About Church Flowers during Lent

The general rule is that there are to be no altar flowers during Lent.  Exceptions are made for the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday

The reason for the rule, of course, is that Lent is a penitential season of fasting and penance leading up to the sorrows of Good Friday.  The return of flowers on Easter helps express the joy of the resurrection.

Liturgically, Lent ends just before the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, which is when the Easter Triduum begins. It is both customary and entirely appropriate to decorate the Altar of Repose with flowers. It is also appropriate to decorate the altar for Holy Thursday Mass because that Mass celebrates the institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood.  But of course the main altar is stripped after Holy Thursday Mass, and there are no altar flowers on Good Friday.

Traditional Feast Day for the Flight into Egypt - February 17

 

As explained in a very informative post from FSSP (Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter), February 17 was once a feast day for the Flight into Egypt in certain places.

Image:  Giotto's Flight into Egypt

Septuagesima - Are Altar Flowers Permitted?

Upcoming on Sunday, February 16, 2025, is Septuagesima -- the beginning of the pre-Lenten season sometimes called Shrovetide. The liturgical color is violet. 

Based on a post from a reputable source, it had been my understanding that altar flowers were permitted.  Now I see that post has been taken down. 

At the same time there is now a post from an FSSP apostolate saying that altar flowers are not permitted during Shrovetide.  The FSSP post states:

"In order to effect a gradual transition between the joy of Christmastide and the stringency of Lent, the season of Septuagesima takes on some of the sobriety of the latter but without its harshness. In the Roman Breviary, the penitential circuit of psalms is used (“Lauds II”), and at Mass the Gloria in excelsis is suppressed and the Gradual replaced with a Tract. Flowers on the altar are forbidden, and violet is the liturgical color of the vestments."

Note:  In an earlier publication of this post, the question was raised as to whether altar flowers are permitted on the Feast of the Purification.  That year February 2 fell within Shrovetide so I asked for any reader who had an answer to please post a comment.  Gratefully someone did, as you will see in the comments below.  I am leaving those comments in for future reference.