Greetings from Portugal

We were scheduled to arrive in Portugal on July 12, but due to thunderstorms in the Alps, our flight was canceled, and we spent a night in Zurich before arriving in Porto on July 13. The journey which was full of uncertainties of where we would stay and when we could expect to arrive in Portugal is in many ways captured in the painting above. Indeed our time here in Portugal has felt in part like the inspiration of this painting. It has been a journey unscripted and always under the guidance from above as is shown with the angel always watching the way. 

One of the first to greet us in Portugal was Amelia age 10. She has been helping the Children's Rosary by leading the prayers on Radio Maria once a month. She also has introduced the Children's Rosary to her parish in Varzim, Portugal which is just north Porto. We had the special grace of seeing her lead the Rosary on Sunday, July 14. 

Visit to the Tomb of St. Mary Magdalene

 

On July 11 we traveled to Saint Maximin where we attended Mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene. We were able to visit the tomb of St. Mary Magdalene. There was also a relic from her in the church, which was her skull.

In a special way I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who helped the Children's Rosary. The image at the top of the post depicts Mary Magdalene in the cave that in which she spent thirty years in prayer and contemplation. Asher also purchased a little booklet with a novena to St. Mary Magdalene in French which he has been praying in anticipation of her Feast on July 22. 

Fr. Florian Racine, the Rector of the Basilica, was a wonderful host. We had an opportunity for Adoration and Mass the following day. 

Adoration Congress Toulon 2024

On July 6, we arrived in Toulon for the Adoratio Congress that began on July 7 and lasted until July 11. The conference was organized by the priests who are part of the order of the Missionaries of the Most Holy Eucharist. The Congress commenced with Holy Mass. 

Each day there was Adoration in the morning and the evening along with morning prayer (Lauds) and evening prayer (Vespers). There was also a daily Rosary.

There were speakers throughout the week. We had an opportunity to spend an evening with Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow and his wife Julie. Magnus was a speaker and is the founder of Mary's Meals, which is an organization that feeds over 2 million children a day in countries such as Malawi, Liberia, and Haiti. 

We had an informational table for the Children's Rosary all week. On Wednesday evening both Asher and I spoke about the Children's Rosary. I spoke via translator, but Asher was able to share his experiences with the Children's Rosary since age 4 until 17 in French. We were excited to see people hurrying to get information at our table at the end of the talk. We hope this will help our efforts to spread the Children's Rosary in France. Asher shared with me that he felt he received a special grace that night. Normally he needs to listen closely to someone speaking French to fully understand. Yet at the end of the talk there were people often trying to speak to him from 4 directions. Yet he said in those moments he understood all of them at the same time something he had yet to experience in that language. It was a gift it would seem given at the time it was needed since later he shared that his abilities seemed to return to the previous capacity.

During our week in Toulon we did have an opportunity to meet with Bishop Rey of the Diocese of Toulon, France. We also reached out to coadjutor Bishop Touvet, but he was traveling in Lourdes, so we were unable to meet him. Bishop Rey was most gracious and has a lovely sense of humor. We were invited to visit the National Headquarters of Radio Maria for France which is located in Toulon. Asher and I participated in an interview. We will provide a link to this when it becomes available.

We would like to thank in a special way the sisters of Notre Dame des Missions who hosted us during the week on their property. They not only provided accommodations but also helped shuttle us daily down to the conference. Fr. Gary Holmes was also an amazing host. He not only was tending to all the details of the conference but also helped us any time we needed anything. The week was one of prayer, Adoration, beautiful liturgies, and making new friends. 

Greetings from Lyon, France

Dear Friends,

Our journeys have continued from La Salette Shrine to Lyon. The journey involved many legs beginning with a rather terrifying van ride from the Shrine around hair pin turns down the side of a mountain to the town of Corps. Once there we caught a bus to Grenoble, France. While waiting for the train at the Grenoble train station, we saw a Church outside the window and with just a bit of time to spare we were able to share materials with those at Sacred Heart Basilica. Those at the information booth told us it is a vibrant Church with many families attending Sunday Mass. They told us they would share our Children's Rosary materials with the Rector. We arrived by train to Lyon where we took a cab to our apartment in Old Lyon City. This is a beautiful place full of history. We were able to attend Mass yesterday at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral (shown above). It was for a long time the preeminent Church in Lyon, and it was built beginning in the twelfth century. It hosted the First Council of Lyons in the thirteenth century. It is home to a very historic astronomical clock from the Middle Ages. Asher was asked to lector at the Mass in French. We saw this as a beautiful grace. We then went to visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Fourvière, which is now the biggest Cathedral in Lyon since its construction in the late nineteenth century. It is overlooking the city and has an almost unbelievably ornate interior. On our way there, we saw along the road a nun standing in a doorway with an inviting expression. We found this was the museum and home of Bl. Marie Jaricot. 

The visit to the home of Bl. Marie Jaricot was an unexpected highlight of the day. There was a back garden of the home that overlooked the city of Lyon. 

The garden led to a path to Fourvière Cathedral. This was a breathtaking Church. Outside of the Church Bishop Le Gal met us. We had met him in Rome on a prior trip, and he was waiting to welcome us to the city. 

We were able to light a candle inside one of the chapels next to Fourvière Cathedral for the Children's Rosary and its members. 

Following our meeting we were able to go to Adoration, and, as a Mass was following, we stayed for Mass. 

Surprisingly, Asher was asked again to lector. It seemed we were experiencing grace upon grace. Confession capped the day. At each stop we left a trail of Children's Rosary materials.

Please pray that these seeds for new Children's Rosary groups will bear fruit. 

Thank you.

Your Friend in Christ,

Blythe

Prayers for the Members of the Children's Rosary at the Shrine of La Salette, France

We wanted to share more from our visit to La Salette Shrine in France. The shrine has perpetual Adoration. The Adoration chapel is shown below. Please know the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary were prayed for before the Blessed Sacrament. We also included a picture above of Our Lady of La Salette. Her face has tears running down. She had one apparition in La Salette on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows which at the time was celebrated on September 19. The apparition occurred to two children herding cows in the Alps in 1846. The apparitions are approved by the Church. The two main messages from La Salette involve the call to honor the Holy Name of Jesus and observe the Lord's Day on Sunday. 

One of the last things I did before leaving La Salette was to pray the Stations of the Cross along the way that Our Lady walked during the apparition. 

We had a lovely surprise the last morning as the sky was perfectly clear unlike the prior two days where there was thick fog until afternoon. 

Greetings from La Salette

Dear Friends,

Our trip through France continues. We left Paris on July 1 and traveled via train to Lyon where we stayed one evening. The next day was an adventure as we made our way through the Alps to La Salette Shrine. We have spent the past two days here. The pace is slower, and there has been an opportunity to appreciate the great beauty around us. During the mornings it looks like we are within a cloud, but by midafternoon the clouds thin and the sun can be seen. 

We have had lovely liturgies, and we attended an evening candle lit procession. We shared Children's Rosary materials with many people visiting the Shrine. 

In a special way I have prayed for the Children's Rosary and its members. Today we had the lovely grace of meeting with the Rector of the Shrine and sharing with him about the Children's Rosary. 

Your Friend in Christ,

Blythe