Mary Based on Alive-O 8: Term 2, Lesson 6 Refer to Teacher’s Book pp What am I trying to do? Introduce the children to more of the feast days associated with Mary. Why? So that they may grow in appreciation of Mary, and engage more fully in the Church celebration of her.

Feast of the Annunciation 25 March

On the Feast of the Annunciation we remember when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to become the mother of God’s Son. You can read the story of the Annunciation in Luke 1: Each time we say the ‘Hail Mary’, we begin with the words that the angel Gabriel said to Mary:

Feast of the Immaculate Conception 8 December This is the traditional image of Mary, the Immaculate Conception. It is found on the Miraculous Medal.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception we remember how God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, God’s Son. The Church teaches that Mary is the only person ever to be ‘free from any trace of sin’ from the first moment of her existence. This is called the Immaculate Conception. The words of the Hail Mary remind us that Mary is

Feast of the Assumption 15 August

The Gospels don’t speak of Mary’s death, so no one knows exactly where or when she died. However, the apostles and the early Church soon came to believe that, at the end of her life on earth, God brought Mary, body and soul, to heaven. The day when we remember that Mary was taken to heaven is called the Feast of the Assumption.

Other Feast Days – 1 January

Many Churches have a statue of Mary where we can light candles and pray to her

Other Feast Days 8 September Although we don’t know exactly when Mary’s birthday was, we celebrate this special day on 8 September

Other Feast Days 21 November When Mary was young, she was presented in the Temple by her parents, Anne and Joachim. That was the beginning of her commitment to God.

Images of Mary For more images of Mary, see Alive-O 8, Poster 10 A depiction of Mary and Jesus from the Asian tradition A depiction of Mary and Jesus from the African tradition Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico

Activities Draw a picture of what you think a 21 st century Mary might look like. Imagine you are a journalist sent to interview Mary. Write an article based on your imaginary interview.

Consider… Think about how young Christians today also need the qualities that Mary had: – To ask questions – To take risks – To cope with fears – To believe – To hear the call of God in a noisy world