New Prayer Initiative for the Children's Rosary

PRAYING FOR OUR SEMINARIANS

The second year of the Children’s Rosary was dedicated to renewal of family prayer.   Over 40 Masses were said for this intention.  Seven Hundred and seventy individual Novenas were said to different saints for renewal of family prayer by members of the Children's Rosary.  Over 500 read Aloud Children's Bibles have been given away as part of this effort.  For when our families are strong then our Church will be strong, too.  As we have just celebrated our third birthday on April 10th there was a feeling that we should continue these efforts as this is an important part of the Children's Rosary.

Recently in prayer, Our Lady seemed to be pointing to another area where she would like our help.  A novena of 9 Masses was begun on April 1st for Our Lady's Intentions with the hope that she would clarify her wishes.  In many very small ways she has continued to put things in place that reinforce this first inspiration that she wishes for us to pray for: her seminarians.  Just as Our Lady in her wisdom started with the children to increase prayer in families and parishes she is now looking to the priests for healing.  But to begin, she is going to those early years while they are still young and in formation.  These young men are the future shepherds of our Church and our children are the future flock.  It is my hope that the Children's Rosary this year can be a source of prayers for these young men studying to become priests. How beautiful are the plans of Our Lady which weave these two groups together. 

These efforts are three-fold:

A Monthly Mass will be offered on the first of the month for all seminarians that they may grow in holiness and lead us all in love.

Children's Rosary groups will pray over all of the names of individual seminarians that they may grow in holiness and lead us all in love.

Members of the Children's Rosary will have the opportunity to choose a seminarian to pray for daily in their home.  

St. John's Seminary in Boston MA

More than a month ago we began these efforts by reaching out to a seminarian that the children knew well as he had been my son's music teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School.  He is now a first year seminarian at St. John's Seminary in Boston, MA USA.  We shared the Children's Rosary book with him and inquired whether the seminarians would be interested in having the children pray for them in their rosary groups and also have individual children pray for them as well.  They overwhelmingly welcomed the partnership. Beginning on April 4th Children's Rosary group leaders were sent close to 100 names of seminarians from St. John's Seminary with the intention that they may grow in holiness and lead us in love.  The seminarians which attend St. John's are from different Dioceses and Archdioceses both in the United States and abroad.  

In the coming weeks children will be given the opportunity to choose a seminarian to pray for in their home as well as correspond with if they feel inclined. 

We are beginning with St. John's Seminary but would like extend to other seminaries.  Additionally if any seminarian would like us to pray for him please contact us and we would be happy to include him in the list being prayed over by all our Children's Rosary groups.  We will also be happy to pair him with a child who will pray for him as well.

Yesterday Pope Francis released his prayer intentions for the month of May.  He included as one of his two intentions to pray for seminarians.  This was such a happy thing to read as we move forward with our new prayer initiative.