In 1932, philanthropist Frances Crane Lillie looked out at the research laboratories of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and had an inspired thought: scientists need to remember the Creator.
So she and her husband Frank, a leading biologist, built something for that purpose. A bell tower of rough-cut pink granite, right at the water's edge of a tiny Cape Cod town. Inside it: two bells, christened Pasteur and Mendel, after two of history's greatest scientists, who also happened to be devout Catholics.
The tower was named the Angelus Tower, after the ancient prayer that calls the faithful to pause at morning, noon, and evening to remember the Incarnation. In medieval Europe, church bells marked the rhythm of daily life. In Woods Hole, in the middle of one of America's foremost scientific communities, the Lillies restored that rhythm quietly and without apology.
At the tower's base, Frances planted the first Marian garden in the United States. Roses, forget-me-nots, foxglove, morning glory -- each flower carrying an ancient name for Our Lady. A stone statue of the Virgin stood at the center, and the whole garden was an act of love dressed up as a flower bed.
It is still there today. And the title "Our Lady of the Tower" belongs to this place, where faith refused to be crowded out by progress, and beauty held its ground across the street from St. Joseph's Catholic Church, within sight of the laboratories, within earshot of the bells.
There are over 500 flowers named after the Mother of God. Frances had the list posted in the garden, and she looked forward to the day when a gardener would turn up and make it the passion of her life to spread Our Lady's glories in flowers. Perhaps that gardener is you.
Here's a lovely list of Marian flowers and their meanings!:
Rose -- Mystical Rose / Rosa Mystica -- the queen of flowers for the Queen of Heaven; the word "rosary" itself comes from rosarium, a rose garden
Lily -- Madonna Lily -- carried by the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation; represents Mary's purity and the Immaculate Conception
Marigold -- Mary's Gold -- given the name "Mary's Gold" to honor Our Lady's Queenship; one of the few Marian names that has stuck to this day.
Columbine -- Our Lady's Shoes -- said to have sprung up along Mary's path on her way to visit her cousin Elizabeth following the Annunciation.
Bluebell -- Our Lady's Thimbles -- named to honor Mary's motherly housework as she made the clothes Jesus wore.
Lily of the Valley -- Our Lady's Tears -- legend holds that when Mary wept at the foot of the Cross, her tears fell to the ground and became these tiny fragrant blossoms.
Hosta -- Assumption Lily -- they bloom in mid-August around the Feast of the Assumption; the tall flower stem rising from a bed of leaves is thought to symbolize Mary being carried up into heaven.
Lavender -- Our Lady's Drying Plant -- named in the medieval tradition of Mary's domestic life; legend says she laid the Christ Child's clothes on lavender to dry.
Forget-Me-Not -- Eyes of Mary -- a reminder that Mary never forgets those who come to her in prayer seeking maternal care
Violet -- Our Lady's Modesty -- a symbol of her humility; small, low to the ground, sweet-smelling -- everything the violet does points to Mary's spirit.
Morning Glory -- Our Lady's Mantle -- its broad, sheltering shape called to mind Mary's mantle spread over her children
Foxglove -- Our Lady's Fingers -- the long tubular blooms were imagined as the fingers of Our Lady's gloves
Rosemary -- Mary's Nosegay -- one of the Marian names that has remained in common use; legend says the flowers turned blue when Mary laid her cloak over a rosemary bush on the flight into Egypt.
Zinnia -- Little Mary -- represents the virginity and innocence of Mary; endlessly cheerful, endlessly blooming.
Clematis -- Virgin's Bower -- its climbing, sheltering vines were seen as an image of Mary's protective love.
