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

February 26, 2017

Reflection: Do not worry about your life...

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus speaks to the disciples and to us:

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Mark 6:25

Close your eyes and think about the things that you worry about. Imagine you are sitting with Jesus. Open your heart and tell Him your worries, fears and anxieties.

"Can any of you by worrying, add a single moment of your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin." Mark 6:27-28

Find a quiet place and ponder these words about Jesus by Saint Therese, the Little Flower:

"He set the book of nature before me and I saw all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realized that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay. It is just the same in the world of souls which is the garden of Jesus. He has created great saints who are like lilies and roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His Will, in being that which He wants us to be."

Ponder the book of nature as you sit with Jesus in a field of wildflowers. Place your worries, fears and anxieties in His hands and gaze at the beauty of each little flower...knowing that God created YOU, just as He created each little seed and flower petal. God wants to shower You with His grace so you can go and bear fruit.

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father, in My Name, He may give to you."  John 15:16


February 18, 2017

30 Day Novena to Saint Joseph

The Feast Day of Saint Joseph is March 19th. Today we begin 30 Days of Prayer and the novena will conclude on Saint Joseph's Feast Day. This is a powerful novena. Let us pray for the next thirty days and ask Saint Joseph to intercede for our intentions.

Thirty Days Prayer to St. Joseph
In honor of the 30 years he spent with Jesus and Mary

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask: (Name your petitions or think of them.)

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of: JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH. 

O Holy Family, pray for us and for all the intentions we bring to you.

February 14, 2017

Reflection: Saint Valentine and Love...

Saint Valentine’s Day is a day that celebrates romantic love. A great love, a romantic love is good and it brings blessings!

My lover speaks; he says to me,"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!" For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs,and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,and come!" Song of Songs 2:10-13

Romantic love, eros, has a place and a purpose in God’s plan, a dignity to draw man and woman toward marriage, family and ultimately toward God. The deep desire that man and woman have for each other is a sign of the ultimate desire of the human heart for deep union with God.

There is an even greater love, agape love. Agape love is loving God above ourselves, above all things and above all people. There is perhaps no greater example of agape love than that of the martyrs. They were willing to give up everything for Christ, paying the supreme price of this love, the gift of their very own life.

Saint Valentine was a martyr. Christian tradition recognizes two saints from the early Church as “Valentine.” The first was the Roman priest Valentine. He was decapitated in 268 AD for the crime of trying to convert a member of Emperor Claudius. He was also a renowned healer. The second Valentine is Bishop Valentine who was also a renowned healer and was turned in for converting people to Christianity. He was imprisoned and the attempt was made to force him to sacrifice to pagan gods. When he refused an attempt was made to club him to death. When that failed he was beheaded in 273 AD. It is interesting that both Saint Valentines were renowned healers. Jesus is Our Divine Healer and He heals with His love.

Eros is noble and necessary, a love to be celebrated, but there is no greater love, agape, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Saint Valentine, Protector of Marriages, pray for us and for all those we pray for.



February 09, 2017

Reflection: On earth as it is in heaven...

There is a snowstorm, with blizzard warnings, in the Northeast. Schools, stores and businesses are closed.

The day before the storm, the stores were jammed with crowds, all preparing for the storm by buying food. At Mass, my pastor spoke about his experience of going to the store before the storm. He went to one store and it was, as though he walked into Iraq, with shelves stripped bare of food, bread and milk. He left and went to another store. It was even worse, like Armageddon. The dairy shelves had only one gallon of milk left.

He reflected on this experience that if only all Christians prepared for eternal life, the way we prepare for snowstorms, how different the world would be!

How can we prepare for eternal life?
Pray, pray, pray and stay close to Jesus by receiving the Sacraments frequently. The Sacraments keep us in the state of grace. When we pray, we develop a relationship with the Lord. Prayer opens the heart of God.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us how to pray and how to live. The Kingdom of God is on earth as it is in heaven. We are on earth but we want to make our way to heaven. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and listen to His teachings, always remembering that He made us for eternal life with Him.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Amen.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 2827:
It would not be inconsistent with the truth to understand the words, "Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven," to mean: "in the Church as in our Lord Jesus Christ Himself"; or "in the Bride who has been betrothed, just as in the Bridegroom who has accomplished the Will of the Father."

Jesus is Heaven. It is not a place in the clouds. To see how God's Will is fulfilled in heaven, we can imitate Him here on earth. Jesus is heaven on earth and we imitate Him through prayer and by being obedient to His commandments. Jesus does God's Will on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus prepares the way for us.  When heaven and earth are free from war and strife, we will be joined with the Blessed Trinity. Let us ask Jesus to help us prepare our hearts for Him...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:1-2

February 06, 2017

Reflection: Then God said, "Let there be light..."

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters, then God said, "Let there be light and there was light." God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:1-4 

In ancient times, salt and light were needed in life. Jesus used the images of salt and light to teach about love and life. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke of salt and light after he had given the Sermon on the Mount.

At World Youth Day in July 2002, Saint John Paul II spoke these words to the young people, "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:13-14

Saint John Paul II said that the image of salt of the earth reminds us of Baptism. Through God's grace, we are reborn into new life, life in Jesus Christ.  He spoke these words to the young people: "Do not let yourselves be dispirited by those who are disillusioned with life and have grown deaf to the deepest and most authentic desires of their heart." He said that we are called to be the light of the world. "It is you, dear young people, who must show that faith is a personal decision which involves your whole life. Let the Gospel be the measure and guide of life's decisions and plans! Then you will be missionaries in all that you do and say, and wherever you work and live, you will be signs of God's love, credible witnesses to the loving Presence o Jesus Christ. Never forget: 'No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel.'" Matthew 5:15

How can you be salt and light?

Pray and read the Word of God daily.
Go to Mass, as often as possible.
Receive the Eucharist often.
Go to Eucharistic Adoration,
Go to confession often.
Witness to the sanctity of all life.
Meditate on the Sermon on the Mount.
Do the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

When God said, "Let there be light," He created light in the world. It is God who creates light in us. He scatters the darkness. Turn to Him and receive the Sacraments frequently. He will shine His wonderful light upon you and He will send you out as a sign of His love and mercy to bring His light to everyone you encounter.

You are the light of the world.  Matthew 5:14

February 01, 2017

Reflection: Hail Mary...

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Hail Mary is a powerful prayer. When we pray it, we greet Mary as she was greeted by the Angel Gabriel. Do you know Mary as your Mother? She is always near, especially when you call upon her. She listens to your prayers and brings them to Jesus, her Beloved Son. As you pray the Hail Mary, imagine she is standing beside you and she has enfolded you under her protective mantle. She is gentle and loving yet she is also strong and a powerful intercessor. Consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary. Pray the Rosary every day. Jesus gave her to us as our Mother because He knew we would need her. Ask Mary to guide you to Jesus in all the moments of your life.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. 
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

The Hail Mary
by Victor Hoagland, C.P.

In heaven God said, "One day I will send my Son to help all people and show them how to live. And I choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, my Son. So God sent his angel Gabriel to Mary and the angel said:
Hail Mary,
The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, in Galilee. The angel said to Mary that God loved her. She was
full of grace,
The angel Gabriel told Mary that God, who was in heaven so far away, had come to be close to her. She was to be the mother of Jesus. The angel said,
the Lord is with you.
After the angel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. her cousin knew how good God was to Mary. Elizabeth said,
Blessed are you among women
Mary's cousin Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to be the Mother of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth said,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
We pray to Mary because she is so close to God, and because she is so close to her Son, Jesus Christ. And so we say,
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
Like a good mother, Mary always hears us when we call to her. She hears us now, at this very moment; and when we come to the last moment of our life. And so we pray,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.



Hail Mary, Holy Mary, Mother of Mercy, we entrust all these little ones and their families to you.