Candlelight Procession to Mark Eve of Feast of Annunciation

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Published on Saturday, 02 April 2016 16:06

The Feast of the Annunciation has always been a special day in the town of Ave Maria, which takes its name from the words "Ave Maria" – Latin for Hail Mary – that the angel Gabriel said to the Virgin Mary when he told her she would bear the Christ child.

This year, for the first time, the festivities will start on the eve of the feast day with a candlelight rosary procession organized by the Ave Maria quasi parish.

Robb Klucik, a resident who has helped organize the event, said it's been something many townspeople have wanted to do for some time. "Over the years people have suggested we have a candlelight procession in town, similar to Lourdes and Fatima. People imagined the beauty – and how nice it would be for everyone to not have the bright Florida sun beating down on us." (Right, a stock photo of a procession at Lourdes)

Father Cory Mayer, the pastor, threw his support behind it and since there has been no shortage of volunteers to help the effort, and support has spread throughout the town and university community, Mr. Klucik said, noting that the Knights of Columbus, the Donahue Academy football team, Ave Maria University households, local musicians and parish altar servers are just a few of the groups helping out.

The procession will start at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3 and follow a 1.5-mile route through town, stopping at the Ave Maria Oratory, and from there Ave Maria University students will carry a statue of Mary to a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe that was opened recently across a waterway from the university campus.

Anyone is welcome to join the procession at any point of its route, which can be seen in more detail in a PDF flyer about the event here.

The Feast of the Annunciation is normally celebrated on March 25, but is shifted in any year where the date falls in the weeks before or after Easter.