Rosemary & Remembrance

"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." I hear Ophelia every time I walk by my rosemary bush in the garden.

Someone asked me the significance of the rosemary sprig on the napkins at the First Solemn Mass reception some three weeks ago. This Shakespearean quote was all I could think of, aside from the obvious aesthetic appeal.

Today I happened upon an interesting story in Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays? by Michael P. Foley. He cites Mary's Flowers by Frisk and Krymow as his source:

"According to legend, Mary washed the tiny garments of Jesus during their flight to Egypt and spread them over the branches of a rosemary bush to dry them (Rosmarinus officinalis). In reward for this service to his son, God conferred upon the Rosemary, or Mary's Rose, a fragrant aroma."

My next research stop was the always inspiring and knowledgeable Fleurs de Marie-Jacqueline. Not surprising, she also has a lovely story associated with the rosemary bush. She writes:

"During medieval times, many flowers and other plants were known by names associated with Our Lady or the saints. One such plant was the rosemary. Legend has it that its flowers are blue because Our Lady once spread her veil over the plant and the pale blue color remained as a reminder. The Latin name for the plant -- rosmarinus -- may actually reflect the legend because it means "dew of the sea", while the Virgin Mary is associated with the sea. (One of her many titles is "Star of the Sea".)

My remembrance will be for the tiny garments of baby Jesus and the pale blue veil of Mary "Star of the Sea" next time I walk by my rosemary bush.

Anonymous 19th century painting of Mary as Star of the Sea.Source: wiki commons/ public domain

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