In the bustling world of scientific discovery, where laboratories are filled with microscopes and specimens rather than prayer books and rosary beads, it is easy to forget the presence of the divine. But in the early 20th century, one remarkable Catholic woman—together with her husband, a leading scientist—sought to ensure that faith would never be lost amidst the rise of modern science.

Frances Crane Lillie (1869–1958), a philanthropist deeply inspired by her Catholic faith and tradition, helped establish the first recognized Modern Medieval Mary Garden in the United States. In 1932 the garden was established at the base of the Angelus Tower in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Frank Rattray Lillie, Her husband,, a distinguished biologist and director of the Marine Biological Laboratory, shared in the creation and funding of the Angelous Tower and The First U.S. Medieval Mary Garden. .

Together, they positioned the garden and tower as quiet yet powerful reminders of the sovereignty of God over all creation.

“In a world rushing to understand creation, they chose to help the world remember the Creator.”

​Strategically situated within sight of the research laboratories of Woods Hole, this garden and tower, across the street from St. Joseph's Catholic Church stood as a living testimony that faith and science were never meant to be in opposition. Rather, they could and should coexist, with faith guiding the human quest for knowledge—just as it had throughout medieval Christendom.

To fully appreciate the Lillies’ inspiration, one must look back to the Middle Ages, when Catholic monasteries and convents cultivated gardens for sustenance and beauty and dedicated these Gardens to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

These gardens were not merely places of beauty and provision but living catechisms—teaching tools that helped the faithful reflect on the virtues and mysteries of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Medieval Mary Gardens were filled with flowers and herbs that carried Marian names, each symbolizing an aspect of her life:

These sacred gardens served as places of prayer, reflection, and contemplation. Monks and nuns tended them with devotion, believing that each flower revealed something of divine truth—just as creation itself reflects the Creator.

​“In the medieval world, flowers were not decoration—they were devotion.”

It was this medieval tradition that inspired Frances Crane Lillie, particularly after her travels in England, where she encountered the remnants of these ancient devotional gardens.

Moved by their beauty and spiritual depth, she envisioned something similar in America.

Together with her husband, Frank, she helped establish the Mary Garden in Woods Hole in 1932, at the base of the Angelus Tower. This sacred space was designed not only as a place of beauty and prayer, but as a gentle counterpoint to the growing secularization of modern scientific culture.

Frank Lillie, a professor at the University of Chicago and a leading figure in American biology, understood firsthand the power of scientific discovery. Yet both he and Frances recognized the temptation for modern science to drift away from its Creator.

By situating the Mary Garden and Angelus Tower within view of the laboratories of Woods Hole, they ensured that scientists, students, and researchers would encounter a silent yet profound reminder:

The Angelus Tower was more than an architectural feature—it was a theological statement.

Named after the Angelus prayer, which calls the faithful to pause morning, noon, and evening to reflect on the Incarnation, the tower stood as a symbol of divine wisdom in an age increasingly focused on human intellect.

In medieval Europe, church bells marked the rhythm of daily life, calling the faithful to prayer and reminding them that all knowledge begins with God.

In Woods Hole, the Angelus Tower restored that rhythm—quietly proclaiming the mystery of God made man in the midst of scientific inquiry.

“The bell does not argue—it simply calls the heart to remember.”

The Mary Garden at the base of the tower embodied the same truth.

Just as medieval monasteries used gardens to teach Marian virtues, the Lillies planted this garden in the heart of a scientific community—so that even in a place devoted to studying life’s mysteries, the greatest mystery of all would not be forgotten: the Incarnation.

Here, lilies spoke of purity, roses of divine love, and violets of humility.

Creation itself became a teacher.

“In a Mary Garden, theology takes root—and quietly blooms.”

Though much has changed in the scientific world since the Lillies’ time, their vision remains profoundly relevant.

The tension between faith and science continues, with many believing they are opposed. But the Mary Garden and Angelus Tower stand as witnesses to another truth:

faith and reason are partners in the search for truth.

The legacy of the Woods Hole Mary Garden extended far beyond its original planting. It helped inspire the work of John S. Stokes and the Mary Garden Society, which encouraged the planting of Mary Gardens across the United States and beyond.

In our own time, where the secularization of knowledge often pushes faith to the margins, the story of Frances Crane Lillie and her husband reminds us of the importance of reclaiming the sacred within the ordinary.

Just as medieval monks saw gardening as a form of prayer, we too can cultivate spaces that reflect God’s beauty.

Whether in a backyard, a parish courtyard, or even a small balcony, a Mary Garden becomes a place where: beauty teaches, nature speaks and the heart is lifted to God.

“Plant beauty, and you plant a reminder of Heaven.”

If you find yourself catching a ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard schedule some time to visit the U.S.'s first Medieval Mary Garden and Angelous Tower which quietly exist to inspire its visitors and observers.

Let us take inspiration from the Lillies’ vision—and from the medieval tradition they helped restore—planting gardens that quietly proclaim:

God is present in His creation.