Special Prayers for the Members of the Children's Rosary on the Feast of St. Padre Pio

The Children's Rosary received a beautiful grace today.  On this Feast of St. Pio of Peitrelcina our Children's Rosary group leader in Vietnam was able to venerate a first class relic of St. Pio while praying for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary.  He also prayed for all the families of the members of the Children's Rosary.

We are very grateful for these special prayers. The group leader wrote that the relic of St. Padre Pio "is a piece of cloth that was used to clean his wounds. On the cloth there is a little blood of St. Pio".

St. Padre Pio is known as a stigmatic and mystic but also one who carried a heavy cross of suffering.

"In order to attract us, the Lord grants us many graces that we believe can easily obtain Heaven for us. We do not know, however, that in order to grow, we need hard bread: the cross, humiliation, trials and denials." (St. Padre Pio)

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Sacrificing for Our Lord
Children's Rosary Collection of Materials

St. Jean Vianney's Thoughts on Public Prayer

Recently in reading the book the Curé d'Ars to the children, I came upon this beautiful little portion about the power of coming together in prayer which I wanted to share:

"He (St. Jean Vianney) preferred public prayer to private prayers. "Private Prayer," he used to say resembles straw scattered here and there over a field; if it is set on fire, the flame is not a powerful one; but if you gather those scattered straws into a bundle, the flame is bright, and rises in a lofty column towards the sky: such is public prayer."

Indeed we hope these Children's Rosary groups meeting around the world will be like bright lights going up to heaven.  The photo above was taken of eight Children's Rosary groups meeting together at St. Anthony Parish in Ogbodu Aba, Nigeria.  If you would like to consider starting a Children's Rosary group in your parish more information is provided HERE.

Getting Ready for May

May: A Time of Abundant Gifts

In the Encyclical of Pope Paul VI (Mense Maio) on prayers during May he so beautifully describes how the month of May is a time “long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Our heart rejoices at the thought of the moving tribute of faith and love which will soon be paid to the Queen of Heaven in every corner of the earth. For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God's merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother's throne."

Yet, in this month in which we are told of the abundance of gifts available to us there is also an urge to return such mercy with gifts of our own offered up to a Mother who loves us.  We should not worry about this special focus on Mary.  Pope Paul VI explains,  "Since Mary is rightly to be regarded as the way by which we are led to Christ, the person who encounters Mary cannot help but encounter Christ likewise. For what other reason do we continually turn to Mary except to seek the Christ in her arms, to seek our Savior in her, through her, and with her?" (Mense Maio)

Here are some ideas to help make May extra special:
1) Hold a May Crowning before a Children's Rosary in May.  
Step by Step instructions are available HERE on how to plan it!
2) Invite the children to make Mother's Day cards for Our Blessed Mother to bring to their Children's Rosary in May.  As you see above in the picture, the children placed handmade cards before Our Lady as they prayed the Rosary.
3) Ask permission from your Pastor to have the children give out Rosaries after weekend Masses one weekend in May.  Free Rosaries can be obtained from Holy Cross Family Ministries (payment for postage is required). 

As we enter into May, I humbly ask for special prayers for all those who have been preparing to hold their first Children's Rosary group during this special month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother.  I also ask for prayers for all the existing groups that Our Lord will bless them and assist them in their efforts to bring children together in prayer of the Rosary. 
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary 
EWTN Interview about the Children's Rosary
"With These Beads We are Building a World of Peace and Love"

On the Shoulders of the Good Shepherd

Recently we were introduced to a Sister Mary who has begun an orphanage in Tanzania.  The orphanage is named after St. John Vianney.  Through a series of emails we shared with her the Children's Rosary prayer group movement.  Providentially she was visiting the United States and will be returning to Tanzania on April 30th.  

We have been praying for some time that a Children's Rosary might begin in Tanzania after meeting a missionary priest this past summer who spoke about the region.  Yet shipping materials to Tanzania is both difficult and expensive especially to more rural regions that do not have postal delivery.  Yet Our Lord would take care of every detail.  Through a series of beautiful threads woven together we are now in communication with a priest from Rombo, Tanzania and now Sr. Mary who lives in a nearby region. If you read our earlier post from yesterday you will recognize the name Rombo, Kenya.  The towns are neighbors separated by a national border.  The question of how to get materials to the priest in Rombo, Tanzania was resolved by our providential meeting of Sr. Mary who is returning to Tanzania in just over a week.  

With a unique moment of opportunity to bring Children's Rosary materials to the region of Tanzania we asked Sister Mary how many Rosaries she would need. She gave us a number.  At first we did not know if we had that many to send.  The children began counting.  Providentially several packages had arrived last week with Rosaries.  

As each new box was filled with Rosaries the children counted.  Three large boxes in total filled.  All the rosaries requested were all accounted for and when the final count came in the the goal was met plus twelve extra Rosaries.  The twelve extra Rosaries brought a smile to our faces.  Had the apostles been helping us as well?  Indeed we felt more than ever that Our Lord had been seeing to every detail.  We were on His shoulders and the tasks that lay before us had been arranged so that the children could fulfill the request.  Such a task might have seemed too big and with such short notice but the children were not alone... Our Lord was helping.  

On Saturday my husband read from the Bible to our children during family prayer.  The portion of the Bible we had reached that night was Psalm 92.  

"I shout for joy at your handiwork. 
How great are your words, O Lord, 
how very subtle your designs."  (Psalm 91: 5-6)

As we do each night we ask each person in the family to pick out the part of the reading they like.  Our youngest son Asher liked the portion I have included above and in particular the phrase, "How very subtle your designs".  He commented that to some God's designs may seem subtle or small but to another they may be big and very important.  The people who sent the Rosaries to us may not have known when they would be used.  Yet Our Lord through His designs and handiwork would allow everything to be present and ready when the request came.  Today we rejoice in the kindness of Our Lord who chooses to carry us on His shoulders when we are in need.

"It is Good to Praise the Lord"

"It is good to praise the Lord."(Psalm 92:2)  It is also good to thank Him.  Today is our 7th day of Masses offered in thanksgiving to God as part of our Children's Rosary Anniversary Novena of Masses.  The last of our Masses offered in thanksgiving will conclude on Monday April 18th. 
Recently in reading a book to my children by Mother Mary Loyola these words seemed to speak so beautifully about the importance of thanking God.

"It is no humility, then, to pretend not to know what God has done for us. Gratitude and humility go hand in hand.  There is no better shield against vanity and self-conceit than Mary's word's 'He who is mighty has done great things for me' and when our hearts are stirred to praise God for his goodness to us, we shall find none more fitting than those of her beautiful Magnificat."

A special thank you to all who helped sponsor Masses as part of our Novena. We have been able to have eighteen Masses offered in thanksgiving.  

Credit: the quote above is taken from the book Jesus of Nazareth by Mother Mary Loyola.

We Conclude Our Fast at the Foot of the Cross

Today is the last day of our Year of Mercy Novena of Prayer and Fasting.  It is the day when Our Lord said, "Not as I will but as You will" (Matthew 26:39).  Today is also when traditionally the Annunciation is celebrated.  "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy will" (Luke 1:38).  The Catholic Church transfers celebration of the Annunciation to April 4th this year.  Yet, nine months from March 25th is Christmas so even though celebration of the Annunciation is transferred, one is aware of the wonderful connection of these dates.  

We set out on this journey of prayer and fasting 9 days ago with the hope that on Good Friday we could say with a humble heart before the Cross, "Thy will be done".  Thus saying, YES, to all God has planned for each of us. 

This morning on our last day of the fast, my children gathered round to hear another chapter of the life of St. Jean Vianney that we are reading together.  The chapter as it turned out was called: Conversion of Ars - Prayer and Penance.  St. Jean Vianney had just been assigned to this new country parish and seeing that many had grown distant from the faith he began to offer prayers and penance for the conversion of his parish.  At the end of the chapter an account is given some years later by St. Jean Vianney to a young priest of Montpellier:

"My friend, the devil is not greatly afraid of the discipline and other instruments of penance. That which beats him is the curtailment of one's food, drink and sleep.  There is nothing the devil fears more, consequently, nothing is more pleasing to God.  Oh! how often have I experienced it!  It happened at times that I refrained from food for entire days. On those occasions I obtained, both for myself and for others, whatsoever I asked of Almighty God".  

This was a beautiful gift to have this reading come this morning.  It reminded the children and I that although our fasting was not as austere as St. Jean Vianney, that during this last day there are great graces to be obtained from Our Lord.  Let us not lose even one single grace.  May we take the time to quiet ourself and ask for all that is in our heart...  share all that is troubling us.  When we set out I mentioned that often when we undertake such a journey seeking only God's Will,  those things in our lives that seem stuck...become unstuck. May we lay everything at the foot of the Cross today.  With Our Blessed Mother beside us, let us surrender everything to His Will. Amen.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Nine Month Novena for Impossible Requests

"Many Things Can Wait but Children Cannot, for Them We Cannot Answer Tomorrow; Their Name is Today"

The son of one of our Children's
Rosary group leaders

Ambassador Liberata Mulamula of Tanzania recently spoke these words when speaking of the children of Tanzania during a visit to the United States.  She was quoting author Gabriella Mistral.  

"Many things can wait but children cannot, for them we cannot answer tomorrow; their name is Today!"

Indeed time goes by very quickly.  One cannot stop the clock.  Looking at my own children I see them growing up so quickly.  They have a short time to be children.  Such is a precious time.  To delay sharing the faith with them is to lose that moment.  

Today a storm hit our town somewhat unexpectedly.  Yesterday, it was 50 degrees and we were enjoying the unseasonable warmth.  Today everything is covered in a blanket of snow.  Our Blessed Mother who stands at the door of the Church was covered in snow this morning.  The wind driving the snow hard against her.  

We cannot know how quickly things will change.  A warm day can on a dime change into a treacherous winter storm as we saw in the last 24 hours.  Do not delay ones good intentions.  Let us not think of tomorrow but rather think of the names of our children as Today.  Parents, grandparents look at your children and see this as a wonderful opportunity to share your faith.  Let this be a legacy you pass on.  A beautiful way to do this is to begin or join a Children's Rosary prayer group.  By making this time to spend with them and coming before Our Blessed Mother, we by our very presence show how important prayer is in our lives.  Our children need food and clothing...yes but they also need to know God.  As the Scriptures tells us: "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on....Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:25, 33) As parents and grandparents, we hope our children will be provided for when we are no longer there to watch out for them.  Put them in the hands of Our Lord and His mother and we have only to trust completely.
Friday February 5th (First Friday)
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's School in Orange TX 7:05 AM CT
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's School in Pontiac, IL 9AM CT
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Church in Pine Bluff Wisconsin10 AM CT
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Peter Church in Musa Dughal Pakistan 2PM local time
Children's Rosary at Immaculate Conception Church in Fairbanks Alaska 3:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Parish in Adrain, Michigan 5PM
Children's Rosary in Shendam Diocese, Plateau State Nigeria 6PM local timeChildren's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 9PM local 
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Ashraf Town Pakistan 6PM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Luke's Parish in Ogallala, Nebraska
Saturday February 6 (First Saturday)
Children's Rosary in Cebu Philippines meets each Saturday.
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis, Oregon 9AM PT
Children's Rosary at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Harare, Zimbabwe 9AM local timeChildren's Rosary at St. Agnes Church in Naples FL 9:30 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Sharon, MA 9:30 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of LaSalette Parish in Sulphur, Louisiana 9:30 AM CT
Children's Rosary at S. Michael the Archangel Parish held in the Kibera Slum in Langatta Nairobi, Kenya to meet at 10 AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Rushden, Northants England 10 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Parish in Syracuse, NY to meet at 10 AM ET at the Daughters of St. Mary Chapel
Children's Rosary at St. Bridget Church in Cheshire, CT 12:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Peter Church in Musa Dughal, Pakistan 2PM local time
Children's Rosary at Sacred Heart Church in Middleboro, MA 2PM ET
Children's Rosary at the Daughter's of Charity Convent Bridgeport CT 2PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Bristol, CT 2:15 PM ET 
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Tacloban City Philippines 3PM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Becket Church in Cheshire, CT 3PM ET
Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT 3:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Peter's Church in Higganum, CT 4PM ET 
Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Natchitoches, Louisiana 4:30 ET 
Children's Rosary at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Shrub Oak NY 4:45 PM ET
Children's Rosary at our Lady of Fatima Parish in Hartford, CT 5PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Richmond, Virginia 4PM
Children's Rosary at Immaculate Conception Church in North Delta British Columbia Canada at 4PM PTChildren's Rosary at Mary Queen of the Universe Parish Comstock, TX 5:15 CT
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Ashraf town Pakistan meets 6PM local time

Sunday February 7th
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6 AM local time
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick Church in Nottingham, England 9AM local time
Children's Rosary at Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Nairobi, Kenya 6AM ET
Children's Rosary at St Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT 11 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Church in Harlan, Kentucky 11:30 AM
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Bernard Church in Mount Lebanon, PA at 2PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Peter's Church in Musa Dughal Pakistan 2PM local time
Children's Rosary at the Daughter's of Charity Convent in Bridgeport CT 2PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Joachim Parish in Madera California 5:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at Assumption Church in Umoja, Kenya 2PM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Ashraf Town Pakistan 6PM local time

Monday February 8th
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Wakefield, MA 9:30 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Grace Home for Children in Meru, Kenya 10 AM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Academy in Shenandoah, PA 12:20 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Church in Gladstone, Michigan 4:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac, New York 4:30 PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother in Avondale, PA 6PM ET

Tuesday February 9th
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6AM local time

Children's Rosary at Sacred Heart School Queensland Australia 8AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos Nigeria 1PM ET

Children's Rosary at St. Peter Church in Musa Dughal Pakistan 2PM local time

Children's Rosary at Holy Redeemer Parish in Menominee Michigan 6PM ET
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Ashraf Town Pakistan
Wednesday February 10th
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Butanpura Pakistan 6AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Keirans School in Queensland, Australia 8AM local time
Children's Rosary at St. Augustine Church in Iba Estate Lagos, Nigeria 1PM ET

Children's Rosary at St. Peter Church in Musa Dughal Pakistan 2PM local time

Children's Rosary at St. Gregory the Great School in Bluffton, South Carolina 3PM ET

Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Ashraf Town Pakistan 6PM local time

Children's Rosary at St. Paul's Church in Fenton Missouri 7PM

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Nothing is Impossible with God

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How to Start a Children's Rosary