St. Apollonia

St. Apollonia is the patron saint of dentists.  This was a piece of information I learned in 2005 when I was traveling with my husband to attend an International Dental conference in Baltimore.  It was then that we visited the National Museum of Dentistry.  Upon entering we came upon a large stained glass window depicting St. Apollonia and under her picture it stated she was the patron saint of dentists and her feast day is February 9th.  This was a surprised to both my husband and I as this is my birthday and I am a dentist.  At that phase of my life, I was just finishing residency training in endodontics and was looking forward to a career practicing dentistry.  As it would turn out my path would not lead far from this beautiful saint as the specialty office I joined was under a general dentist's office named: Apollonia Dental. 

A little over a year later I would find that practicing dentistry was no longer possible through a series of joint dislocations in my hands and a new diagnosis of a genetic condition affecting the joints among other things.  As my professional career as a practicing endodontist came to an early end I found myself often thinking of St. Apollonia.  It seemed a wonderful consolation to me that although I had a short career treating patients maybe my career path had somehow been blessed from the beginning.  Through wonderful blessings from Our Lord and the intercession of St. Apollonia despite the deterioration of my hands I still am able to teach part-time in the Endodontic Division at our State Dental School.  

Not a great deal is known about St. Apollonia but it is believed that she suffered torture which included blows that broke her teeth.  Yet despite such cruel torture St. Apollonia refused to renounce her faith.  She was martyred in 249.  She is also considered the patron saint of dental disease.  Today at the end of our Children's Rosary one of the adult members of our group approached me with a dental question.  He shared with me that he had just suffered a broken tooth.  He was concerned about it and a possible dental infection.  It then came to mind that today was the Feast of St. Apollonia and that maybe St. Apollonia who suffered from many fractured teeth might be of help.  

Tonight as her Feast day comes to a close I would like to pray in a special way to St. Apollonia for our Children's Rosary intention. I invite others to pray to her as well.  This is an old prayer to St. Apollonia for her intercession:

0 Glorious Apollonia, patron saint of dentistry and refuge to all those suffering from diseases of the teeth, I consecrate myself to thee, beseeching thee to number me among thy clients. Assist me by your intercession with God in my daily work and intercede with Him to obtain for me a happy death. Pray that my heart like thine may be inflamed with the love of Jesus and Mary, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 0 My God, bring me safe through temptation and strengthen me as thou didst our own patron Apollonia, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Prayer to St. Apollonia, a Catholic prayer card.)

The Children's Rosary intention is included below.  Tonight I will begin a 9 day novena to St. Apollonia all are welcome to join as well.

May the Children’s Rosary, their families, those associated with the Children’s Rosary including our priests, our Bishop, our Holy Father the Pope be the extended hands of Our Blessed Mother and her Son.  May we gather a great many souls especially young people for the Lord.  May we experience renewal of family prayer and spread it across the globe. In a special way we ask Saint Apollonia to choose an individual, family, or priest associated with our Children’s Rosary group to lead in their spiritual journey.  Dear Saint pray for our extended group that we may embody the virtues you exemplified here on earth. Amen.

Let Us Unify Our Prayers with These Little Ones...

February 7th First Friday 
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's School in Orange Texas 7:05 AM Central Time
Children's Rosary at St. Stephen the Martyr in Lilburn, Georgia at 6PM EST.
Children's Rosary at St. Peter's Church in Steubenville, Ohio 4:30 PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Adrian, Michigan to meet at 5PM in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Children's Rosary at Epiphany Church in Cheshire Connecticut to meet at 6:30PM EST

February 8th (St.Jerome Emiliani, St Josephine Bakhita)
Children's Rosary at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis, Oregon to meet at 9AM Pacific time
Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Church in Nairobi, Kenya 2:30 PM Local time.
Children's Rosary at St. Peter Claver Church in West Hartford Connecticut 3PM EST

February 9th 
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. Francis of Assisi Parish in South Windsor, Connecticut 8:45 AM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church West Hartford Connecticut 9:45 AM ESTChildren's Rosary at St. Thomas in Thomaston, Connecticut 11AM EST

February 10th(St. Scholastica)
Children's Rosary at Trinity Academy 12:20 PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Patrick's Parish in Murphys California 4PM Pacific Time
Children's Rosary at St. John the Evangelist in Mahopac, New York 4:30 PM EST during Adoration.
Children's Rosary at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother in Adondale, Pennsylvania 6PM EST

Please consider joining the Children in Prayer.  They always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Celebrating the Memorial of St. Agatha

JOIN US IN PRAYER

St. Agatha

The Children's Rosary at St. Patrick's Parish in Angel's Camp, California will meet today at 4PM Pacific time (7PM EST).  Please consider joining the children in prayer.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha Virgin and Martyr. St. Agatha courageously gave her life in to maintain her purity.  She is considered the patron saint of Sicily, nurses, bakers and those who suffer from breast cancer. 

St. Agatha please intercede for our children and guard their virtue of purity. Amen.

Children's Rosary Today!

Members of the Children's Rosary

The Children's Rosary at St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in Lawrenceburg, Indiana will meet today at 6:30PM EST.  Please consider joining the children in prayer.  They always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

“Whatever did not fit in with my plan did lie within the plan of God. I have an ever deeper and firmer belief that nothing is merely an accident when seen in the light of God, that my whole life down to the smallest details has been marked out for me in the plan of Divine Providence and has a completely coherent meaning in God’s all-seeing eyes. And so I am beginning to rejoice in the light of glory wherein this meaning will be unveiled to me.” -St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

The Virtue of Obedience

The Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary is the Presentation. As we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation today it seemed a wonderful time to reflect on the fruit of this mystery which is obedience.  It is a wonderful thing to contemplate that as we pray the Rosary such holy virtues take deeper root within us.  Often when saying the Rosary with my children when we reached the Fourth Joyful Mystery I am grateful such a grace is given as parenting young children is a true struggle and there are times when all you wish and hope for is that you children will obey you.  It is such times when one begins to understand why Our Lord takes so much delight with an obedient soul as He is truly Our Heavenly Father and like us wants his children to follow His guidance.

This week we celebrate the Feast of St. John Bosco who is known for his work with children.  He spoke often of the importance of obedience.

"There can be no virtue without obedience." -St. John Bosco

"Be obedient and you will become a saint." -St. John Bosco

"Try very hard, young men, to imitate Jesus in His obedience. He should be your only model in this." -St. John Bosco

"Do what I say: obey promptly, cheerfully, fully. Let your superior’s will, his mind, and his sentiments be your own. Let’s be one in heart and mind to love Mary and save souls." -St. John Bosco

In the diary of St. Faustina there are also many references to the importance of obedience:

“By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself”.(28)

When I left the confessional and started to recite my penance, I heard these words. “I have granted the grace you asked for on behalf of that soul, but not because of the mortification you chose for yourself. Rather, it was because of your act of complete obedience to My representative that I granted this grace to that soul for whom you interceded and begged mercy. Know that when you mortify your own self-will, then Mine reigns within you.” (365)

“Yes.. when you are obedient I take away your weakness and replace it with My strength. I am very surprised that souls do not want to make that exchange with Me.” I said to the Lord, “Jesus, enlighten my heart, or else I, too, will not understand much from these words.” (381)

“My daughter, know that you give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortifications.” (894)

933 Then I heard the following words in my soul: “You will receive a greater reward for your obedience and subjection to your confessor than you will for the practices (fasting and mortification) which you will be carrying out. Know this, My daughter, and act accordingly: anything, no matter how small it be, that has the seal of obedience to My representative is pleasing to Me and great in My eyes.”

A Blanket of Prayers

This week a great deal of the United States was covered in a deep freeze and a light layer of snow even down to Florida and Louisiana.  States that usually don't have snow were covered in the white powdery stuff this week.  This weekend as we celebrate The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord,  there are 5 new Children's Rosary groups which we will be Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  There are also many other established groups meeting on the First Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  All these little voices covering our world with a blanket of prayers.  Groups as far as England and Timor Leste in Southeast Asia will meet while a smattering of groups sprinkled across the US will join them.

Please consider joining these children in prayer from your home.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

February 1st (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 9:30 AM
Children's Rosary at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Rushden Northants England 3PM GMT or 10 AM EST (FIRST MEETING)
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 St. Peter the Apostle Chruch in Rushden Northants, England 3PM GMT  (10 AM EST)
Children's Rosary at St. Bridget Church in Cheshire CT 12:30 PM EST(FIRST MEETING)
Children's Rosary at Sacred Heart Parish in Middleboro, MA to meet at 2PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Becket Church in Cheshire CT 3PM EST (FIRST MEETING)
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 5PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Luke's Church in Ogallala, Nebraska 4:30 PM Central Time. (FIRST MEETING)
Children's Rosary at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Richmond, Virginia to meet at 4PM
Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Timor Leste 


February 2nd (Feast of the Presentation)
Children's Rosary at Our Lady and St. Patrick's Church in Nottingham, England to meet at 9AM GMT (4AM EST)
Children's Rosary at St. Luke's Church in Ogallala Nebraska 9:30 Central Time(FIRST MEETING)
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 2:00PM EST
Children's Rosary at St. Anthony Church in Lorain, Ohio 3PM EST in Adoration Chapel
Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Timor Leste (FIRST MEETING)

February 3rd (St. Blaise, St. Ansgar)
Children's Rosary at Trinity Academy 12:20 PM 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

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. Members of the Children's Rosary have now said over 785 individual nine day novenas to different Saints for renewal of family prayer.  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".