The Kingdom of Heaven

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13:44)

On our journey together seeking the Kingdom of Heaven please consider joining these little children in prayer from your home.  They always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Sunday July 27th
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick's Church in Nottingham, England 9AM local time  (4AM ET)

Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Parish Pontiac IL to meet at 6:35 AM CT, 8:30 AM CT and10:00 AM Central Time
Children's Rosary at St. Margaret Church in Waterbury, CT 10 AM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT 11AM ET 
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist Hopkington, MA 11:15 AM ET

Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Anthony Church in Lorain, Ohio 3PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Children's Rosary at Assumption Church in Umoja, Kenya 2PM local time 
Monday July 28th
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Academy in Shenandoah, PA 12:20 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Church in Gladstone Michigan 4:30PM  ET
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac, New York 4:30 PM held in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

An Unexpected Surprise

We had an interesting surprise yesterday. As we were getting ready to go to Church we were gathering vases for our new roses to be used for the Children's Rosary.  The other night Asher had taken out some old roses from our last Children's Rosary over a week ago where we had the first class relic of St. Anne and St. Therese the Little Flower.  Asher our 7 year old, did not want to throw the roses in the trash even though they were dead so before bed he went out and started breaking up the petals in our vegetable garden.  It was taking him awhile and we were losing light so he asked if he could finish the next day.  He just left the dead roses in the vase outside.  Yesterday we went out and there was something I had never seen before.  New bright living shoots out the side of the rose stems even though the flowers appeared dead.  It looked like a little bush in the vase.  As today is the Feast of St. Anne and her relic is still in our house along with a first class relic of St. Therese the little Flower it seemed a very beautiful little grace.  Out of something dead something new, fresh, and hopeful....a renewal of sorts of that which is tired and old and thought to be worthless...indeed narrowly missing the trash.  

What is also special is that the children planted a rose bush on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima several years ago at our Church of St. Thomas as a gift to Our Lady.  It died this winter.  As I have been walking each day by it on the way to Mass and seeing the dead stump I wondered if we should replant there.  Now we have a rose almost given to us by Our Lady that we can plant outside the Chapel.  A rose that took life from the Rosary itself.  It has no roots yet just the stem but I am encouraged by the branches.

Thought I would share this little grace with you all.  While I am sure such growth of a rose is certainly possible it seemed a wonderful little gift.

To see pictures from the Children's Rosary where the flowers were originally present with the relic of St. Therese and St. Anne click here.  The pictures posted of the Rosary do not directly shown the roses but they are in vases in front of the children on either side of Our Lady's Statue.

Thank you all and may you all have a Blessed Feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim.

Mass Offered Tomorrow for Members of the Children's Rosary

A Mass has been offered on July 25th through the Capuchin Missions for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary in any way.  

Thank you all for being a part of the Children's Rosary and bringing more children to the Rosary and Our Lord.

Collaboration between the Catholic Grandparents Association and the Children's Rosary

Children Praying for Grandparents

The Children's Rosary and the Catholic Grandparents Association are Collaborating on a special prayer effort for the month of July. During the month of July we celebrate the Feast of St Anne and St. Joachim the grandparents of Jesus. The Church recognizes them on July 26th.  In thinking about this beautiful Feast and the wonderful role grandparents play in our own faith it seemed a wonderful idea to recognize them throughout the month of July.

During the month of July, in a special way we would like to invite grandparents to attend any Children's Rosary group meeting held during that month.  Grandparents are encouraged to bring their grandchildren to the Rosary if they would like. The Catholic Grandparents Association will be donating prayer cards to all Children's Rosary groups who would like to participate.  On their prayer card is a special prayer for grandparents composed by Pope Benedict Emeritus.  At the conclusion of the Children's Rosary we will invite both the children and grandparents to pray together this prayer for all grandparents. 

Conor and his mother venerate the relic of
 St. Anne and St. Therese

On July 13th we had a special blessing.  A wonderful friend of the Children's Rosary, Jennifer Bingham, brought a first Class Relic of St. Anne and St. Therese the Little Flower to our monthly Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut USA.  In a special way the children and grandparents present prayed for all grandparents and the members of both the Children's Rosary and Catholic Grandparents Association.  In addition we were blessed to have a member of the Catholic Grandparents Association, Jim Barr,  join us.  At the end of the Rosary all present including children and grandparents all prayed the prayer for grandparents composed by Pope Benedict Emeritus for the Catholic Grandparents Association.  

The Prayers of Children Rising To Heaven

It is a comforting thought to imagine all these little prayers from children around the world floating to the Throne of God. Please consider beginning a Children's Rosary prayer group at your parish or sharing the idea with friends.

Please also consider joining the children in prayer.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Sunday July 20
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick's Parish in Nottingham, England 9AM local time (4AM ET)
Children's Rosary at Assumption Church in Umoja, Kenya 7AM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston CT 11AM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Logo, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Anthony Church in Lorain, Ohio 3PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Children's Rosary at Annunciation church in Hanover Pennsylvania 3PM ET

Monday July 21
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Academy in Shenandoah, PA 12:20 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Church in Gladstone Michigan 4:30PM  ET
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac, New York 4:30 PM ETheld in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Tuesday July 22
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Redeemer Parish in Menominee, Michigan 6PM ET

Wednesday July 23
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET

Thursday July 24
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Brentwood, California will meet at 6:30 PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Children's Rosary at St. Martin Church in Kingsville, Texas will meet at 6:30 PM ET.

Posts you may enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary 

A Gift To Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Packaging Scapulars for the Children's Rosary
groups in Kenya

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  Several weeks ago in preparation for this beautiful day honoring Our Lady an idea came.  One of the members of the Children's Rosary had donated Brown Scapulars.  A short time later a request for Marian medals came from one of our Children's Rosary groups in Kenya.  While we did not have any medals we did have Scapulars.  Realizing that the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was approaching an idea came that maybe the children in Kenya would love a Scapular and maybe the package might reach them in time for July 16th.  Quickly a message was sent off to one of the group leaders in Kenya. They responded rapidly that they would love Scapulars for the children.

Quickly a package was wrapped up and sent off.  It was our hope that this would be a gift to Our Lady.  To share the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with children would be a wonderful way to honor her.

News arrived today from Kenya.  An email reporting that the package had arrived today, July 16th,  at the post office on the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  While mail from the United States to places like Africa is possible it is anything but exact and to have it arrive on such a beautiful day was complete joy. Indeed when we want to share a gift with Our Lady she always returns such generosity with love and joy.

A special thank you to the member of the Children's Rosary who donated the Scapulars and those who donate funds which help us pay for shipping to our different Children's Rosary groups around the world.

God Bless you all. Amen.

Other Posts you may enjoy:

Procedure for the Blessing and Investiture Of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

"A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just." -Pope Francis

Please consider joining the children in prayer.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Tuesday July 15th
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Redeemer Parish in Menominee, Michigan 6PM ET

Wednesday July 16th
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET

Thursday July 17th
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate, Lago Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Resurrection Parish in Rye, New York 5PM ETThe Children's Rosary at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Brentwood, California will meet at 6:30 PM ET in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Children's Rosary at St. Martin Church in Kingsville, Texas will meet at 6:30 PM ET.

Posts you may enjoy:
Novena to St. Bonaventure