The Children's Rosary Welcomes Our Lady of Czestochowa

On December 18th the traveling Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa visited St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.  Our Lady had traveled over 40,000 miles beginning in Poland and then crossing Russia, Kazakhstan, and 24 countries in Europe before crossing the Atlantic ocean and arriving in the United States this summer.  Slowly, Our Lady has traveled along the East Coast of America.  She has been entrusted with the prayer intention of Respect Life.  Fr. Peter West of Human Life International is accompanying Our Lady's Icon across the US.

It was particularly special that Our Lady was able to visit St. Thomas the Apostle Church as it is the home of the Children's Rosary prayer group movement.  As Our Lady entered the Church she was met with so many children all around her.  The Knights of Columbus were there to help lead the procession and the children holding roses followed.  Upon reaching the altar the children split and gathered on each side of her allowing for her proper set up.  Then they circled round in front kneeling.  The children then began a Children's Rosary.  Little ones as young as 5 were there kneeling and praying the Rosary.  In turns the children led decades at the podium and others placed roses at the end of the decades before Our Lady while and adult was saying, Mary we humbly place this rose at your feet and ask for the grace of faith, for the first Glorious mystery.  Some of the members of the Children's Rosary have disabilities.  One of our members with Down Syndrome, with help from his mother, was able to come forward and place a rose at her feet.  Another mom held her daughter who has significant disabilities rocking her before Our Lady.  They too were able to place a rose at Our Lady's feet.  It is a beautiful witness of life to see children praying the Rosary at the Feet of Our Lady.  These humble little ones coming to pray the prayer, Our Lady herself gave us.

Fr. Peter West then celebrated Holy Mass.  He spoke beautifully about Our Lady in his homily.  He described her standing between us and Our Lord.  Fr. West likened her to a pair of glasses that perfectly focus us on her Son.  He also later spoke to some of the children about the Icon telling them that Our Lord is dressed in red signifying His divinity.  Our Lady is in blue representing she is human.  However, inside her garment is red signifying that what she carried was Divine.

After Mass individuals then beautifully began singing hymns during the veneration of Our Lady’s Icon.  There was a wonderful feeling in the parish as the lights were dim further on in the evening and Our Lady’s Icon was illuminated in a frame containing lights while clusters of individuals sang to Our Lady.  Some present graced us with music in their native language of Polish. As we sat in the pews a regular rhythm of individuals would make their way to the Icon kneeling, praying, pressing their precious Rosaries or keepsakes to Our Lady’s Icon. One mother would later share with me the following day at Mass that her son who had helped lead the Rosary was deeply moved by praying in front of Mary and the baby Jesus in her arms.  As she shared he came to her saying, Mommy we are so lucky to have had Our Lady visit us.  

Two members of the Children's Rosary
who traveled from Boston to help lead the Rosary

Yes we were blessed to have Our Lady come. Later we would find out Our Lady's visit was bitter sweet as our retired pastor passed away the day after she left.  It was  as if Our Lady had come to give her dear priest, who had served the Church for over 50 years, a tender kiss before her Son came to take him home for Christmas.

Thank you to all who helped with Our Lady's visit and unified prayers with us when she came.  Two other Children's Rosary groups have hosted Our Lady of Czestochowa in their parishes so far. I would like to encourage others to host the Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa.  Fr. West has begun his travels westward across the US and is adding new parishes to his schedule almost every day.  More information can be obtained on the website 
http://www.fromoceantoocean.org/
email: blackmadonna@hli.org to schedule a date for your parish.
Fr. Peter West will also appear on EWTN with Fr. Mitch Pacwa tonight (January 8th and tomorrow January 9th) to discuss Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Little Furnaces of Love

May we be like my cat, Baby,
warm and content by the heat

Today most of the United States is under a deep freeze. Reports of Atlanta, Georgia being colder than Moscow today.  Areas of the country dipping into the minus 40 degrees F range.  For our little area in Connecticut we are hovering in the single digits but will probably be well below zero with the wind chill factor.  A day of heavy rain yesterday brought large puddles that now are like mini ice rinks.  A light snow last night covers everything. My way home from work which involved a city bus ride and some walking was a bitter one and I was thankful to reach the house which was warm inside.  After such an arctic adventure home, I grabbed my Rosaries and headed to the basement where we have a pellet stove.  The flame is visible and seated squarely in front of it I could feel the wonderful warmth and watch the flames flickering.  My old cat, Baby, couldn't resist and came to sit in my lap.  Such is how I spent the last bit of the afternoon into the evening.  The kids came down also interested in saying prayers near the fire.  For in such times like this it is hard to stay far from the fire.  There is a homing beacon if you will, drawing you to the warmth.  Sitting looking at the stove I was reminded of a little prayer I like to say walking to Church.  Often as the wind blows in the winter, I offer up all the times of being cold, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to be unified to the times Jesus was cold during the Passion.  We know it was cold that last night as we are told Peter came to the fire to warm himself.  I ask the Lord for the times I am cold let my heart and all the members of the Children's Rosary be consumed by the love of Jesus, may we be like little furnaces giving off love in this world.

Tonight sitting in front of the fire looking at the little stove all warm. I was reminded of that prayer.  For it is a wonderful way to view these little Children's Rosary groups as furnaces of love.  Those of us cold are drawn to be near them.  We find rest and comfort in the radiance of their heat.

Please consider joining the Children's Rosary which will meet Wednesday Jan 8th at 4PM Pacific time at St. Patrick's Church in Angels Camp, California.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Feast of St. André Bessette

Today is the Feast of St. André Bessette 

Br. André Bessette was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 .  He is known for his wonderful devotion to St. Joseph.  St. André struggle to read and write and was assigned to man the door at the College of Notre Dame in Montreal.  His jobs also included scrubbing floors and tending to the garden. St. André joked: “At the end of my novitiate, my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for forty years.” 

Another one of St. André's quotes makes me think of little children in prayer and the importance of these little ones.  

“It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures,” said St. André Bessette.

The Children's Rosary at St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Parish in Lawrenceburg, Indiana USA will hold their monthly Children's Rosary tomorrow (Tuesday January 7th). They will meet at 6:30PM EST.  Please consider joining the Children's Rosary either at the Church or from your home.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.  Thank you so much.

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Prayer to St. Joseph by Br. André 

A Call for Help

Image: NASA/NOAA

Imagine you are a Children's Rosary group leader.  You have no small children of your own.  Each time you prepare to meet you pray that children will come.  As you have no small children there is no certainty anyone will meet you at the Church.  You may have put notices in the bulletin and you wonder what will folks think if they see me all alone with no children.  Lord, I want to bring you children in prayer...help me.  Yet you arrive to find either no children or one child.  In this case, the child stays for one decade and then has to go to prepare to assist at Mass which is beginning shortly.  Others are filing into Church and see you alone trying to lead a Children's Rosary with no children.  Disappointment takes hold and doubt bites at your heal.  You wonder am I really meant to do this Lord.  If you want me to do this then bring children.  Week after week this continues.  Through faith alone you continue.  The story I share is a true one.  

The struggles of this little Children's Rosary are not unique to this group.  Even the most established groups may find a meeting when either only the host family is there or maybe if the leader has no children they are alone.  Even our little group at St. Thomas the Apostle the flagship group had several meetings where very few children came.  I know the disappointment first hand.  It brings a particular pain that goes deep to the soul.  It is an exposed vulnerability and when one feels no one hears it or responds to it there is a deep pain and sadness that comes.  What if you were to come home from such a disappointment and a message was waiting for you. A person writing that they had joined you in prayer from their home.  Would joy flood into your heart. Yes, I believe it would.  For over the past few weeks I too have seen this happen.  One mom who had asked for prayers for her  4 year old son and his father, wrote that she often unifies prayers with the groups especially on Saturdays.  I mentioned this to our group in Corvallis, Oregon who meets weekly on Saturdays.  This group was so happy to hear this.  

When I think back to the group I shared with you from England I am reminded of the first notes.  While the first meeting brought a few children subsequent ones were sparsely attended.  This group leader was so disappointed.   I encouraged her not to give up for many graces are given to a soul trying to bring children to Our Lord in prayer.  Such abandonment is particularly cherished by Our Lord as He too found himself alone thirsting for souls during His passion.  There was a feeling if we kept praying Our Lord would help us.  Something interesting happened.  Usually I try to unify prayers with each group that meets, often with my children.  However this group was meeting in England and the time of the meeting would mean they often began at 3:45 or 4 AM my time.  While I try to unify prayers with groups I did not think I could join her.  Yet something unexpected would transpire.  Several weeks ago I found myself awakened in the early hours of Sunday morning.  There was no light coming around the window shade so I knew it was not yet dawn.  There is no clock visible from where I sleep and I did not want to wake up my husband to check the time.  With my disabilities I need help getting out of bed so I am a bit confined during the night.  The first thought that entered my mind was that this little group in England must be meeting so I began saying the Rosary in unity with them.  Later I wrote to the group leader that I was able to join them in part for the Rosary.  This brought her much joy and encouragement.  Again last night I was awoken this time I was so tired I dismissed the idea to pray but twice more was awakened and thus began praying hoping to unify with the group.  I recall after the first time I woke up several weeks ago I told the Lord in prayer that if this group needed my prayers then wake me up.  Finding myself awake last night, which is somewhat unusual for me, I realized that there was a soul in need.  

At Mass today we celebrated Epiphany and we heard of the wise men who came from a far distance to all come together to pay homage to Our Lord.  The responsorial psalm was "Every nation on Earth will adore you Lord".  There was a feeling Our Lord had held His hand from bringing more children to this group for He wanted the help to come from us.  How can we help a group in England when many of us live thousands of miles away?  He was showing us that we can help from where ever we are if we unify together in prayer.  There are several small groups that I am thinking of who would so love to have people join them but then I remember larger groups that unexpectedly had a short drop off of attendance which hits a group leader hard.  Therefore I know that to say there are only certain groups that need our prayers would be wrong.  Rather I am sending out an invitation to all, inviting you to stay close to our website and when a group is listed to meet please try to join them.  I think of my own children often we are not at home when a group meets yet whether in the car or walking we just begin praying.  The children are now used to this break in our routine if they hear a group is meeting.  They understand that there are children somewhere or a person doing what they do monthly.  They can imagine the children and they understand the urgency to just begin prayer where ever we are.  There are times when one cannot join in the Rosary such as times during work or doing school. This too is a humbling fact to accept we cannot do everything ourselves.  While I would always like to be able to unify prayers with all the groups this may not be possible and that is why Our Lord shows us we need each other.  If we all try our best to unify prayers with the Children's Rosary groups think of how many people will be joined together.  I like to I imagine the light of a group shining up to heaven...then another family joins them and brings a twinkle..another family from another part of the world and so on.  Such a sight from Heaven looking down.  Little lights sparkling together unified in prayer of the Rosary led by a child's voice.  Yes I believe this is the lesson Our Lord is trying to teach us...a unity in prayer from all corners of the world.  

Image: NASA/NOAA

If you our able to unify prayers with a group please consider doing this.  In these small little ways we help each other.  We show through our spiritual presence that they are not alone...what they are doing is important to you.  A list of the groups and when they meet can be found here.  Thank you all so much.  Through all of you we can illuminate the world in a unity of prayer.

Upcoming days schedules of when Children's Rosary groups are meeting are posted frequently on this site. 

Mass Offered Today for Renewal of Family Prayer

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
by Rebecca Pearl

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 we enter 2014 may I make a humble request.  May we all try to renew family prayer in our homes.  Through this coming together as a family Our Lord will bless us.   Through prayer more love will blossom where division exists. When the family is strong then the Church will be strong.  Our Lord has the medicine for the family it is prayer.  Pope Francis recently made reference to the healing power of prayer when he gave out Rosaries in pill boxes and likened himself to a pharmacist prescribing medicine for the heart.  May we  also reach out to other families and encourage renewal of family prayer. Such efforts please Our Lord and Our Lady.  For so many Saints and Popes have expounded the necessity for family prayer.

Today January 4th, the Church honor's St. Elizabeth Ann Seton who spent a great deal of her life trying to educate children.  She also had a strong devotion to the Rosary.

"We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty."-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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How to begin family prayer

Children Bearing Gifts of Prayers at the Crib of Our Lord Jesus

First Children's Rosary at St. Bernard Church
Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania

January 3rd First Friday (The Most Holy Name of Jesus) 
Children's Rosary at Epiphany Church in Cheshire Connecticut to meet on the first Friday.
Children's Rosary at St. Stephen the Martyr in Lilburn, Georgia.
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Adrian, Michigan to meet at 5PM in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
January 4th First Saturday(St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Timor Leste to meet on first Saturday
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis, Oregon to meet at 9AM Pacific time
Children's Rosary at St. Agnes Church in Naples, Florida to meet at 9:30 AM EST
Children's Rosary to meet at Our Lady of LaSalette Parish in Sulphur, Louisiana at 10:30 AM Central time
Children's Rosary at Holy Family Parish in Syracuse, NY to meet at 10 AM EST at the Daughters of St Mary Chapel
Children's Rosary at Sacred Heart Church in East Berlin, CT to meet at 10AM EST
Children's Rosary at ST. Pius Church in Wolcott CT to meet at 10:00 AM EST
Children's Rosary at Sacred Heart Parish in Middleboro, MA to meet at 2PM EST
Children's Rosary at the Immaculate Conception Basilica to meet at 3:30 PM EST
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Hartford CT to meet at 4PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Richmond, Virginia to meet at 4PM 

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

January 5th (Epiphany of the Lord)
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick's Church in Nottingham, England to meet at 9AM local time in England
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas in Thomaston, CT 11AM EST
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Church in Harlan, Kentucky 11:30 AM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Bernard Church in Mount Lebanon Pennsylvania to meet at 2PM
Children's Rosary at St. Anthony Church in Lorain, Ohio to meet at 3PM EST in front of the Blessed Sacrament (FIRST MEETING)

January 6th (St. Andre Bessette)
Children's Rosary at Trinity Academy in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania to meet at 12:20 EST. 
Children's Rosary at St. Patrick Parish in Murphys California 4PM Pacific Time
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist in Mahopac NY at 4:30 PM EST during Adoration

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE CHILDREN IN PRAYER EITHER AT THE CHURCH OR FROM YOUR HOME.  THE CHILDREN ALWAYS PRAY FOR THOSE UNIFYING PRAYERS WITH THEM.

Gentle Women

Today is the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God.  It also is the Marian Feast which we chose to end our 33 Day Consecration to Jesus through Mary.  Like many members of the Children's Rosary we said our prayers as a family. Today our plan was to attend the 9AM Mass for which Alina my 13 year old daughter was altar serving.  I also happened to be assigned to lector as well.  After Mass we had arranged to join with other local members of the Children's Rosary to say the Consecration prayer.

My daughter, who we adopted with her biological brother from an orphanage in Kazakhstan almost 5 years ago, is now 13.  She has many cognitive disabilities including short term memory loss.  She has been an altar server for a number of years however this has always been a struggle for her.  Many have come up to her with a smile and asked if it was her first time serving as she is often somewhat unsure of all the steps.  Yet she has persisted and not given up even though sometimes she feels embarrassed.  One thing which has been extremely intimidating for her are the bells.  She has on occasion served alone and from the pews I would raise my arms when it was time to ring the bells but she always knelt like a statue and would never try to ring them.  If she was with another server the other server always rang the bells.  

Today seemed to be unfolding in its typical fashion.  There was some confusion about the water which brought the priest over to the side table.  I was thinking that I should write to our Pastor and explain Alina's disability to him so he would understand why things were always somewhat confused.  Then something happened that took me so by surprise.  The priest said, "Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you." The bells rang but it was Alina bent over ringing them.  This time, it was I that was like a statue, watching in disbelief.  Then the priest raised the wine and again Alina bent over and rang the bells.  After she finished she looked at me with a big smile.  The rest of the Mass I was somewhat in shock.  After Mass we went over to the statue of Mary with some other members of the Children's Rosary including two boys from the Children's Rosary group at St. Peter Claver Church.  One of the women began singing Gentle Women.  The children knelt at the rail.  We then all together said our Consecration prayer to Jesus through Mary.  Then each person brought a flower and placed it on a small altar under the statue of Mary and the baby Jesus.

In thinking about what had transpired I was struck by something.  Alina had been for years frightened to ring the bells at the sacred moment of consecration during Holy Mass.  On the morning of the Feast of Mary Mother of God and the final day of the 33 day Consecration to Jesus through Mary,  Alina had found courage.  The other altar server who was with her, as I would discover, had encouraged her this morning to ring the bells and said he would help her if she needed help.  Our Lady, through the hands and words of others, had found a way as a mother to support this child and help her more perfectly honor her Son.  This to me seemed to sum up the whole consecration process.  Mary did so gently, not with reprimands as I often find myself doing as a mother, but through gentleness and kindness.  How wonderful that the song Gentle Women was chosen to sing this morning for truly Mary is a gentle and loving Mother.  She takes our hand and gives us courage when we are frightened,  she steadies us and points us always toward her Son, Jesus that we may more perfectly honor Him in all things.

photo courtesy of http://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/#!gentle-women/c7ed