Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions For August

Pope Francis on July 26th at World Youth Day on the His Way to the Stations of the Cross
Catholic News Service

GENERAL INTENTION: That parents and teachers may help the new generation to grow in upright conscience and life.

MISSION INTENTION: That the local Church in Africa, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, may promote peace and justice.

Monthly Mass Offered for Seminarians Today

Seminarians from St. John's Seminary in Boston
Photo by George Martell

As part of our new prayer initiative to pray for seminarians there was a Mass offered today for all seminarians that they may grow in holiness and lead us in love.  

Since April all Children's Rosary groups have been praying for the seminarians attending St. John's Seminary in Boston.  We are planning to expand this prayer initiative to include more seminaries.  The most recent addition is Holy Apostle Seminary in CT USA.  Members of the Children's Rosary are also being given the opportunity to choose a seminarian to pray for in their home.  So far we have more children then seminarians participating and hope to continue to grow this initiative.  Recently some of the seminarians we have been praying for in Boston were ordained.  I've included a pictures that was taken during one of the ordinations.  

Audrey Santo

Little Audrey Santo as she is affectionately called was a special little girl who at the age of 3 had a tragic accident in her family pool and was subsequently overmedicated.  The date of her accident was August 9th 1987.  Her injuries resulted in significant disability leaving Audrey confined to her bed for the remainder of her short life, unable to speak or eat except for the Holy Eucharist which she received daily. Upon her death representatives from the Vatican approached little Audrey's family and asked that they put forth their daughter's cause for beatification and canonization.  During her brief time on earth she had been a wonderful inspiration for children and helped to exemplify the beauty of life even when one is broken and wounded.  Little Audrey's mom has been wonderfully supportive of the Children's Rosary and her daughter has been a powerful intercessor for our group.  As the anniversary of her accident approaches I wanted to let folks know that there will be some wonderful events planned at the Chapel which exists at Audrey's home.

August 9th Holy Mass at 11 AM
Adoration
Rosary
Audrey's Chaplet
3PM Close

August 11th healing Mass 2PM
Adoration
Rosary
Audrey's Chaplet
Confessions
Close 6PM

More information about Audrey and the special days that are planned can be found on the Little Audrey Santo Foundation Website

Words from the Children Wednesdays

Answering the Question: 

Why is the Children's Rosary Important

Introducing a new weekly highlight on the Children's Rosary Blog: Words from the Children Wednesdays. As the Children's Rosary is a prayer movement composed of children and led by children we would like to begin highlighting some of the beautiful feedback we have been getting from the children from our different Children's Rosary groups.  

Recently I reached out to the different Children's Rosary groups and asked for their help.  The Children's Rosary will be at the Catholic Marketing Network(CMN) Trade Show in New Jersey USA from August 7th-9th and will have a booth.  As the prospect of creating visuals for the booth seemed daunting and expensive Our Lady brought a wonderful inspiration: ask the children to provide the artwork.  The Children were asked to briefly describe WHY THE CHILDREN'S ROSARY IS IMPORTANT.

The pictures have been coming in by mail from all over the country.  They were all so beautiful in their own unique way it seemed like a perfect way to begin our Words From the Children Wednesdays.  More beautiful original artwork to come over the upcoming weeks.  Please if you are a child and would like to submit a picture or message see our contact information and send it in.  We will be featuring them here.

The drawing above was done by Anna age 6 who helped begin a Children's Rosary with her older sister at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Hartford, CT USA. 

Let's Keep the Holy Spirit Blowing through Our Hearts and Families

This past week has seen breathtaking sites of young people on fire with love for Our Lord at World Youth Day.  Last night many of those young people and and Our Holy Father began their travels home.  This fire that has burned so brightly might if we let it begin to grow dim.  Let us consider this day starting a 9 day novena to the Holy Spirit.  May we blow on these hot cinders in our own hearts and truly set them ablaze.

World Youth Day 2013

A few members of the Children's Rosary will also be traveling 9 days from now to New Jersey USA to participate in the Catholic Marketing (CMN) Trade Show.  By the grace of God the Children's Rosary has an opportunity to have a booth at this Conference.  Catholic Publishers, bookstore owners and many other individuals and organizations will be there.  Through many wonderful blessings the Children's Rosary will be present and it is our hope and prayer that whatever the Lord has planned for this conference will be realized.  May we humbly ask all of you to help these efforts with your prayers.  Please consider saying this 9 day novena to the Holy Spirit that the Spirit might blow through each of us, our family, our parish and the world.  It is a powerful thing to unite prayer from across the globe and that is what we hope to do here.

Thank you all and know that you are all in our prayers!

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Dearest Holy Spirit, confiding in Your deep, personal love for me, I am making this novena for the following request, if it be Your Holy Will to grant it:(mention your request*). 

Teach me, Divine Spirit, to know and seek my last end; grant me the holy fear of God; grant me true contrition and patience. Do not let me fall into sin. Give me an increase of faith, hope and charity, and bring forth in my soul all the virtues proper to my state in life.

Make me a faithful disciple of Jesus and an obedient child of the Church. Give me efficacious grace sufficient to keep the Commandments and to receive the Sacraments worthily. 

Give me the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts, Your Twelve Fruits.
Raise me to perfection in the state of life to which You have called me and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life.I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen. 
(novena obtained from EWTN website)

*May the Holy Spirit blow through our hearts, families, parish and the Children's Rosary and in a special way the CMN Trade Show where the Children's Rosary will be attending from August 7-9th. May Our Lord's Plans continue to unfold all for the glory of God. Amen

For the Sake of 10 Righteous Men the Lord Would Have Spared Sodom

Young Pilgrims at World Youth Day 2013
AP Photo/ Felipe Dana

How Much Mercy has been called down upon our tired world by the prayers of Our Holy Father and 3 million young people at World Youth Day?  The answer is known to the Lord alone but if we look at the mercy Our Lord would show for the sake of 10 righteous men in Sodom then one can surmise that the mercy called down by so much prayer this week at World Youth Day is beyond our comprehension.

In the first reading today Abraham speaks before the Lord and asks the Lord to spare Sodom if ten righteous men can be found within the city.  The Lord responds, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." (Genesis 18:32)

Last night the scene on the Copacabana beach before the arrival of Pope Francis for an evening vigil was full of song and praise for Our Lord.  Many would remain on the beach overnight singing and in prayer in cold temperatures to be present for the Pope's Final Mass of World Youth Day.  To see the Holy Spirit alive in these young people is an image of hope.  How happy must Our Lady and her Son be to look down and see such a sight.  

Thank you Pope John Paul II for your efforts while here on earth to begin such a wonderful event for our young people.  Thank you to Pope Benedict and now Pope Francis for continuing such a beautiful tradition.  As a person who attended World Youth Day in the US with Pope John Paul II in 1993 I feel the fruits of such intense communal prayer are still bearing fruit.

Other Posts you may enjoy:
Pope Francis and the Rosary
Words by Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013
Pope Francis Places the People of Latin America Under the Intercessory Protection of Our Lady

Words by Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013

Pope Francis at Mass at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro
on July 27th 2013

In Pope Francis’ homily from Mass at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian on July 27th the Holy Father speaks beautifully about our call to help our young people.

“Let us help our young people to realize that the call to be missionary disciples flows from our baptism and is an essential part of what it means to be a Christian. We must also help them to realize that we are called first to evangelize in our own homes and our places of study and work, to evangelize our family and friends.

Let us spare no effort in the formation of our young people! Saint Paul uses a beautiful expression that he embodied in his own life, when he addressed the Christian community: “My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you” (Gal 4:19). Let us embody this also in our own ministry! Let us help our young people to discover the courage and joy of faith, the joy of being loved personally by God, who gave his Son Jesus for our salvation. "

The Holy father concludes his homily by once again pointing out Our Blessed Mother Mary as the Star to lead our efforts to reach her Son.

“May the Virgin Mary be our exemplar. In her life she was “a model of that motherly love with which all who join in the Church’s apostolic mission for the regeneration of humanity should be animated” (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 65). May she be the Star that surely guides our steps to meet the Lord. Amen.”