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

November 30, 2015

Saint Andrew, Apostle and Martyr

Today is the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle. As Our Blessed Mother Mary always leads us to Jesus, Saint Andrew brought others to Jesus. Andrew told his brother Simon: We have found the Messiah, the Christ; and he brought him to Jesus. When Jesus called Andrew and his brother Simon Peter, He said to them,  

Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 


They immediately dropped their fishing nets and followed him. Let us say Yes to Jesus the way Andrew, Simon and Our Blessed Mother Mary did. Let us call on their intercession in our need.


A novena is normally a nine day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. This prayer is often called the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer" because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.


The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary, perhaps five times at each meal. Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your children on the Advent season.


Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.


Saint Andrew, you gave your life to follow Jesus. Help us offer our lives to follow Him in all we do and in all we say. Saint Andrew, pray for us.

November 29, 2015

Reflection: We begin the season of Advent...

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. Over these special weeks before Christmas, we gather and give thanks. We pray and sing together, inviting the Lord into our lives, our homes, the Church and into the world which God loves so much that He sent His only Beloved Son. This Advent season has the significance of the opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy on December 8th, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Francis will open the Holy Doors in Saint Peter's and they will remain open for the entire Year of Mercy. Let us open our hearts and walk through the Holy Doors asking God to pour out His mercy and grace upon us. 

The best way to prepare for Advent is to spend the four weeks of Advent with Mary, reflecting on how she pondered God's Word. Mary was still. She invites us to be still and to listen as God speaks to us during this beautiful season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. 


How can we prepare our hearts for the coming of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Ask Our Lady to accompany us. She is our most loving Mother and she always leads us to her Beloved Son. Jesus heals our hearts and shines His light upon us. Spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. It is there, in the silence, that Jesus will speak to your heart.  The heart of the message of Advent is to bring light into a world of darkness. The Advent candles symbolize Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. It is He who can dispel the darkness and bring hope.  The Lord is always coming to those who seek Him. Let us seek Him through the eyes and heart of Mary.

The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God.  It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  God works in a silent soul without hindrance.  In order to hear the voice of God, one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. Diary of Saint Faustina 198, 477, 118

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortable unto her. Hosea 2:14  


In the wilderness, John the Baptist proclaimed the saving Presence of God. After the Baptism of the Lord, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him in the form of a dove. The voice of the Father was heard: This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him. God came to a deserted place. He calls us into a deserted place, into the silence, where we can hear Him. 


Open the door of your heart and come away and rest awhile...

November 26, 2015

Reflection: In Thanksgiving for all the blessings from the Lord...

A Mass will be offered for you, John 10:10 Prayer Partners, and for your intentions. We give thanks for all your prayers for the babies, little ones and families. We never know how our prayers are used.  The Lord takes our prayers and little offerings and places them where they are needed. The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His benefits, for all He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification.  Eucharist means, first of all, "thanksgiving."

We gather around the table of the Lord at the altar during Mass. Jesus is alive in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  During the Mass, heaven and earth meet.  The Mass is the most perfect prayer.  When you go to Mass, try to arrive early, read the Mass readings and meditate on them. If you can, stay after Mass is over and sit quietly with the Lord.  At every Mass, He will strengthen you, comfort you and heal you.

When you are not able to go to Mass or anytime during the day, you can make a prayer of Spiritual Communion.  It cannot replace receiving the Eucharist but it is a very real extension of its fruits.  The more the prayer of Spiritual Communion becomes a habit, the more you unite yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

During the Offertory, think about what you want to bring to the Lord at that Mass.  When the priest calls down the Holy Spirit over the bread and wine, this is when the miracle happens.  Through the words of the priest, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus.  At the moment of the Consecration, heaven and earth meet.  Mary is present, standing with her beloved priest and the altar is surrounded by angels.  At that moment, tell the Lord your heart’s desire, tell him what you are offering to Him, tell Him what you need and thank Him for all He has done for you.  When you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, speak to Him.  He will transform you and fill you with unimaginable graces.

Listen, my faithful children: open up your petals, like roses planted near running waters; send up the sweet odor of incense, break forth in blossoms like the lily.  Send up the sweet odor of your hymn of praise; bless the Lord for all He has done!  Sirach 39:13-14

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

November 25, 2015

Reflection: The fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the wall of the king's palace...


The writing is on the wall.

Have you ever wondered where this expression comes from? It comes from today's First Reading from Chapter 5 of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. King Belshazzar held a great banquet. He used the gold and silver vessels which his father had taken from the house of God. The king, his lords, his wives and entertainers were drinking wine from the vessels and praising their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. The banquet was an orgy.

"Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the the wall of the king's palace." Daniel 5:5

My pastor spoke of this scene at Mass this morning. When things are unraveling and spinning out of control, as we see in our world today in so many ways, God will say, "Enough!"

God will intervene.

In the Book of Daniel, the human hand, writing on the wall was God. The king was terrified when he saw the hand. He knew about the prophet Daniel and promised him many things if he would interpret the words the hand wrote. Daniel told the king he did not want his gifts but he would interpret the writing.

MENE God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
TEKEL You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
PERES Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel said to the king: "You rebelled against the Lord in heaven...But the God in whose hand is your very breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down." Daniel 5:23

We see so much unraveling in our world...terrorism, hatred, violence, war, assaults on the family and on marriage and the sacred gift of life.

Be not afraid. God will intervene. He simply wants us to trust in Him, to be patient, to persevere in prayer and spread His love through good works and deeds of mercy.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Don't depend on yourself. Cry out to God. Run from evil. Receive the Eucharist daily or as often as you can. Run to the Sacrament of Reconciliation where you will receive Mercy and healing. Stop into an adoration chapel or commit to a regular hour of Eucharistic Adoration, a special date between you and Jesus. Entrust yourself to Our Lady. Put God first in your life. Check yourself by God's Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Rest in God's love.

November 22, 2015

Reflection: Solemnity of Christ the King

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Christ, King of the Universe.  This Sunday provides a bridge to the new Church Year that begins next Sunday on the first Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting in hope and expectation, a time of longing for the coming of the Kingdom of God amid the darkness of a sinful world. It is through the Virgin Mary that we receive Christ the King into our hearts. She walked with Jesus and always brings us to Him. Mary is the guardian of our life, hidden in Christ. It is through Our Mother Mary's love that we have the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Meditation:  
Is Jesus the King of your heart?  Do you have a picture of Him in a prominent place in your home? He longs for you. Invite Him into your heart today. Ask Mary to help you open your heart to receive Jesus. She will bring you to Jesus and she will bring Jesus to you. Ask Mary to accompany you now. Come to Jesus today and ask Him to help you open your heart for Him to dwell within you. 

Ask Jesus to help you prepare your heart for the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy and ask Our Lady to help you to go to confession regularly, monthly or weekly; forgive those who have hurt you; attend Mass daily or more often than once a week; read the daily Mass readings before you go to Mass; go to Eucharistic Adoration at a regular time every week, a sacred date for you and Jesus; perform a work of mercy every day; venerate the Image of Divine Mercy; spread the message of Divine Mercy with family, friends, coworkers and strangers; read the Scriptures often; pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily; pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory; pray the Stations of the Cross; make a pilgrimage to a Holy Shrine. 

“In that first ‘fusion’ with Jesus in Holy Communion, it was my Heavenly Mother again who accompanied me to the altar for it was she herself who placed her Jesus into my soul.”  Saint Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

"The Virgin Mary, being obedient to His Word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God."  Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church

"I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy."  Our Lady to Saint Faustina

The good thief, hanging next to Jesus on the cross said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom." Jesus replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Luke 23:42-43

“King” was one of the earliest titles given to the Son of God. The title does not refer to a status of an earthly king, which many of the Jews had been expecting; someone to overthrow the Roman rule and be an earthly king of the Israel. Rather He came to be the spiritual king; His kingdom is in heaven, not confined to the earth alone. It is an eternal Kingdom of light and truth, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.  The King is love.

And this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  1 Timothy 6:15

Jesus Christ, King of Divine Majesty, have mercy on us. Remember us when You come into Your Kingdom. Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us

November 21, 2015

The Presentation of Mary

The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is his Name. Luke 1:46-49

In accordance with Jewish custom Mary's parents, Anne and Joachim, named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. Let us pray the words of Saint Bernard who invites us to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did:

Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary. In danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart. If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination.

The meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. From the time of Saint Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.

Saint Ephrem said, "that the name of Mary is the key of the gates of heaven," in the hands of those who devoutly invoke it.

O Mary, on this Feast Day of your Presentation, we call upon your Most Holy Name and entrust our prayers to you, our Loving Mother.

November 18, 2015

Reflection: Jesus wept...

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, He saw the city and He wept over it, saying "If this day, you only knew what makes for peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you, when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." Luke 19:41-44

Today we see terror springing up all around the world. We must not be afraid. Overcome evil with good. Let us pray the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the undoing of ISIS and all groups who promote terror, death and persecution of Christians.

Jesus is weeping...

Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the shepherd children and told them to pray the rosary daily for peace.  Let us pray for peace in the world, in our families and in our hearts. Let us entrust our lives and our families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They are our refuge and our shield.

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.

Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 300

Now is the time of Mercy. Jesus longs for you. Come to the Mercy of God through the Sacraments. Come to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. Come away and rest awhile. He will comfort, console and heal you. Come...

November 14, 2015

Reflection: Seek the Lord...

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.  Let the wicked forsake their way, and sinners their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord and find mercy; to our God who is generous in forgiving. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:6-9

Our Blessed Virgin Mary offered her life and gave her Fiat through her obedience and humble service to God. She surrendered to His Will. In heaven, she leads a song of eternal praise, like incense raising up to God.

The Lord is near. Cry out to Him in prayer. Seek His Face. Turn to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Run to Confession. Call upon Mary, Mother of Mercy, to help you. Jesus is there, waiting for you. Come to the fountain of mercy and grace. He will forgive, heal and strengthen you. Come with your pain, sufferings and all your misery. Lay it all down before the Lord. Come and rest upon His Sacred Heart where the Blood and Water gushes forth from the Fount of Mercy.

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His Face continually. Psalm 105:4

O Jesus, teach us to know Your ways and raise our thoughts to Your thoughts; help us to seek You and we will find You. O Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us to seek His Face and turn to Him where we will find mercy and healing. 

November 11, 2015

In honor of our veterans...

America, our country is truly blessed; God, through the powerful intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, has shed His grace on America. May He continue to do so from sea to shining sea! Let us reflect and remember all those who have served our country, past and present.

"You gave for peace with courage that families may be free so children could grow strong and safe they'd ever be.  In giving for the sake of peace, you may have suffered loss. Your body may still show its wounds from taking up the cause.  May remembrance of your time away, your sacrifice for peace spur us on to strive more strongly for freedom, that there'll be release.  From causes that sent some away to fight that we may freely live with gratefulness we thank you, Veterans, for all you gave and give!" Prayer by Susan Helene Kramer



Blessed Mother Mary, protect our veterans and their families, especially their children. Bring comfort and peace to those who have lost loved ones defending our country. We are honored to have you, Mary, as the Patroness of America because you are the most powerful intercessor.

By a decree from the First Council of Baltimore, Mary in her Immaculate Conception, was elected as our principal Patron. A patron is one who has been assigned, or in this case, chosen by election, as a special intercessor before God.

Saint Louis de Montfort, in his renowned manuscript True Devotion to Mary, boldly suggested that Christ is weak in front of His Mother. It’s as if He can’t say “No” to her! The Catechism of the Catholic Church (969) states that the Blessed Virgin is invoked under the title Mediatrix of all grace. While no creature measures up to the one and only Redeemer, we profess that Mary cooperates in a unique way in her Son’s redemptive mission. She knows what is best for her children and so intercedes for us before the very source of all grace, Jesus Christ.

In tribute to a special Vietnam veteran, Poppy, grandfather of Lily Grace and Norah.

November 08, 2015

Our Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, gives us five weapons to defeat satan...

Just as God gave David five stones with which to defeat Goliath, Our Lady, Queen of Peace, gives us five stones or weapons we can use to defeat satan.

Daily Prayer and the Rosary
Message of June 12, 1986 “Dear children! Today I call you to begin to pray the Rosary with a living faith. That way I will be able to help you. You, dear children, wish to obtain graces, but you are not praying. I am not able to help you because you do not want to get started. Dear children, I am calling you to pray the Rosary and that your Rosary be an obligation which you shall fulfill with joy. That way you shall understand the reason I am with you this long. I desire to teach you to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Fasting on Wednesday and Fridays
Message of July 21, 1982 “The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting …Everyone except the sick, has to fast.”

Daily Reading of the Bible
Message of October 18, 1984 “Dear children! Today I call on you to read the Bible every day in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Monthly Confession
Message of June 26, 1981 “Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession.” Message of November 7, 1983 “Do not go to confession through habit, to remain the same after that. No, it is not good. Confession should give an impulse to your faith. It should stimulate you and bring you closer to Jesus. If confession does not mean anything for you, really, you will be converted with great difficulty.”

Holy Communion
Message of May 16, 1985 “Dear children! I am calling you to a more active prayer and attendance at Holy Mass. I wish your Mass to be an experience of God. I wish especially to say to the young people: be open to the Holy Spirit because God wished to draw you to Himself in these days when Satan is at work. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

O Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, help us to use the five weapons you give to us.  Pray for us and for all the intentions we receive through this ministry. 

November 03, 2015

Reflection: Consecration to Jesus through Mary in Preparation for the Year of Mercy...

Behold, your Mother.  John 19:27

The way to be close to Jesus and Mary is to consecrate our lives to them and by praying and meditating on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.

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

We will know the Lord by drawing close to Mary in prayer through the Rosary.  How do we get close to Jesus?  Mary, our beautiful Mother, will draw us close to her Beloved Son.

We can make a Consecration to Jesus through Mary and place ourselves totally in her hands. When you do, you give her permission to form you, discipline you, and mold you into a true follower of Christ. Do not be afraid, as Saint John Paul II always said. She loves you and will always take care of you. Always remember her words to Saint Juan Diego in Guadalupe, Mexico:

"Hear and let it penetrate your heart, my dear little son; let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you; let nothing alter your heart or your countenance.  Also do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain.  Am I not hear who am your Mother?  Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life?  Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?  Is there anything else that you need?"

The consecration can be made using the books, 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley MIC or Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary by Saint Louis de Montfort. Through the consecration, we surrender ourselves as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her. Then we perform all our actions with Mary, through Mary and for Mary.  When I made the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, I had no idea what a profound and beautiful impact it would have on my life. I renew my Consecration every year at the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary.  Sometimes I renew it more than once a year, on another Marian Feast Day.

We will begin the Consecration to Jesus through Mary on November 5 and end on the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, the first day of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. 

33 Days to Morning Glory Podcasts...Click here

Totus Tuus, Totally Yours!



November 02, 2015

Reflection: All Soul's Day...

Today we celebrate All Souls Day. Pray the Novena and Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the souls in Purgatory to be released.

"Those who trust in Him will understand truth and the faithful shall abide with Him in love: because grace and mercy are with His holy ones and His care is with is elect." Wisdom 3:9 Today's First Reading

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to Saint Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Saint Gertrude was a mystic and lived a cloistered life as a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.


The Holy Souls in Purgatory are those who die in God's grace but are still imperfectly purified. By undergoing purification after death, they attain the holiness necessary to enter heaven, to see the Face of God. The grace for souls to be cleansed in Purgatory comes from God in order for the souls to enter Heaven. Purgatory is the place where small sins and attachments are cut.  As Pope Francis speaks of the Church as a hospital for the wounded, purgatory is a place where the infection of sin and attachments is eliminated. 

One of the most important ways to prepare ourselves for eternal life is to go often to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In confession, Jesus purifies, forgives, heals and pours out His grace so that we will have the strength to sin no more. Isn't it better to be purified on earth than have to spend time being purified in Purgatory! Think of the confessional as the hospital and the priest as the Divine Physician, our Savior Jesus. Run to confession. Go often and you will receive Divine Mercy which will help you remain in the state of grace. 

Pray for the souls in Purgatory. They need our help. Our prayers can release them into Heaven. May all the Holy Souls through the Mercy of God rest in peace. They may be our mothers and fathers, our relatives and friends. When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the Throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers, they shield their friends from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.  

The Lord said to me, Enter into Purgatory often, because they need you there. O my Jesus, I understand the meaning of these words which You are speaking to me, but first let me enter the treasury of Your Mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 1738

O Mary, Mother of God, we offer you our prayers and sufferings to release the Holy Souls in Purgatory though the intercession of Saint Gertrude and Saint Faustina.  May you carry these prayers to Jesus, your Beloved Son.

November 01, 2015

All Saints Day

Today we honor all the saints. They continually intercede with The Father for us. A saint is a person who reflects the holiness of God by living the virtues in a heroic way and showing boundless love and total faith in God. The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints, of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness, have provided models for us throughout history.
.
Many of those holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized or formally recognized that the life of that person was holy, or sanctified. A saint is an example for us. The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass, some with special festivities, but there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, whose names are known only to God. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been countless others who are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.

In order to honor the memory of these unnamed saints and to recall their example, the Church dedicated to the saints, a special Feast Day Mass, All Saints Day, to celebrate the lives and witness of those who have died and gone before us into the Presence of the Lord.

The saints are our friends. If you are named after a saint, that saint is your patron who you can call upon in your need, just as a special friend. If you do not have the name of a saint, choose a saint whose life inspires you and ask that saint to be your patron. Saints walk with us on the pilgrimage of our lives and they are ready to intercede for us when we ask. You may feel close to a number of saints, "a great a cloud of witnesses." Call upon them.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, all the Angels and the Communion of Saints, we call upon you as a great cloud of witnesses to help us each day and to pray for us and all those we pray for.