A Marian Titles May Crowning Luncheon

Inspired by Charlotte's May Crowning Feast, I decided to host a Marian Titles May Crowning Luncheon following our May Little Flowers Meeting, which was based on Mary Mother of God and the virtue of Cheerfulness.   Each of the girls in our Little Flowers group selected one of the menu items to bring and I filled in the gaps.  We had one of our wonderful priests join us for the afternoon! He gave a talk to the girls on Our Lady and the virtue of Cheerfulness, taught them a Marian hymn, led a Marian procession, and then we all prayed the Litany of Loreto before enjoying our feast.   It was a lovely afternoon! 

~ Queen of Martyrs ~

One of the girls brought a Strawberry Boston Cream Cake, Charlotte's suggestion for Queen of Martyr's since her son pointed out that "The red is for the martyrs and the strawberries make it look like a crown."  It was a hit!

~ Holy Mary (Sancta Maria) ~ 

I picked up a couple packages of Marias cookies for Sancta Maria (Holy Mary) and served them with Nutella.  

~ Mystical Rose ~

I made these Strawberry Rose Cupcakes in honor of the Marian title Mystical Rose, saving the rest of the batter to make our Blue Phlox Cupcakes (the flower of the month for Little Flowers). 

I had a number of candy molds in my cupboard that tied in with some of the Marian Titles, so I couldn't resist making a few batches to add to our table   These Rose Candies were made with this mold and a mix of Red and White Candy Melts. 

~ Blue Phlox Cupcakes ~ 

Though not based on one of the titles of Mary, theses cupcakes were topped with Blue Phlox Flowers for our study of Our Lady and the virtue of Cheerfulness.  The Blue is for Mary and the five petals represent five dimensions of Cheerfulness:  Marian, Courageous, Heroic, Consistent, and Contagious.

~ Mother Most Pure ~ 

I made these Mother Most Pure Lily Lollipops made with this mold, though it doesn't look like I took a picture after adding the second batch...

I had a feeling that no one would sign up for our Lily Sandwiches and sure enough I was the one to make them.  They really aren't as difficult as they look. . . I ran out of time and only had 30 20 minutes to make them before the girls started arriving.   I was able to pull it off!  :)  I made a couple modifications to our regular recipe, flattening the bread with a rolling pin after cutting it out (which really helped!) and then inserting swizzle sticks for stems (inspired by Charlotte).  I am so glad I had a chance to make them and they didn't last long!

~ Morning Star ~

These Star Shaped Tea Sandwiches were made by my friend Kathleen and her daughter.

I also made a batch of Star Chocolates with this mold. 

~ Mirror of Justice ~

I happened to have a mirror from our old hutch, which came in handy for these Mirror of Justice Chicken Salad Sandwiches, brought by Amy's girls. 

~ Tower of Ivory, House of Gold ~ 

This was also inspired by Charlotte and also brought by Amy's girls. 

~ Health of the Sick ~

For this menu item, which was brought by Dee Dee, I opted for a Veggie Platter, though a plate of Apples would work nicely too!  

~ Vessel of Honor ~

Our punch bowl Vessel of Honor, was a wedding gift to my parents and passed on to us.   We used Charlotte's suggested recipe for Mary Blue Punch, mixing 7-up with a small box of blue gelatin (I wasn't able to find the unsweetened version) and topping it with vanilla ice cream clouds.  

Here is the document I created for the buffet signs.  I printed them out onto light blue card stock, adding a dark blue Fluer-di-lis quickly created with my Martha Stewart Fleur De Lis Punch.

O God, Who by the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.