Word's From the Children Wednesday

Our Lady of Guadalupe

A bouquet of prayers for Our Lady of Guadalupe from her children.

This picture was drawn by Emily age 8 who began a Children's Rosary with her younger sister at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Hartford, Connecticut USA. 

The prayers of these little children surely do make Mary Happy.  Tomorrow on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe a Children's Rosary group will be meeting in Resurrection Church in Rye New York.  The children will begin their Rosary at 5PM EST.  Please consider joining prayers with them.  The Children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Members of the Children's Rosary have also requested Masses to be said tomorrow for the Unborn.  Just as Juan Diego dropped the Tilma in front of the Bishop and roses spilled out as a sign of Our Lady's visit.  We hope to humbly carry a bouquet of Masses before Our Lady and lay them out before her so that she may take them to her Son. 

The Children's Rosary Welcomes Our Lady of Czestochowa to St. Thomas The Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut USA

The traveling Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, or Black Madonna, has traveled over 40,000 miles transversed 24 countries including Russia, England, Belgium, France and many more.  Our Lady has now reached the United States and will depart the East coast in the New Year.  Before she leaves the Northeast she is scheduled to visit St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, CT USA the home of the first Children's Rosary group.  The Icon will arrive on December 18th and will enter the Church at 6:30 PM for a procession led by the Knights of Columbus and the Children's Rosary.  The children will then lead a Children's Rosary.  All members of the Children's Rosary from different parishes are encouraged to come and help lead the Rosary.  Immediately following there will be a Mass in which Fr. Peter West of Human Life International will speak about the history and significance of Our Lady of Czestochowa.  All are invited to St. Thomas the Apostle for this wonderful blessing of Our Lady's visit.

Location: 
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
872 Farmington Ave 
West Hartford CT 06119

Date: December 18th 6:30PM

Questions about this visit please email Blythe at blythe.kaufman@gmail.com

More information about the traveling Black Madonna click here.

Other posts you may enjoy:
Bringing Our Children to Our Blessed Mother
Pure Joy Comes from Our Lord
Totus Tuus

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Each Year a New Way to honor Our Lady

Reflecting back over the past two years the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has been a highlight. Each year the Feast carries a new joy and a new way to honor Our Lady.

Tonight as the sun sets and evening has moved in thoughts of the beautiful memories gathered over the past two years come to mind.

Last year the Children's Rosary participated in a wonderful Colombian Tradition: the Day of the Little Candles.  For weeks lanterns were hand made with the help of the children and on the eve of the Feast they were set out with candles lit.  The lanterns had windows created in the image of Our Lady.  More pictures and reflections from the night can be read here.

Last year on December 8th brought the consecration of two new Children's Rosary groups. Each was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  One of the new groups met at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT.  Perfectly named for the Feast!  After the Rosary the children made cupcakes and spelled out Our Lady's name: Mary. Reflections from their first meeting can be seen here.

Two years ago there was another gift given to Our Lady on her Feast this one from a child.  It was a picture drawn of Our Lady and it was given to Our Lady at Church before prayers of the Rosary and Holy Mass.  The picture you will recognize.  It has now become the symbol of the Children's Rosary.  

With all these gifts one thing is for certain, Our Lady will not be out done in generosity.  Any thing we give with love is warmly received and so much beauty is returned.  Last year 2 Children's Rosary groups met on the weekend of the Immaculate Conception this year 20 groups met on the four days surrounding the Feast.

Mass Offered Today

The children who traveled to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
to lead a Children's Rosary

A Mass was offered today for all the members of the Children's Rosary who traveled to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Sept 21st and those who helped in these efforts.  On Sept 21st 2013 the Children's Rosary traveled from Connecticut to Washington DC to lead a Children's Rosary for the International Prayer and Fasting Vigil. This special day at the National Shrine kicked off an week of prayer and fasting.  The ride was 6 hours by bus and most children left their homes around 3 in the morning and didn't return home until around the same time the next day.  

Many individuals generously sponsored children and donated money for the bus.  Others helped out on site with coordination and distribution of materials, taking pictures and providing translation into sign language.   The whole day was a wonderful gift to Our Lady.  Many graces and blessings have been showered down thanks to these efforts.  

Today on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception a Mass was offered for the spiritual and temporal welfare of all those individuals who either traveled or helped the children make this trip.

Thank you all for your kind and generous spirit.

An Unexpected Surprise at Good Will

First Meeting of the Children's Rosary
at St. Pius Church in Wolcott, CT

One of our Children's Rosary group leaders recently shared a trip she and her family made to Good Will.  Sandy is the Group leader of the Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, Connecticut USA and also helped to begin a Children's Rosary in Steubenville, Ohio.  Sandy who is a wonderful mother of 7 felt inspired to begin another Children's Rosary at St. Pius Church in Wolcott CT and her first meeting was yesterday.  It has been a full week for her with a Children's Rosary the prior weekend at the Basilica where the children led a Rosary before Our Lady of Czestochowa, the traveling Icon from Poland.

This week Sandy and her children stopped at Good Will.  One of the wonderful things about the Good Will store is that the inventory is donated so you never know what you are going to find.  Often what is stocked in the store reflects the type of items found in the homes of those who live nearby.  As Waterbury, CT is a strongly Catholic Community with many Churches and a strong faith occasionally one finds a real spiritual gem.  This day was to be one of those special days.

After perusing through several piles her son commented on a large picture of a dragon.  Her son picked it up and underneath a surprise... an icon of Our Blessed Mother of Czestochowa.  Having just hosted Our Lady the prior weekend both Sandy and her son felt so honored to find their own icon of Our Lady.  The blessings were far from over.    Who might you guess was waiting for them just under some more paintings.....St. Pius.  Just three days before their first Children's Rosary at St. Pius here he was ready to take home.  These were the only two religious items that the children found that day.  A coincidence...possibly but truly a wonderful grace for these little children who were so excited.

An Ice Storm Won't Stop the Prayers of the Children

credit: Hermann Hammer

Over the past several days a destructive snow and ice storm has moved across the United States.  Today it has reached Pennsylvania bringing with it a coating of ice.  A New Children's Rosary was scheduled to meet at St. Joesph Church in Hanover Pennsylvania at 4PM today.  Yet with such dangerous weather conditions travel was not recommended.  With so much excitement about this new group there was still a hope that the weather would not prevent the children from giving Our Lady this beautiful gift.

An idea came... what if the group leader consecrated the group from her home and synchronized all the children safely praying in their homes so that the group could still meet in spirit.  When hearts are united in prayer does distance really matter?

While the children would love to all be shoulder to shoulder kneeling in prayer together there is a wonderful feeling of resilience that no matter what the obstacles we will join together even from a distance and give Our Blessed Mother these precious gifts of prayer from her children.

The group has moved up their starting time to 2PM EST.  Please consider joining these little ones from your home in prayer of the Rosary.  Thank you all for helping to make this first meeting of the Children's Rosary in Hanover Pennsylvania a special one.

Monthly Mass Offered Today for Renewal of Family Prayer

On the 1 year anniversary of the Children's Rosary we began a prayer initiative to renew family prayer. The children began saying novenas to different saints for renewal of family prayer.  Over 780 nine day novenas have been said each to a different saint. Over 500 Children's Read Aloud Bibles have been given out to families to encourage family prayer.  During each Children's Rosary group meeting the children also pray for renewal of family prayer.  A very special way we are trying to bring back family prayer is by offering Masses for this intention. Many Masses have already been requested and going forward a Mass will be offered on the first Saturday of every month for Renewal of Family prayer.  

As Pope John Paul II was fond of saying,  "As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live".