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 31, 2010

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He was born in the family castle in Guipúzcoa, Spain, the youngest of 13 children, and was called Iñigo. When he was old enough, he became a page, and then a soldier of Spain to fight against the French. He was hit in the leg by a cannon ball and a series of bad operations ended his military career in 1521. While he recovered, he read the lives of the saints, and decided to dedicate himself to becoming a soldier of the Catholic Faith. Soon after he experienced visions, but a year later suffered a trial of fears and scruples, driving him almost to despair. Out of this experience, he wrote his famous "Spiritual Exercises." After traveling and studying in different schools, he finished in Paris, where he received his degree at the age of 43. Many first hated Saint Ignatius because of his humble lifestyle. Despite this, he attracted several followers at the university, including Saint Francis Xavier, and soon started his order called The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. There are many members of the Society of Jesus who have been declared Blessed, and who have been canonized as Saints. He died at the age of 65.

When Ignatius underwent his remarkable conversion, he recorded the movements and reactions of his spiritual faculties in great detail, and was inspired to organize them in a way that would guide others undergoing the same profound experience of God that he had. He experienced, composed and presented the Exercises as a layman, and was ordained much later. His Exercises were not a series of pious sermons or edifying notes to be read. They were meant to put a person in direct communication with God. Undertaking the Exercises, a person becomes a self-learner by a constant striving to dispose himself to God's grace in order to attain the end for which he was created.

Ignatius and his followers knew that anyone seeking God was not meant to wait for visions, but had only to seek God in an intelligent and humble way and then with God's grace could "find God in all things." His method involved Spiritual Exercises of the mind, memory, will and imagination. Spiritual Exercises belong to the Church. They help the people find their own gifts, confirmed by prayer. They offer a way to find God working in all things and in living a contemplative life. Analogous to running and swimming for the physical improvement of the body, these exercises of the spiritual faculties enable one to find the Divine Will and to conform one's will to the Will of God.

“We must always remind ourselves that we are pilgrims until we arrive at our heavenly homeland, and we must not let our affections delay us in the roadside inns and lands through which we pass, otherwise we will forget our destination and lose interest in our final goal.” Saint Ignatius of Loyola

“All for the greater honor and glory of God."
Saint Ignatius
“All pro quantum veneratio quod palma of God.”
Sanctus Ignatius

July 26, 2010

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.

July 23, 2010

Take my hand, Maria.



Let us entrust our lives and our families to Our Blessed Mother Mary.

July 16, 2010

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.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

July 14, 2010

Lily of the Mohawks

Today is the Feast Day of Blessed Kateri Tekawitha, Virgin and Patron of 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 is responsible for establishing Native American ministries in Catholic Churches all over the United States and Canada. Kateri was declared venerable by the Catholic Church in 1943 and she was Beatified in 1980. Work is currently underway to have her Canonized by the Church.

I have felt a connection in prayer with Blessed 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.

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

Blessed Kateri, pray for us and for all the babies and little ones we pray for in this ministry.

July 13, 2010

Consecration to Jesus through Mary

Be Not Afraid
By making this consecration to Mary, you are placing yourself completely and totally in her hands. You are giving her permission to form you, discipline you, and mold you into a true follower of Christ. Do not be afraid, though, because she loves you. She will always take care of you, and knows better than anybody how to do so. It is always good to remember her words to St. Juan Diego in Mexico, "Hear and let it penetrate into 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 here 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?"

Beginning today the 33 day preparation of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, the consecration will be completed on Mary's Feast Day, the Assumption, August 15th.

July 09, 2010

Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth



To have a special devotion to Mary means that we are trying to perfect our own spiritual lives, in imitation of our heavenly Mother and with the help of her grace. Blessed John XXIII

July 06, 2010

Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr

Fidelity and Forgiveness
Today is the feast day of Saint Maria Goretti. She was born in 1890 in Corinaldi, Italy. Pope John Paul II often commented on the virtues and example of Saint Maria Goretti. In a Homily commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the virgin martyr's birth, he emphasized her importance for our own troubled times. She did not flee from the voice of the Holy Spirit, from the voice of her conscience. Through the gift of fortitude, the Holy Spirit helped her to judge and to choose with her young spirit. She chose death when there was no other way to defend her virginal purity.

Maria Goretti's blood was shed in a sacrifice of total fidelity to God. She reminds us that we are also called to offer ourselves to the Father. We are called to seek the Divine Will and to be holy and pleasing in His sight. Our call to holiness, which is the vocation of every baptized person, is encouraged by the example of this young martyr. She is a special model for adolescents and young people, defending purity of heart and body and being committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Her life shows us not to be afraid to take a counter-cultural stance, to reject the things of the world and to be courageous witnesses by love, purity and virginity.

In her silent heroism, Maria Goretti is a teacher of truth and true love. She teaches us to see in Christ the value of the truth which frees us from slavery "to the world" by seeking good which always overcomes evil. Before she died at the age of twelve, Maria forgave her attacker, Allesandro. He was sent to prison for her death. After six years of prison, he was near the brink of despair. Then one night, Maria appeared to him in his cell. She smiled at Alessandro and she was surrounded by lilies, the flower symbolic of purity. From that moment, peace invaded Alessandro's heart, and he began to live a constructive life. After serving his sentence, Alessandro lived at a Capuchin monastery, working in the garden as a tertiary. He asked pardon of Maria's mother and accompanied her to Christmas Mass in the parish church where he spoke before the hushed congregation, acknowledging his sin and asking God's forgiveness and the pardon of the community. Forty years later, on June 24, 1950, Maria was canonized at St. Peter's basilica in Rome, with Alessandro's heart now firmly converted to the Lord. A miraculous fruit of Maria's life of forgiveness!

"Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen."

My Jesus, as you gave Saint Maria Goretti the crown of martyrdom, help us keep faithful to your teachings with her courage.

July 04, 2010

Immaculate Lily of the Holy Trinity

The Three Hail Marys Devotion
One of the greatest means of salvation is the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The holy doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: 'A devout servant of Mary shall never perish.' Persevere faithfully until death in this devotion. Numerous examples show how agreeable the three Hail Marys Devotion is to Our Blessed Mother and what special graces it draws, during life and at the hour of death, on those who never omit it for a single day. This practice was revealed to Saint Melchtilde in the 13th century while she was beseeching Our Blessed Mother to assist her in her hour of death. Our Lady appeared to her and said: I will, certainly, but I also want you to say three special Hail Marys to me every day.

"The first will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that after God I have the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death, I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you."

"The second Hail Mary will be said in honor of Jesus, Son of God, Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled."

"The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Spirit, Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour, I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."

Our Blessed Mother also revealed to St. Gertrude the Great: To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation.

Practice: Recite morning and evening, three Hail Marys in honor of the three great privileges bestowed upon Our Blessed Mother by the most Blessed Trinity with this invocation at the end: for the morning: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this day." For the evening: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this night."

Immaculate Lily of the Holy Trinity, pray for us.

Magnificat in America

America, Our America! Hold to the Vision of Mary, Mary Immaculate. Her glory fills the earth. She is our race. Its solitary boast. She, alone without sin, keeps the doom of wrath from thee, Who art defending Her glory. She, conqueror of evil, conquers evil for thee, Who art resisting evil.

America, Our America! Pray always to Mary, Mary Immaculate. She, the Mother to nations. She, the Mother of Christ, The Lord of all nations. She guards them and guides, subduing their hates, inspiring their spirits. She mourns for the prodigals, as children mourn, torn by their treasons.

America, Our America! Give thy heart to Mary, Mary Immaculate. Join Her prayer of praise. All Heaven attending, for our land that is free. Sing thou Her song of joy, all nations listening, giving thanks to God. Sing thou the song of souls, The Magnificat of Mary, The Magnificat of America.
Cardinal Francis Spellman +1967 Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York