A Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese

Last Monday evening we reached Schaumburg, Illinois our destination for the CMN Conference. Tuesday morning was set up for our Children's Rosary booth although the conference would not start to the following day.  The afternoon we had a very special treat. We were able to participate in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien, Illinois. This is run by the Carmelite order. Upon entering the Shrine one of the most breathtaking sites is this mural on the wall depicting important moments in the life of St. Therese.  Beneath the mural was a collection of relics of St. Therese including bone, flesh, and even dust from her coffin.

As we had driven from Connecticut, we had a car and decided to go a bit early of the buses to the Shrine as we might have some time to explore and also pray. This proved very providential. The heat outside kept us mostly inside and we had time to pray before the relics. Not only were there relics of St. Therese but also her parents who are also saints.

Zelie and Louis Martin taught their children to respect God's providence both in fulfillment and disappointment  This line in their biography caught my attention. For my own small part, my heart has been falling in love more and more with the Providence of God. To see these two beautiful saints impress a respect for God's providence in their children seemed a further confirmation of its great importance. 

Later as the buses arrived we were able to hear a talk about the life of St. Therese. As the children and I together had read her autobiography this year, the stories were fresh in our minds but hearing them again was very special. We were taken through many items that were hers as a child including drawings and clothing she had made. 

We were able to see a room made up just as her room had been in the convent. It even had the door of her room and several items that existed in her real room.  The evening concluded with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Andrew Apostoli CFR. In a special way I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. You were very close with us there. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Beauty
Resources to Help Begin a Group

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org

"Oh God, whose providence never fails in its designs"

The Lord has been especially generous this past week.  There have been moments of disappointment which have initially made my heart sink.  They have felt like a spiritual blow.  However,  through the outpouring of graces I have been able to catch my breath for a moment and accept the blow and tell Our Lord I love Him.  Through this process He has been showing me things.

I once heard a story told that there was a man with a horse.  The horse ran away and the villagers said to the man, Oh we are sorry now you have to do all the work yourself.  The man replied, could be good or could be bad.  The horse returned with other horses and the other villagers were able to each have one.  The man replied could be good or could be bad.  His son was thrown from the horse and broke his leg.  Again the man replied this could be good or it could be bad.  A group of soldiers went through the village recruiting men but passed over his home and left his son because of his broken leg.

I heard this story a few years ago and have thought of it often.  There is much wisdom in this story.  What initially seems like a disappointment may actually be the Lord protecting us or realigning our path to Him.  Our Church has sustained significant flood damage over the past two weeks.  Our chapel where we have daily Mass and the children's rosary was flooded.  Our pastor was extremely distraught over the flood and many other problems that happened in quick succession: our elevator breaking as well as our air conditioning.  However something beautiful unfolded through this event.  A group of women meet each Wednesday at 3PM to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Rosary for the unborn.  Several of the women who meet are members of our children's rosary group.  This past Wednesday they met but could not pray in the chapel.  Therefore they moved outside to pray in a little spot that someone had created with a statue of Mary and two benches.  Just after starting the Chaplet a car pulled up and a women and a girl got out.  They asked to join the groups prayers.  The mother asked what they were praying for and found out it was for the Unborn.  The mother and her daughter became emotional and shared that her daughter was pregnant.  They were considering an abortion but were also considering keeping the child.  The mom shared that she had a feeling that they needed to go to the Church that afternoon.  When they approached the Church they discovered the group praying outside.  If the group had been praying in the Chapel the mother may never have found them as she probably would have gone to the main upper Church to say a few prayers. The afternoon was an emotional one for all present and together they all prayed the Chaplet and the Holy Rosary.  Many connections were made that afternoon and the mother and daughter were surrounded by love and support.  How wonderful is Our Lord that we must trust Him in all occasions.  If we consecrate each day to Him then we have only to trust in His providence which never fails in its design.