Visit to St. Anne Shrine

Last Sunday we were able to attend Mass for the first time since the pandemic began at St. Anne Shrine in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. It felt like a very special grace to be able to have the first Mass on the Feast of the Holy Trinity. All of our Children's Rosary books are dedicated to the Holy Trinity. 

The Mass was held outside but we took a picture of the Church which is shown below.

In a special way I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary. 

Visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs

Last week on the last leg of our car journey from the CMN conference in Illinois to our home in Connecticut we were able to make a visit to the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.

We had just come from the National Shrine of St. Kateri and upon driving upon this blessed ground we found this was also the birth place of St. Kateri.  The hills extended in all directions with beautiful vistas. It had been cool and raining so there were very few people at the Shrine.

Yet the weather was with us and cleared in time for us to walk the expansive grounds. There was a wrought iron gate that opened to lead to a dirt road going down to the Ravine. Along the road was the story of the martyrdom of St. Rene Goupil. The road ended with a clearing... the suspected location of Rene Goupil's death.

Standing in this clearing we knew that it was a very special place. We prayed. In a special way I said a prayer all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. We then walked back up the road noticing this time more of the nature around us. There was a little stream that ran along the road. At one place there was a small wooden bridge that led to an area to pray. We made our way up the road and passed through the gate that had marked the beginning of the journey down to the Ravine. As we walked through a wooded area to reach the colosseum we passed through an area with mosaics honoring the 7 sorrows of Mary. The kids and I decided to follow Our Lady's sorrows. There were readings at each marker which I read aloud to the kids. The final sorrow led us toward the colosseum. This large round structure had many beautiful statues both of the North American Martyrs but also of the Child Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. The kids and I chose the colosseum to say a Rosary. We walked around the rotunda looking at each side and then decided we should pray in front of all the statues...not simply choosing one side. And so we began praying and then with each successive decade we moved just enough to catch a glimpse of a different statue. In this way we felt that none was being left out and we were experiencing the full joy of praying with a great many saints. In a special way we prayed during the Rosary for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. This was the close of our journey to the CMN Conference...our last stop before returning home. Please know we carried you all with us in prayer. We thank you for your prayers for our journey.

Other Posts You May Enjoy
How to Start a Children's Rosary
"The Road that Leads to Life"
Little Hands Rescue Mary and Jesus

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org

Visit to the National Shrine of St. Kateri

Last Monday we were able to visit the National Shrine of St. Kateri in New York. This was one of our stops on the drive from Illinois to Connecticut. The day was a cool one, unseasonable for July in this area. The kids immediately ran to a small little building to the far right of the St. Peter's Chapel pictured above. When we entered this little structure there stood a statue of St. Kateri. 

The place was cozy and warm with a delightful smell of pine. It was a place one could spend a long time in prayer. Before the statue was a basket for petitions. 

Asher wrote out an intention for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary.  

The excitement was high with the kids to explore so after a time we left the tiny chapel which Asher named the Candle Chapel (as there were many candles along the walls) and we resolved to come back before leaving. Our next stop was to do the Stations of the Cross that spread across the open lawn and followed up a hill. 

We heard that one could walk from the edge of where the Stations ended up a dirt path to the village of St. Kateri and the stream where she was baptized. As we began the walk it started to rain. The rain became heavier and the grade steeper. With my joint disability walking on steep inclines is very difficult so we had to turn back.  We were told there was an access to the village by car.
We then stopped at the gift shop meeting a lovely women who welcomed us. We made our way to the St. Peter's Chapel which you see pictured at the top of the post. It was there that we prayed the Rosary. We included in our intentions all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. We then made our way downstairs to view the Indian Museum. The rain had stopped at that point and we had a little lunch we had brought on a picnic bench. While the rest of the gang was finishing their meal Asher helped me to get back into the candle chapel. There we lit some candles and I had some time to pray but not long as a family entered. A mom with four of her 5 children. She shared that the children are quadruplets...all 10 years old. What a happy meeting with children visiting the Shrine. It was a blessed time and I wished not to leave but we had one more stop before heading home, it was the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, NY. As we pulled out of the driveway of the National Shrine of St. Kateri we circled around the property to see the Indian village of St. Kateri before leaving. 

This was the place we had tried to walk to but the hill was too steep. When we drove to it the access was very easy and the ground level. The village was marked out by stakes (pictured above). There had been some excavation of the location to confirm the identity but now there were no visible structures only a clearing marked by cut grass. Yet in this wooded place with the clearing and a stream running very close one could imagine a village alive with people coming and going. We share these pictures and our visit that you may know you were with us. We prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Beauty
Little Hands Rescue Mary and Jesus

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org

A Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese

Last Monday evening we reached Schaumburg, Illinois our destination for the CMN Conference. Tuesday morning was set up for our Children's Rosary booth although the conference would not start to the following day.  The afternoon we had a very special treat. We were able to participate in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien, Illinois. This is run by the Carmelite order. Upon entering the Shrine one of the most breathtaking sites is this mural on the wall depicting important moments in the life of St. Therese.  Beneath the mural was a collection of relics of St. Therese including bone, flesh, and even dust from her coffin.

As we had driven from Connecticut, we had a car and decided to go a bit early of the buses to the Shrine as we might have some time to explore and also pray. This proved very providential. The heat outside kept us mostly inside and we had time to pray before the relics. Not only were there relics of St. Therese but also her parents who are also saints.

Zelie and Louis Martin taught their children to respect God's providence both in fulfillment and disappointment  This line in their biography caught my attention. For my own small part, my heart has been falling in love more and more with the Providence of God. To see these two beautiful saints impress a respect for God's providence in their children seemed a further confirmation of its great importance. 

Later as the buses arrived we were able to hear a talk about the life of St. Therese. As the children and I together had read her autobiography this year, the stories were fresh in our minds but hearing them again was very special. We were taken through many items that were hers as a child including drawings and clothing she had made. 

We were able to see a room made up just as her room had been in the convent. It even had the door of her room and several items that existed in her real room.  The evening concluded with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Andrew Apostoli CFR. In a special way I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. You were very close with us there. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Beauty
Resources to Help Begin a Group

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org