First Children's Rosary in Malawi to Meet Today!

There is a new Children's Rosary group meeting today at Sacred Heart Church in Blantyre City, Malawi.  

Malawi is in the southeastern part of Africa. The children will be meeting at 10 ET (4PM local time).  The children will be praying in the language of Chichewa. 

We are very excited to have the first group meet in Malawi today.  Please consider joining the children in prayer.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary

A Special Gift on the Feast of St. Peter Claver

Dear Friends,

Today we had a surprise gift.  When the children and I arrived at daily Mass at St. Peter Claver Church there on the altar was a first class relic of St. Peter Claver.  As today the Church honors St. Peter Claver we took the opportunity to pray for all of you.

St. Peter Claver, originally from Spain, was a Jesuit priest who went to Colombia to serve those that were enslaved. He spent a great deal of time in the bottom of a ship with the slaves helping them and ministering to them.  The Church of St. Peter Claver that we attended today is built to resemble the bottom of a ship's hull. Jesus is suspended on the cross from two chains.

After Mass the priest invited us up to venerate the relic.  He also gave us permission to stay and pray before the relic after Mass.  We prayed a Rosary in a special way lifting up all the members of the Children's Rosary and their families. We also prayed for the fulfillment of Our Lady's plans for the Children's Rosary.  After the Rosary the Church was quiet and the children and I had some extra time to pray before the relic.  Touching the relic of St. Peter Claver I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and their families.

The Pastor also gave us another surprise gift. He gave us permission to have the relic of St. Peter Claver present tomorrow during the Children's Rosary at St. Peter Claver.  We will be meeting at 3PM ET.  Please consider joining prayers with the children.  The children always pray for those unifying prayers with them.

Thank you all.

Your Friend in Christ,
Blythe

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Rebuilding the Church
St. John Vianney's Thoughts on Public Prayer

Celebrating Our Lady's Birthday in Pakistan

Fifteen of the Children's Rosary groups in Pakistan came together on Sunday September 4th in honor of the Nativity of Our Blessed Virgin Mary.  They held their celebration early so more children and adults could attend.  The children from different Children's Rosary groups worked together to host the event. They led a Children's Rosary.  Some of the children also performed dances and led a Tableau to Our Lady which involves special songs sung in honor of Our Blessed Mother.  

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Going Out to Pray with the Poor

New Children's Rosary Group Meets in Vietnam on the Day Mother Teresa was Canonized

Sometimes it seems that things could not have unfolded in a more beautiful way.  Such is the case with the new Children's Rosary group in Bien Hoa City, Vietnam.  The beginning of the story is bitter sweet as the Pastor, Fr. Augustine, of the Parish where the first Children's Rosary group in Vietnam was formed died just over a week ago.  


Prayers poured out for the parish and also the Children's Rosary group that remained in his parish.  The 16 year old boy which Fr. Augustine had appointed to lead the group in his parish, wrote to us committed to continuing the Children's Rosary.  

A beautiful surprise was how this 16 year old boy, Tran, reached out to the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of God who work with the disabled and orphan children and suggested they too start a Children's Rosary.  With very little the children met together. Tran playing the guitar they were able to sing.  

children placing roses at the
feet of Our Lady

The children chose to hold their first meeting on Sunday September 4th the day Mother Teresa was Canonized.  They began the Children's Rosary by Consecrating the group to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The children do not have rosaries yet but this did not stop them from praying the Rosary.  These children have very little yet roses were able to be purchased to place at the foot of Our Lady at the end of each decade.  A gift which surely came at a dear price for them.  The children also held candles.  A beautiful symbol of the light their prayers create in our world.

A first class relic of Mother Teresa was brought in for the children to venerate and pray before as they said the Rosary.  Seeing these children with so little yet so determined to begin a prayer group of their own it seemed they were to receive a very special blessing that day.  Mother Teresa had seen to be present with them in a very real way.

children holding candles

 Indeed with her relic she was physically there.  But one can imagine that Mother Teresa was looking down from Heaven with a smile to see the children kneeling in prayer.  Their desire to hold their first meeting on a day chosen to honor her life must have been heart touching for her.

The children took so much care with everything they did.  They put the intentions of the Children's Rosary in a frame and also put a picture and relic of Servant of God Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan of Vietnam before the children.  The statue which was donated to the Children's Rosary and sent to the children was placed before them as they knelt in prayer.  Indeed they tried as best they could with the help of the Sisters and Tran to make everything special.  All was tidy and bright the best they could.  

Can there be a more beautiful scene to see such love and effort from little ones for God and His Mother?  So many of these children carry many crosses of illness, disability, and loss of their family.  Yet they come with love and hope.  They hold candles and flowers.  They kneel together to pray not only for their intentions but for the intentions of their Blessed Mother and for all of us as members of the Children's Rosary. It is a humbling scene to think these children are praying for us.  Yet in turn we pray for them and all the other Children's Rosary groups cover them in prayer.  Yes, we are linked together in prayer in a wonderful tapestry.  We thank all those who unified prayers with the children on Sunday and all who helped the children with their meeting.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Children's Rosary Collection of Materials
Children's Rosary Song Video
Pray with the Children's Rosary each day on the Radio

Reflections from the First Children's Rosary Meeting in Belgium

We just received some beautiful pictures from our new Children's Rosary group in Belgium. They held their first meeting on August 31st 2016 at the Shrine in Banneux, Belgium.  They began their meeting with the Rector of the Shrine Consecrating the new group to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Rector Leo Palm has been instrumental in the formation of this new group and has provided significant help with translation of our materials into French. We are extremely grateful for his help and support.  

Rector Leo Palm Consecrating the New
Children's Rosary group

The group leader shared with us several pictures from the meeting. The picture of above shows the 12 children who attended of varying ages.  

My children and I particularly liked the girl in the back row with her arms outstretched.  There is a joy that comes across from the simple act of her stretching out her arms.  It is such unexpected joyful expressions that surely endear these little ones to Our Lord. It seemed that all the children were helping.  Even the little one in the front probably just learning to walk seems to have taken a great interest in holding a large sized Rosary.  One of the older girls shared her talents with music by helping to play an electric piano to accompany the children as they sang between decades.  Other children helped by placing roses at the feet of Our Lady at the end of each decade.  


Indeed so many helped both young and old to make this meeting so very special.  We are also grateful to the Children's Rosary groups around the world that have prayed for Divine help in beginning this group.  It was a powerful moment to remove the line on our intentions sheet asking that a Children's Rosary group would begin in Banneux and replace it with a prayer of thanksgiving. This is just one beautiful example for the children of the power of prayer.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it is written, "The Son of God who became the Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother." (CCC:2599)

Three mothers attended the Children's Rosary and one grandmother.  They knelt in the pews while the children were together kneeling before the altar.  Although they were at a distance they were close at hand to help if needed.  Just so one can imagine Our Blessed Mother also watching over these little ones as they knelt in prayer just as she had done with her son, Jesus.  

One of the adults who attended the Children's Rosary that day summarized the meeting: "To say it in a picture, 'A star rose at Bethlehem'. It was an extremely important and a beautiful event."

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Children in Scripture
Gentle Women

Celebrate the Canonization of Mother Teresa by Joining the Children in Prayer

A Beautiful Story Unfolds

The past week and a half the Children's Rosary has received some wonderful blessings.  News came on the birthday of Mother Teresa that Fr. Augustine who began a Children's Rosary in his parish in Vietnam would be lifting up all the members of the Children's Rosary before a first class relic of Mother Teresa.  He sent beautiful pictures of his chapel where he said prayers for all of us.  Then word came from the 16 year old boy Fr. Augustine had appointed to help lead the Children's Rosary in his parish that Fr. Augustine has suffered a heart attack and died.  Fr. Augustine had died this past Sunday: the Feast of St. Augustine.  Tran, the boy left to help lead the Children's Rosary group wrote asking for our prayers.  He held a special Children's Rosary this week with the children to pray for Fr. Augustine their beloved pastor.  With such an outpouring of prayer good news came the next day.  Tran had reached out to the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of God to begin a second Children's Rosary in Vietnam.  The date they chose to hold their first meeting was September 4th 2016. The children who will comprise this new Children's Rosary group are orphans and disabled children being cared for by the sisters.  Tran wrote requesting 300 Rosaries for them.  He also wrote that Fr. Augustine's relic of Mother Teresa would be brought for the meeting.  

This new Children 's Rosary will meet at 10 AM Sunday September 4th local time in Vietnam.  This will be 11 PM ET on Saturday here on the east coast of the United States. Tran wrote that he would be praying for all the Children's Rosary groups around the world.  We also asked him to pray for those unifying prayers with them.  

Chapel where the children will
be meeting

They will begin their meeting by Consecrating the new Children's Rosary group to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  In this way the group is under the protection and guidance of Christ and His Mother.

This new Children's Rosary group which brings together orphans and disabled children seems to so beautifully embody the spirit of Mother Teresa.  We hope it will bring a smile to her face to see these little ones coming to pray the Holy Rosary as a Children's Rosary prayer group unified with others around the world. 

We humbly invite you to unify prayers with us.  We have included the meeting time of 10 AM Sunday in Vietnam into several different time zones around the world.  Please look up your local time and join us in prayer.

10 AM Vietnam (Sunday)
5 AM Belgium (Sunday)
11 PM Boston USA (Saturday)
10 PM Chicago USA (Saturday)
8 PM San Francisco USA (Saturday) 
7PM Fairbanks Alaska (Saturday)

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Vocation of Motherhood

Mass Offered for Seminarians on September 1st 2016

A Mass was offered today for all seminarians that they will grow in holiness and lead us all in love.  Every month we have a Mass offered for this intention.  As our seminarians will be the future shepherds and our children are the future flock it seemed a beautiful way for the children to help. 
Recently we began featuring a different seminarian each month. 

This month we would like to feature  Br. Alexander Chung MIC.  He just completed his second year of Theology with the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and joined in July 2011.  He is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. On August 13th we attended his profession of perpetual vows at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy.  The picture above was Br. Chung reading his vows.

Approximately a week after the ceremony the Children's Rosary received a beautiful gift from Br. Chung. He had enrolled the Children's Rosary as a perpetual member in the Franciscan Missionary Union. The Spiritual benefits from such an enrollment are great!
1.The direct offering of one Holy Mass each day. 
2. A share in more than 12,000 Masses celebrated every day by all the Franciscan Priests throughout the world.
3. A Mass in every Franciscan Friary throughout the world on the Feasts of the Epiphany (January 6) and St. Anthony (June 13); and during the month of November a Mass of the Resurrection for the deceased. These Masses are offered in each Friary belonging to the Province of the Immaculate Conception.
4. A share in all the Masses celebrated every day by all the Franciscan Missionaries throughout the world.
5. A share in all the daily Communions, Prayers and Good Works of all the Franciscan Priests, Brothers, and Sisters, throughout the world.

A special thank you to Br. Chung for his gift to the Children's Rosary. It is beautiful thought to contemplate the grace of such an enrollment that goes on in perpetuity.