Our journeys have continued from La Salette Shrine to Lyon. The journey involved many legs beginning with a rather terrifying van ride from the Shrine around hair pin turns down the side of a mountain to the town of Corps. Once there we caught a bus to Grenoble, France. While waiting for the train at the Grenoble train station, we saw a Church outside the window and with just a bit of time to spare we were able to share materials with those at Sacred Heart Basilica. Those at the information booth told us it is a vibrant Church with many families attending Sunday Mass. They told us they would share our Children's Rosary materials with the Rector. We arrived by train to Lyon where we took a cab to our apartment in Old Lyon City. This is a beautiful place full of history. We were able to attend Mass yesterday at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral (shown above). It was for a long time the preeminent Church in Lyon, and it was built beginning in the twelfth century. It hosted the First Council of Lyons in the thirteenth century. It is home to a very historic astronomical clock from the Middle Ages. Asher was asked to lector at the Mass in French. We saw this as a beautiful grace. We then went to visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Fourvière, which is now the biggest Cathedral in Lyon since its construction in the late nineteenth century. It is overlooking the city and has an almost unbelievably ornate interior. On our way there, we saw along the road a nun standing in a doorway with an inviting expression. We found this was the museum and home of Bl. Marie Jaricot.
Please pray that these seeds for new Children's Rosary groups will bear fruit.
Thank you.
Your Friend in Christ,
Blythe
We wanted to share more from our visit to La Salette Shrine in France. The shrine has perpetual Adoration. The Adoration chapel is shown below. Please know the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary were prayed for before the Blessed Sacrament. We also included a picture above of Our Lady of La Salette. Her face has tears running down. She had one apparition in La Salette on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows which at the time was celebrated on September 19. The apparition occurred to two children herding cows in the Alps in 1846. The apparitions are approved by the Church. The two main messages from La Salette involve the call to honor the Holy Name of Jesus and observe the Lord's Day on Sunday.
One of the last things I did before leaving La Salette was to pray the Stations of the Cross along the way that Our Lady walked during the apparition.
We had a lovely surprise the last morning as the sky was perfectly clear unlike the prior two days where there was thick fog until afternoon.
Our trip through France continues. We left Paris on July 1 and traveled via train to Lyon where we stayed one evening. The next day was an adventure as we made our way through the Alps to La Salette Shrine. We have spent the past two days here. The pace is slower, and there has been an opportunity to appreciate the great beauty around us. During the mornings it looks like we are within a cloud, but by midafternoon the clouds thin and the sun can be seen.
We have had lovely liturgies, and we attended an evening candle lit procession. We shared Children's Rosary materials with many people visiting the Shrine.
In a special way I have prayed for the Children's Rosary and its members. Today we had the lovely grace of meeting with the Rector of the Shrine and sharing with him about the Children's Rosary.
Blythe
On Friday June 28, Asher and I arrived in Paris. This is kicking off a two week trip promoting the Children's Rosary in France. Our first stop was Paris. We were able to go to Mass Friday evening at St Louis d'Antin Church in Paris (photo above).
This Church has confession from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. 365 days a year. They have 7 Masses daily during the winter and 6 daily in the summer. We had met Fr. Elie-Marie Haby in Rome two years ago, and this is his parish. The Church is exquisite, and at the end of each Mass the celebrant approaches a statue of Mary and sings Salve Regina in Latin accompanied by the congregation. It is a beautiful sight to behold.
Saturday brought the wonderful grace of visiting the Librairie Téqui (a Catholic bookstore in Paris) and meeting Tristan de Carné. We look forward to a collaboration with him.
This was followed by the ordination of 6 priests from the Archdiocese of Paris at St. Sulpice Church.
Asher and I were able to have a blessing by each of the newly ordained priests. This event provided a wonderful opportunity to meet dozens of priests from Paris. As many of them did not speak English, Asher was able to explain about the Children's Rosary in French, and we had many French Children's Rosary books on hand to share with them. The afternoon brought with it a visit to the Sanctuary of the Miraculous Medal. The incorrupt body of St. Catherine Labouré was also present for veneration. We attended Mass. Please know that in the Chapel at the Sanctuary I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary.
Hey there! My name is Jayron Pilante, an incoming seminarian at Saint Paul Seminary in Silang Cavite. I’m 21 years old, and I’m from the Parish of Saint Joseph the Worker in Malay, Aklan, in which I had established a Children’s Rosary Group way back in October of 2017.
My Vocation Story:
So, where do I begin? Way back when I was a young child growing up …I would watch certain TV shows on the Catholic faith such as EWTN or any local shows on the faith. I can clearly recall that certain times when TV Mass would be on air, I would get my blanket, put it on myself, and would follow the ways that the priest was doing in the Holy Mass such as the consecration. Looking back, I have laughed about it because a child who would play as a priest was an unusual thing (maybe I was around 6 or 7 years old). Being a priest has always been my number one dream.
In high school, I had a very rough time because of certain obstacles in life, but I came out of it strongly and boldly. When I was 15 years old, I began a Children’s Rosary in my parish. Being inspired by the Holy Spirit after watching the Children’s Rosary and browsing on the website, I was fascinated to help in making children as prayer warriors for our world. In addition at this time, I had been active in serving the Lord in His Church as an altar server, catechist, choir member, and many more. This also boosted my faith in the Lord.
The turning point came when I started college. This is when the “calling” of the Lord began to show its presence. I attended college at the Aklan Catholic College in Kalibo, Aklan, and I took Education as my course. There were sleepless nights, and I had the feeling of no satisfaction in what I was doing. So, like any other days after school or if I had the opportunity, I would go to the Adoration Chapel beside the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Kalibo, Aklan. I clearly remember the day, December 7, 2023, and without knowing the time, I knelt, cried and prayed for almost three hours due to my confusion of my heart in wanting to become a priest. And so I asked the Lord for a sign and to have passing grades in college.
I was using social media when I came upon an advertisement for Saint Paul Seminary. The Society of Saint Paul known as Paulines, a religious congregation consisting of priests, brothers and sisters, was founded by Blessed James Alberione with aims to proclaim the good news of God through the means of technology. There was a feeling of mine that this congregation may be the one, for I want to help evangelize the Good News with the help of modern means of communication. I took my entrance exam, and thanks to the good Lord, I was able to pass and will begin my formation at the Seminary on July 10, 2024 at Silang, Cavite.
I’m asking for your prayers that I will persevere, and if it’s God’s will, that soon I will be one of his shepherds to guide his flock. Maraming Salamat po!
The picture above is from the Children's Rosary in Pakistan. They now have 56 Children's Rosary groups in Pakistan!
Below is a link to our Children's Rosary newsletter for May.
Dear Friends,
We wanted to humbly share this video made for the upcoming first World Children's Day this weekend in Rome. Pope Francis created the day to honor children. He put the Dicastery of Education in charge of planning the event. The organizers invited Children's Rosary to make a 1 min video sending our greetings. They hope to show it on May 25 at Olympic Stadium with Pope Francis and approximately 100,000 pilgrims.
On May 1, 2024, a Mass was offered for all seminarians so that they will grow in holiness and lead us in love. As our future shepherds, the seminarians need our prayers, and what a beautiful way for the children throughout the world to support these men called by God. Many people throughout the world have been inspired by the vocation stories we are featuring each month, and so we gratefully continue publishing our featured seminarians’ stories. This month, we introduce John Anthony Buono, a seminarian from Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Hi! My name is John Anthony Buono, a seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, in my second year of formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. I am 24 years old and originally from Arlington. After I complete my second year of philosophy this year, I will continue at the Mount as I begin the first of four years of theology studies.
My vocation journey began when I was a senior in high school. During the summer right before my senior year, I attended a service camp in my diocese called WorkCamp. It is a program for high-school boys and girls that offers Daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Praise and Worship, and serving the poor communities in the diocese through small home improvement projects. I thankfully grew up in a very solid, Catholic family, and so these kinds of things were not very new to me. I truly enjoyed the camp because of the combination of prayer, service, and community it provided. During Eucharistic Adoration on one of the nights, I felt a deep sense of peace in my heart, while still feeling like adrenaline was flowing through my body. In that moment I asked the Lord, “What do you want me to do with my life?” That was the first time where I truly felt as though the Lord may be calling me to the priesthood. I went home from that camp on fire and really excited to explore this possibility of priesthood, but I also wanted to start college and study Accounting. I began studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in Fall of 2018. Throughout my time in college, the Lord kept trying to pull me towards Seminary even if I tried to run away from it. I even switched majors to Sales because at the time I was not particularly interested in Accounting. During the summer going into my senior year at CUA, I had a fantastic Sales internship for a software company called Nutanix. I was eventually offered a full-time position, which I was tempted to take, but after praying deeply about it, I felt at that time that the Lord had better plans for me. I graduated from CUA in Spring 2022 and entered Mount St. Mary’s that Fall.
As a priest, I want to simply save souls and share the Love of Christ with others. The priest is called to be an “Alter Christus,” another Christ, so that through the Mass and Sacraments, Christ can enter the hearts of everyone the priest encounters. If you are curious about what the Lord is calling you to do in life, do not be afraid, trust in Him and rely on Our Lady to guide you! May God bless you all and know of my prayers! I humbly ask that you continue to pray for me as well.
We humbly ask that you please keep John Anthony in your prayers!
This year the Children's Rosary turns 13 years old on April 10, 2024. It has become a yearly tradition to offer a novena of Masses leading up to the anniversary for the fulfillment of Our Lady's plans for the Children's Rosary. Then from April 10-April 18 we have Masses offered in thanksgiving. This year we have had 90 Masses pledged toward the novena. There is still time to add a Mass. Please contact your local Church and ask if there are any open Masses during our novena. Usually there is a customary donation when requesting a Mass.
From April 1 through April 9: Masses offered for the fulfillment of Our Lady's plans for the Children's Rosary
From April 10 until April 18: Masses offered in thanksgiving
There are many projects coming to completion for the Children's Rosary which we look forward to sharing with you. This is a witness of the power of the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Thank you to those who have helped with arranging Masses. Please consider adding to our number of Masses.
Gratefully,
Blythe
To all the lovely Boys and Girls who say the rosary every night on EWTN. You are wonderful example to all other children!! Myself and my husband recite the rosary with you!
The Children's Rosary airs daily on EWTN in Ireland. We are grateful for such Easter greetings.
My name is Andrew Mullaney, and I am twenty-four years old. I am a seminarian studying for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I am in my first year of Theology at Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. I attended four years of college seminary after high school in Winona, Minnesota. I am the middle of five siblings. When I have down time, I enjoy ice fishing and throwing a baseball or football around.
I grew up as a cradle Catholic receiving all the timely sacraments. As a young boy, my sisters and I would play Mass, and I would act as the priest. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I started to look at what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about playing football or being a teacher until I went on a retreat where I participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist in a renewed way. Upon receiving these sacraments, I came to a deep belief that my sins had been forgiven by Jesus’ death on the cross. My relationship with God was rekindled by daily prayer, and I sensed and heard Him call me to Himself as His priest for His people. Following this prompting, I visited the seminary and the same peace and conviction that I had received prior in the sacraments was present again. The reality of God calling me to be a priest was the answer to what God wanted for my life. I believe He created me to ultimately be in a loving relationship with Him and serve Him as a priest.
I hope the priesthood God has called me to live is marked by faithfulness, mercy, and inspiration. I want everybody to know that they are never too far from God’s love and mercy. May all who I encounter also receive a renewal in the sacraments they receive and come to know Jesus as friend, savior, and Lord. St. Faustina…pray for us! Fr. Damien the Leper…pray for us!
We humbly ask that you please keep Andrew Mullaney in your prayers.
