Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Welcome to our intercessory prayer ministry for families, babies, little ones and those who love them.

In our prayers for families, we pray for the sanctity of all life and for vocations to marriage, the priesthood and consecrated life, which are born and nurtured in families.

The
Prayer of Entrustment to Mary was prayed for this ministry at the icon of the Madonna Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the Roman People, Our Lady of Good Health) in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of Mary Major) in Rome, Italy, in Nossa Senhora do Rosario da Fatima (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary) in Fatima, Portugal, in Eglise du Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Parish Church), the site of St. Bernadette's baptismal font, in Lourdes, France and at The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents before Our Lady of Guadalupe and at Basilica Papale de San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City) at the Tomb of St. John Paul II in Rome, Italy and at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Mexico City, Mexico.

This ministry is consecrated to Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, through the hands of Mary and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. In our prayers to Mary, we honor and worship her Son Jesus. When He was on the Cross, He gave His Mother to John and she became our Mother as well. "Behold, your Mother." John 19:27

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
For the greater glory of God

July 27, 2014

Reflection: How great thou art

How varied are Your works, Lord! In wisdom, You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.  There is the sea, great and wide!  It teems with countless beings, living things both large and small.  Psalm 104:24-25

I love the seashore and gazing at the beauty of God's creation. About eight years ago, I was with my family in Kennebunkport, Maine.  We were driving along the seashore and decided to stop at a beach.  It was a busy area, with many cars and people.  As we parked the car, I looked up and said, "Look, there's a moose!" Someone in the car said, "Yea, right, Mary."  There it was, a young moose crossing the busy street heading toward the beach.  I was amazed at the enormity of this creature!  He was very frightened and disoriented and he ran onto the beach.  It was low tide and the beach was crowded with people and many children, playing in the sand.  As the moose ran, people stopped, in awe, at the immensity of this creature.  As he ran toward them, fear overtook them and they ran away and scattered.  The moose was agitated, his legs flailing. We prayed that no one would be hurt.  The moose was so frightened that he ran to the ocean and began swimming straight out.  He kept swimming and swimming, further and further out. If he continued, the moose was going to wear himself out and drown.  Suddenly, a man appeared in a small motorboat.  He got in front of the moose and gently guided the moose to change direction and swim to the left.  The boat stayed with the moose, gently guiding him to a deserted section of the beach.  The moose plopped down on the sand then quickly got up and ran to the underbrush which led to the grounds of a beautiful, old Episcopal Church, not far from the Bush Family home.  He was free and safe at last.

The memory of this moment in time has come back to me often over these years.  What an awesome sight to witness!  Recently, this memory came back to me.  As I reflected on it, the Lord showed me something new.  He showed me how He is with us in every moment of our lives.  Nature tells us much about God and about man.  God is the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth.

The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.  For He founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers.  Psalm 24:1-2

As I have reflected on this moment in time, witnessing the moose, I thought of the young moose as myself; maybe you will see yourself too.  When fear overtakes us, we can become disoriented, not knowing where to go.  We may see something that looks amazing, such as the sight of a young moose running on the beach.  We may be inclined to run toward the moose to get a better look.  This is like temptation or sin. Often temptation can appear to be something good.  In reality, if we succumb and go in that direction, we can put ourselves in danger.  Being close to a frightened moose is not safe.  When we put ourselves in danger, we become fearful and we have turned away from the Lord.  When we fix our eyes on the Lord, He makes our path clear.  As I reflected about the moose, I have come to see the man in the boat as God.  Our Heavenly Father is always watching over us and when we are going off track, He is there to gently guide us back on the right path.  As I think about God in that moment, He was there on the beach, protecting the little children playing in the sand.  God is in every moment of our lives.  He is always with us, guiding and protecting us.  When we listen to Him and follow His ways, we are free and safe like the moose who was gently guided to the shore.

How lovely Your dwelling, O Lord of Hosts!  My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.  My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.  As the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest to settle her young, my home is by Your altars, Lord of Hosts, my King and my God!  Blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They never cease to praise You.  Psalm 84:2-5

The Scriptures repeatedly turn our attention to lessons about life and conduct through nature.  God reveals Himself, through His Word, in the stories in the Bible which form pictures in our minds and our hearts.  Nature is the work of God and His plan for Creation.  How great is our God, Creator of heaven and earth!      
     
How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur and see the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing; sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; that on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, and then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Father God, we give You thanks for being with us in all the moments of our lives.  Bless and protect all those we pray for through this ministry though the intercession of our beautiful Blessed Mother Mary.

July 26, 2014

Saint Anne and Saint Joachim

Today is the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They nurtured Mary, taught her and brought her up to be the worthy Mother of God. It was their teaching that led her to respond to God's request with faith, "Let it be done to me according to Your Will." It was their example of parenting that Mary must have followed as she brought up her own Son, Jesus. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed her to stand at the foot of the cross as her Son was crucified. Such parents are examples and models for all parents.
In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke traced ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. The heroism and holiness of the parents of Mary established the whole family atmosphere around her in the Scriptures. We see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives, all indicate a close-knit, loving family. Saints Joachim and Anne faithfully performed their duties and practiced their faith quietly.

Saint Anne is the patron saint of mothers, grandmothers and pregnant women. Devotion to her was the beginning of this prayer ministry. The novena to Saint Anne had a powerful impact on the pregnancy and birth of Lily Grace because of a community of people who were praying the novena to her that this precious baby would have abundant life. The prayers were answered in the gift of this child who brings love and joy to everyone she meets.

"Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have born, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body." Saint John Damascene, Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church

Good Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, pray for us and for all those for whom we pray.

July 22, 2014

Saint Mary Magdalene

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Mary Magdalene. The gospels record her faithfulness to Christ even when the faith of the apostles wavered during and after the passion. The Eastern Catholic tradition even calls her "the apostle to the apostles" since she carried the news of the Resurrection to the twelve on Easter morning. Some writers have identified her with the female sinner in Luke 7:37-50 who anointed the Lord's feet, and with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus in Luke 10:38-42. Others have identified these as three or two distinct individuals.

The following reading is an excerpt from a homily preached by Pope Saint Gregory the Great around the year 600AD:
When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: The disciples went back home, and it adds: but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.

Let us reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us: Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

At first she sought but did not find, but when she persevered it happened that she found what she was looking for. When our desires are not satisfied, they grow stronger, and becoming stronger they take hold of their object. Holy desires likewise grow with anticipation, and if they do not grow they are not really desires. Anyone who succeeds in attaining the truth has burned with such a great love. As David says: My soul has thirsted for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God? And so also in the Song of Songs the Church says: I was wounded by love; and again: My soul is melted with love.

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? She is asked why she is sorrowing so that her desire might be strengthened; for when she mentions whom she is seeking, her love is kindled all the more ardently.

Jesus says to her: Mary. Jesus is not recognized when he calls her “woman”; so he calls her by name, as though he were saying: Recognize me as I recognize you; for I do not know you as I know others; I know you as yourself. And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognizes who is speaking. She immediately calls him Rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.

Song of Songs 3:1-4  On my bed at night I sought him whom my heart loves. I sought him but I did not find him. I will rise then and go about the city; in the streets and crossings I will seek Him whom my heart loves. I sought him but I did not find him. The watchmen came upon me as they made their rounds of the city: Have you seen him whom my heart loves? I had hardly left them when I found him whom my heart loves.

After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. When she recognized Him, He said, "Stop holding on to me." He gave her the mission to go and tell His disciples that she has seen the Lord. Help us Lord, to follow Your Will for our lives, as Saint Mary Magdalene did. Help us to stop holding on to Him, but to seek His Will in all things.

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us and for all the intentions we carry and bring them to Jesus.

July 16, 2014

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Garment of Mary's Grace
Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary and founded the Carmelite Order devoted to contemplative life and sacrificial prayer for others. In 1726 it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries, the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

Saint Teresa of Avila called Carmel “the Order of the Virgin.” While Teresa was in a crisis, her mother died. Afflicted and lonely, Teresa appealed to the Blessed Virgin to be her mother. Saint John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel and helping him escape from prison. Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion, she dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life, she frequently spoke of Mary.

Our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites. He pleaded with Mary for some special sign of her protection. On July 16, 1251, she designated the scapular as the special mark of her maternal love. Mary told him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary’s own garment. It symbolizes her special protection. She calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. The scapular reminds us of the Gospel call to prayer and penance, a call that Mary models in a splendid way.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is worldwide, and most Catholics are familiar with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular. When Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock and gave him the scapular, she said: "This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted for the Carmelites in 1332, and extended to the whole Church by Benedict XIII in 1726.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, protect us and all the little ones for whom we pray. Lead us always to your Beloved Son Jesus.

July 14, 2014

Saint Kateri Tekawitha, Lily of the Mohawks

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Kateri Tekawitha, Virgin and patron of consecrated virgins, the environment and ecology. Kateri was born near the town of Auriesville, New York, in the year 1656, the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. She was four years old when her mother died of smallpox. The disease also attacked Kateri and transfigured her face. She was adopted by her two aunts and an uncle. Kateri became converted as a teenager. She was baptized at the age of twenty and incurred the great hostility of her tribe. Although she had to suffer greatly for her faith, she remained firm in it. Kateri went to the new Christian colony of Indians in Canada where she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penances, and caring for the sick and aged. Every morning, even in bitterest winter, she stood before the chapel door until it opened at four and remained there until after the last Mass. She became known as the "Lily of the Mohawks."

Kateri's family did not accept her choice to embrace Christ. After her baptism, Kateri became the village outcast. Her family refused her food on Sundays because she would not work. Children would taunt her and throw stones. She was threatened with torture or death if she did not renounce her religion. Because of increasing hostility from her people and because she wanted to devote her life to working for God, Kateri left her village and fled more than 200 miles through woods, rivers, and swamps to the Catholic mission of St. Francis Xavier at Sault Saint-Louis, near Montreal. Kateri's journey through the wilderness took more than two months. Because of her determination in proving herself worthy of God and her undying faith, she was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion on Christmas Day, 1677.

Although not formally educated and unable to read and write, she taught the young and helped those in the village who were poor or sick. Her favorite devotion was to fashion crosses out of sticks and place them throughout the woods. These crosses served as stations that reminded her to spend a moment in prayer. Kateri's motto became, "Who can tell me what is most pleasing to God that I may do it?" She spent much of her time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, kneeling in the cold chapel for hours. When the winter hunting season took Kateri and many of the villagers away from the village, she made her own little chapel in the woods by carving a Cross on a tree and spent time in prayer there, kneeling in the snow. Often people would ask, "Kateri, tell us a story." Kateri remembered everything she was told about the life of Jesus and his followers. People would listen for a long time. They enjoyed being with her because they felt the presence of God. One time a priest asked the people why they gathered around Kateri in church. They told him that they felt close to God when Kateri prayed. They said that her face changed when she was praying. It became full of beauty and peace, as if she were looking at God's face.

On March 25, 1679, Kateri made a vow of perpetual virginity, meaning that she would remain unmarried and totally devoted to Christ for the rest of her life. Kateri hoped to start a convent for Native American sisters in Sault St. Louis but her spiritual director, Father Pierre Cholonec discouraged her. Kateri's health, never good, was deteriorating rapidly due in part to the penances she inflicted on herself. Father Cholonec encouraged Kateri to take better care of herself but she laughed and continued with her "acts of love." She died on April 17, 1680 at the age of twenty-four.  Devotion to Kateri led to the establishment of Native American ministries in Catholic Churches all over the United States.

Kateri loved the Rosary and carried it around her neck always. She was devoted to the Holy Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified.

I have felt a connection in prayer with Kateri ever since we began praying for baby Lily Grace and I discovered she was known as Lily of the Mohawks. I feel even more connected with her because of her love of Jesus and Mary.

Novena to Kateri
Kateri, favored child and Lily of the Mohawks, I come to seek your intercession in my present need: (State your intention here) I admire the virtues which adorned your soul: love of God and neighbor, humility, obedience, patience, purity and the spirit of sacrifice. Help me to imitate your example in my state of life. Through the goodness and mercy of God, Who has blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to a high degree of holiness, pray to God for me and help me.

Obtain for me a very fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that I may love Holy Mass as you did and receive Holy Communion as often as I can. Teach me also to be devoted to my crucified Savior as you were, that I may cheerfully bear my daily crosses for love of Him Who suffered so much for love of me. Most of all I beg you to pray for me that I may avoid sin, lead a holy life and save my soul. Amen.

In Thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed upon Kateri: (Recite the following prayers) Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...(3 times)

Saint Kateri, pray for us and for all the families we pray for through this ministry.

July 06, 2014

Reflection: Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest...

At that time Jesus exclaimed:  “I give praise to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned You have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and You will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden light." Matthew 11:25-30

The Lord is calling you to come to Him and rest.  It is He who invites you to come and be still and rest with Him.  He knows your weariness and your burdens.  Come, just as you are, with your anxieties, worries, fears, frustrations, struggles and needs.  He wants to give you rest.  God is seeking you.  He is gazing at you because He loves you so much.  Let Him embrace you in His arms.  "God is love." 1 John 4:8  

Ask God to send the Holy Spirit that Jesus may come into your heart.  When you call the Holy Spirit, He will rush to you.  Call him now and feel the Father's love pour into your heart, like a river of peace.  The Father's love is healing you, sanctifying you and transforming you.

"I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord."  Hosea 2:21-22

Like a small child who has been hurt, run to the loving embrace of your Father.  Turn to your Father, in confident trust, "Abba Father, come to me."  Spend some time in silence listening to Him.  It takes only a moment for God to come into your heart.  Let Him rest there in your heart,  You are His beloved child.

A dear friend shared this quiet meditation with me:

Psalm 46:10
Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know
Be still and
Be still
Be

God is waiting for you.  His heart is overflowing with love for you, a love that will bring rest and peace to your soul.  God is waiting for you to speak freely to Him.  Reveal to Him the desires and secrets of your heart.  He knows you intimately and He loves you.  Speak to Him like a little child and He will reveal His love to you.

"The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a person speaks to a friend.  Moses would then return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua, son of Nun, never left the camp.  Moses said to the Lord, 'See You are telling me: Lead this people but You have not let me know whom You will send with me.  Yet You have said: You are my intimate friend.  You have found favor with me, Now, if I have found favor with You, please let me know Your ways so that, in knowing You, I may continue to find favor with You.  See, this nation is indeed Your own people.'  The Lord answered: "I myself will go along, to give you rest."  Exodus 33:11-14

Come away with the Lord and rest awhile...