours!) join us for a bonfire Sunday night. Apparently a bonfire is one of the many festivities associated with the Assumption. The kids adored it and roasted marshmallows for s'mores in the flames. Because, as you know, you've always got to have dessert on special feast days!

Then on Monday we attended 7:00 a.m. Mass, and the kids learned more about the Assumption during school time plus colored some lovely pictures of Mary, and then they got to have dessert again (just what random things I had on hand: strawberries, Nilla wafers, canned whipped cream, and chocolate chips!).

Homeschool Co-Op

Our parish has now attracted enough home schooling families (thanks to our wonderfully orthodox priest) that the group has begun a co-op this year. Each Friday morning, children enrolled in the formal academic co-op will come for classes. Then home schooling kids of all ages can show up for the brown bag lunch, followed by more fun subjects for two hours after lunch (e.g., chess, art, drama). The children will also have liturgical celebrations, about five of which will be potlucks on Sundays, as was yesterday's in celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

I asked Mary to smile for a photo and she squatted instead.

So then John insisted I take a photo of him squatting.

The children had so much fun running wildly in the cafeteria (back and forth, back and forth) before we prayed one decade of the Rosary, then ate our potluck lunch.

After lunch, children could do crafts related to the Assumption or play ball in the gymnasium (or both). John loves the star he decorated and last night hung it on the lamp by the bed saying, "If I wake up in the night and am scared, I can look at the Virgin Mary!"

Next month, I am in charge of planning the liturgical celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary's birthday, although it is not a potluck. John is not quite old enough for any of the co-op classes, but we'll be involved via the brown bag lunches and the monthly liturgical celebrations.

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
(Holy Day of Obligation)

The crowning of Our Lady by Paulo Veneziano
On this day the Church celebrates, in honor of Mary, two solemn festivals; the first is that of her happy passage from this world; the second, that of her glorious Assumption into Heaven.

Death being the punishment of sin, it would seem that the Divine Mother all holy, and exempt as she was from its slightest stain should also have been exempt from death, and from encountering the misfortunes to which the children of Adam, infected by the poison of sin, are subject. But God was pleased that Mary should in all things resemble Jesus; and as the Son died, it was becoming that the Mother should also die; because, moreover, He wished to give the just an example of the precious death prepared for them, He willed that even the most Blessed Virgin should die, but by a sweet and happy death.

Excerpt taken from a sermon by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church