Pope Francis to Lead a Worldwide Holy Hour on Corpus Christi

In a historic event, Pope Francis is inviting Catholics from around the world to join him for an hour of Eucharistic adoration this Sunday June 2nd at 11 AM ET.  On this day honoring the Most Precious Body and Blood of Jesus may all consider joining Our Holy Father in a beautiful unity of prayer and adoration.  Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization explained that the theme of the event is "One Lord, One Faith"

The Holy Father has provided two intentions for the Holy Hour:

The first papal intention is: “For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity. May the Lord make her ever more obedient to hearing his word in order to stand before the world ‘ever more beautiful, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless.’ That through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity.”

Pope Francis’ second intention is: “For those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labor. For the children and women who are suffering from every type of violence. May their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church, so that, gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence. Also, for all those who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalization. That the Church’s prayer and its active nearness give them comfort and assistance in hope and strength and courage in defending human dignity.”

Thank you all and may a great many of us be able to join Our Dear Holy Father tomorrow. Amen.

Monthly Mass to be Offered for Seminarians Tomorrow

As part of our new prayer initiative to pray for seminarians there will be a Mass offered tomorrow 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.  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 inlcuded some pictures that were taken during some of the ordinations.  

Photos by George Martell, Pilot Media Group.

You may also like the following posts:
New Prayer Inititiative: Praying for Our Seminarians

How to Start a Children's Rosary

Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions for the Month of June

Pope Francis' first Pastoral Visit to a Parish in Rome
Source: Vatican News

General intention: “That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.”

Missionary intention: “That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.”

Three Children's Rosary Groups to Meet this Weekend

The Children's Rosary at St. Agnes Church in Naples, Florida will meet on Saturday June 1st at 9:30 AM ET in the Chapel.

The Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception will meet on Saturday beginning at 3:30 PM ET in the main Church.  There will be a small reception of treats after the Rosary in their reception area.

On Sunday the Children's Rosary group at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT will meet at 11 AM ET with a small reception of food provided by the Legions of Mary.

Consider joining the children in prayer either at the Church or from your home.  The children always pray for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all those who unify their prayers with theirs.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Pope Francis to Lead Rosary on the Feast of the Visitation

JOIN HIM IN PRAYER

Pope Francis Laying Flowers at the foot of the Statue of
Our Lady of Lujan on  May 8th
credit: Stephen Driscoll/CNA

Pope Francis will close the month of May, which is dedicated to Our Lady, by leading a Rosary.  The Vicariate of Vatical City announced that at 8PM on May 31st in St. Peter's Square the Pope will lead a recitation of the Rosary.  There will also be a procession with Our Lady's Statue. Let us all consider joining him in prayer on this beautiful Feast of the Visitation.

Saint Claude de la Colombière

In preparing for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and in my readings about St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation nun, I stumbled upon a saint to whom I knew very little.  He was a Jesuit priest to whom Jesus directed St. Margaret Mary for help and direction.   

His name is Saint Claude de la Colombière.  Twenty one years ago today he was canonized by Bl. Pope John Paul II on the Feast of the Visitation.  As today is the Feast of the Visitation and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was from the order dedicated to the Visitation  there seemed a wonderful connection between these two saints and todays Feast Day.  In reading more about St Claude I found a treasure of beautiful writing by this saint in the book The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude de la Colombière1.  

Saint Claude’s writings regarding: 

Prayer 

In prayer always follow the attraction of your heart, whether God draws you to consider Our Lord’s Passion or the joys of heaven; you cannot do wrong in that....Continue to pray as you feel drawn, but do not worry about it, for worry comes from self-love. You must abandon yourself to the leading of God with no other intention than that of pleasing him, and when you know that you have this intention deep in your heart, you must not waste time in reflecting about yourself and about the degree of virtue you have attained; occupy yourself with him whom you love and bother very little about yourself.

Do not be either astonished or discouraged at the difficulties you find in prayer. Only be constant and submissive and God will be pleased with you.

How can we help our neighbor? By prayer and good works. Preaching is useless without grace, and grace is only obtained by prayer. If conversions are few, it is because few pray. Prayer for souls is so pleasing to God, it is as though we asked a mother to forgive her son.

Presence of God

I have promised with God’s grace not to begin any action without remembering that he is witness of it—that he performs it together with me and gives me the means to do it; never to conclude any without the same thought, offering it to him as belonging to him, and in the course of the action whenever the same thought shall occur, to stop for a moment and renew the desire of pleasing him.

Trials

God is touched by our sorrows and does not allow them to last for ever. He takes pleasure in trying our love for a time because he sees that trials purify us and render us worthy to receive his greater graces; but he considers our weakness, and one would even think that he suffered with us, so anxious is he to relieve us.

Hope and Confidence in God

My God, I am so intimately convinced that thou dost watch over all those who hope in thee, and that we can want for nothing while we expect all from thee, that I am resolved to live without anxiety in the future, casting all my care on thee.

1 Selections from The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude de la Colombière, translated and arranged by Mother M. Philip, I.B.V.M., Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1998

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

A week from this Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  In preparation for this Feast consider saying a novena in Honor of Jesus' Sacred Heart.

Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of......(here name your request) Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request) Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of.....(here name your request) Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours. Say the Hail, Holy Queen* and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us. -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

*Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

This Novena was prayed daily by Padre Pio for those who asked for his prayers.

We would likewise like to pray this novena for those who have asked for the prayers of the Children's Rosary.  Two intentions we would also like to include this year in our novena is for renewal of family prayer and for seminarians that they may grow in holiness and lead us all in love.

Thank you all for participating in this beautfiul novena in honor of Our Lord Jesus' Sacred Heart.