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| Icon from the World Meeting of Families displayed at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia USA |
May I humbly share a wonderful experience from the Meeting. Our family arrived in Philadelphia on Sunday September 20th. We went to evening Mass at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. At the conclusion of Mass there was a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and the initiation of Perpetual Adoration. This would last until Thursday evening as a special opportunity for pilgrims visiting for the meeting to have extra time to spend in prayer with Our Lord. This was a beautiful blessing for our family. Monday we set up our Children's Rosary booth and then went to Adoration. While praying a thought came to mind: let Our Lord do the introductions. I then took out a small amount of our new Children's Rosary bookmarks we had brought to share at the booth. I went to the back of the chapel and asked if some Children's Rosary bookmarks could be left for visitors to take as they came into Adoration. The women coordinating Adoration immediately said, yes! I went back to praying and happened to look up periodically to see people carrying a bookmark as they made their way to a pew. When my daughter Alina and I left, we went back to the Convention hall to get more bookmarks. When we returned to Adoration about 45 minutes later all the bookmarks were gone and the kind women shared that there had been requests for more. Excitedly we put out more bookmarks and left her a sizable supply of replenishment.
There was so much joy in knowing that it would be in prayer that people would first see information about the Children's Rosary. Indeed it would be Our Lord who would make the introduction to their hearts. The following day at the booth a women approached and mentioned that she had seen our bookmarks at the Basilica but they were out of them. Excited and surprised Alina took more bookmarks and went over to Adoration. Some time later she returned saying that the women in charge said that we could no longer put out bookmarks as permission needed to be granted by the Rector of the Basilica. Alina had gone over to the Rectory to look for the Rector but they had told her that he would be occupied all week with the WMOFs and Papal visit and to try back next week.
Hoping that maybe there was some confusion I headed over to the Basilica accompanied by a friend who is a priest. We first went and prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament. As Mass back at the Convention was approaching I made my way to the back of the chapel and asked permission to put out more bookmarks. The same women from the prior night reiterated what my daughter had told me. There was some disappointment in my heart as it seemed almost impossible we should be able to get permission with so much happening that week. We left the chapel but at the last moment Father asked to see inside the main Basilica as he had not seen it before. We entered for just a quick peek but upon entering I remembered the special visiting relic of St. John Paul II and brought Father over to it. Next to the first class relic of St. John Paul II were also relics of the parents of St. Therese the Little Flower. Father knelt down to pray. It was then that I noticed a priest near the relics. I remembered him from Mass Sunday evening. He was not the Rector but seemed to be in charge of organizing the flow of events that day. The priest identified himself as the Parochial Vicar for the Basilica. Upon showing him our Children's Rosary book with an Imprimatur and the bookmarks, he quickly said he could give permission to put these out. He went directly over to the Adoration Chapel and told all those coordinating Adoration that permission had been granted to put out our Children's Rosary bookmarks. He also asked that they be put at all entrances and exits. I was left speechless. Our Lord had done what seemed impossible. The bookmarks remained out at the Adoration Chapel all week. Over two thousand were taken by visitors. Indeed "nothing is impossible with God"(Luke 1:37).
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