Mass Offered for all the Members of the Children's Rosary on February 25th 2021

 

A Mass was offered on February 25th for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary.  We continue to have a Mass said for the this intention on the 25th of the month. The Eucharist is such a powerful gift from Our Lord that when I wanted to extend thanksgiving to all of you I knew of no better way to express my gratitude.  May Our Lord's love be poured down on all of you through the powerful sacrifice of the Holy Mass.

The picture above  are members of the Children's Rosary from Front Royal, Virginia. They are siblings. Every day they pray the Rosary at home with our Children's Rosary video. 

Renewal of Family Prayer

A Mass was offered yesterday for Renewal of Family Prayer through the Capuchin Missions.  This is something we do on the first Saturday of every month. The children also pray for renewal of family prayer in their prayer groups. In addition, over 780 individual 9 day novenas have been said by members oft the Children's Rosary to different saints also asking for renewal of family prayer.  Why so much attention and prayer for this topic?  

The Children's Rosary is not an intercessory prayer group, meaning its purpose is not to purely pray for intentions, rather it is a prayer group for children which helps support their prayer lives. Yet one cannot ignore the importance of prayer in the family.  Saints throughout history have championed prayer in the family.  The famous saying coined by Servant of God Fr. Patrick Peyton summaries it so beautifully, "The Family that stays together prays together".  And so to keep and strengthen our families we pray for them. We hope that the prayer the children experience in their prayer groups will blossom into a richer prayer life in their homes.  Many members of the Children's Rosary have shared how this is happening in their families.

Recently, we have begun to experience some of these graces in our own family prayer.  It began one night by chance.  My husband was reading the Bible, as we do each night.  We had reached the Psalms.  On this particular night, there was something that caught my attention and I asked my husband to repeat it as I very much liked the verse. Then an idea came, maybe I should ask the kids and my husband if there was something they liked in the reading.  We found that it took several re-readings of the psalm that first night for everyone to find a favorite part.  

As the nights continued, we began to ready the children before prayer telling them, listen very carefully for the part that "speaks to you".  Our middle son and I found having a pen and paper ready to quickly take down our favorite part made things much easier.  Our daughter found that she liked to try and listen extra hard and remember just a phrase.  Not only would we ask the children to say their favorite part of the reading but also explain why it was their favorite.  May I humbly share some of what our children found 
One of our children chose some of these quotes over several nights
"Leave all to the Lord. Be patient and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 37:5,7). To this he said, sometimes you do not feel anything when you pray but you must wait things will happen.  "Give up anger... Shun evil and do good.  For the Lord loves what is right" (Psalm 37: 8,27,28).  As parents it was interesting to hear such selections chosen as favorites.  Yet we could see his selections mirroring some of the recent decisions he had been making.  Instead of losing his temper he had been choosing another path.  There was a new willingness to try harder for the good.  For this we all have been so grateful.

Our younger son found Psalm 31:10 spoke to him, "Have Mercy on me for I am in distress". He said, when you are faithful to prayer and offer sufferings, God is always happy to help you.  

This new evolution in our family prayer comes after at least 5 years of praying together as a family.  It is interesting it took so much time for us to find this way of discovering Scripture in a new way.  Something else interesting began to happen, our eleven year old son began to take a notebook to Mass with him and began taking notes during the readings and homily. He liked having notes from both family prayer and Mass.  The first weekend he began to do this the homily perfectly mirrored what we were experiencing.  The priest was talking about Scripture: that we must read, listen and respond.  Before we were simply reading Scripture in our family.  Now the kids (and yes us parents too),  are listening and responding with how it is moving in our hearts.  

Indeed no matter what our starting point is with prayer in our family, Our Lord can make it better and for this we pray and offer Masses.  It is our hope that we may have holy families where prayer feeds us and serves as a unifying force to keep us together.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Star of the Sea
"Take Up and Read"

Just When You Were Thinking to Give Up

As many of you may have read,  several years ago the children planted a Peace Rose as a gift to Our Lady on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.  We asked Our Lord as a gift to His Mother that with every pedal that forms on the bush that 1,000 families would return to family prayer.  Renewal of family prayer has been a particularly special prayer intention of the Children's Rosary.  The Rose the first summer surprised us by blooming on many beautiful Marian Feasts.  Last summer there was construction at our Church and a bulldozer was brought in which ran over the rose bed.  At first we thought all the roses were destroyed but a week later Our Lady's rose along with the other roses in the bed were found in buckets on the side of the Rectory.  They stayed in the buckets for several months and then were replanted in the garden maintained by the Knights of Columbus.  Mary's rose bush didn't seem to make the transplantation process very well and looked like it might be dying.  Through the long cold winter I wondered how the Rose was doing and when spring came all the other bushes began growing and bloomed though June.  The bush the children planted remained a small stump about 2 inches tall.  The Knights are so good about caring for the rose bed I thought for sure the rose stump would be removed at any time.  Yet the stump remained through July. Each day as I passed the stump on my walk to daily Mass I wondered if there was some reason this died, a meaning perhaps. As was read in the Gospel today,  "Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25).  

It was still sad though that the children's Rose planted for Our Lady was dead.  Last Sunday morning we arrived from Chicago at 1AM and the children, my husband and I went right to sleep.  Then bright and early that morning a call came.  It was a member of the Children's Rosary calling to say something wonderful had happened.  There was a brand new shoot coming out of the ground by the Rose stump.  The rose thought to be dead might actually be alive.  The children and I were excited as we walked to Church that morning anxious to see if indeed the rose was alive.  As we bent over to look we could see two shoots.  The smaller of the two actually seemed to be pushing the ground up.  We came prepared with a camera to document such a happy find.  

I began to think of a homily I had recently heard about Saint Faustina who during her life had a vision of St. Therese.  She asked the Saint if she herself would also become a saint to which St. Therese told her, yes.  She asked if she would be raised up in the Church and St. Therese told her yes.  But St. Therese also told Sr. Faustina to have more faith. It occured to me that all those months through the spring and summer I had thought the rose was dead and nothing was happening.  It reminded me of the effort so many make to run their Children's Rosary groups.  Sometimes it is hard to gather children and there is a feeling nothing is happening.  One feels that they should give up.  But Our Lord shows us even when something looks dead there are things happening out of view.  Change is occuring,  a renewal in fact.  

In looking at the other roses which dwarf this little stump with a few tender young shoots,  one can see how such a little bush might seem insignificant but what is remarkable is that Our Lord often chooses the small and wounded to work great change.  This is so beautifully evident with  St. Therese who is the patron Saint of missionaries even though she lived in a convent.  In our efforts to bring the smallest among us, our very children, to the Rosary the Lord blesses these efforts even if by worldly standards nothing appears to be happening.  Through this beautiful story of the little rose, may we all hold on and not give up.

Other Posts you may enjoy: 
The Children Plant a Rose for Our Lady

Working Together to Help Our Families

The Month of May is often called Mary's Month.  In anticipation of May the Children's Rosary is teaming up with Holy Cross Family Ministries to reach out to families in parishes where Children's Rosary prayer groups exist.  Many Children's Rosary groups will be handing out Rosaries at the end of Masses during the Month of May.  

Servant of God
Fr. Patrick Peyton

Holy Cross Family Ministries has generously offered to donate those rosaries that the children will be handing out.  The goal of Holy Cross Family Ministries is to strengthen families around the world.  This goal is shared by the Children's Rosary and thus our collaboration on this effort is both natural and seamless.  Servant of God, Fr. Patrick Peyton, founded Holy Cross Family Ministries in the 1940s.  His timeless words "the Family that Prays together Stays Together" is as important today as the first time he uttered the phrase.

It is not too late to order Rosaries through Holy Cross Family Ministries for May.  To order Rosaries please click HERE. Rosaries are free although they do ask for shipping costs.  As part of this collaboration, between the Children's Rosary and Holy Cross Family Ministries, we ask that all those placing orders also send an email to Susan Wallace letting her know you are part of the Children's Rosary. Her email is swallace@hcfm.org

Through the Rosary our families will be strengthened in virtue and holiness. Pope Francis recommends the Rosary as  "Spiritual Medicine" which is "good for the heart".  

In a special way we turn to Our Mother in the prayer she taught us, the Holy Rosary,  and ask her motherly guidance and help in our families.

Children and the Diary of St. Faustina

The following is an excerpt from the Diary of St. Faustina:

765 "On one occasion, I saw the convent of the new congregation.  As I walked about, inspecting everything, I suddenly saw a crowd of children who seemed to be no older than five to eleven years of age.  When they saw me they surrounded me and began to cry out, “Defend us from evil,” (179) and they led me into the chapel which was in this convent.  When I entered the chapel, I saw the distressful Lord Jesus.  Jesus looked at me graciously and said that He was gravely offended by children:  You are to defend them from evil.  From that moment, I have been praying for children, but I feel that prayer alone is not enough."

In speaking with Fr. Andrew Apostoli recently he brought this passage to my attention.  There are several things that struck me:

The first was a call to defend children from evil spoken both by the children themselves and by Jesus.  The children just didn’t ask for protection they cried out for help which would imply an urgency.

The second is that young children between the ages of 5 and 11 offend Our Lord Jesus.  

What are we to do with such a piece of information.  St. Faustina’s reaction was to pray for them but she herself says this alone did not seem to be enough.  What if the children were to pray themselves?  Would that please Our Lord and help to foster their own interior growth?

How does a parent or anyone start to encourage prayer for their children.  One such avenue is to join a Children’s Rosary group or start one. A Children’s Rosary is a prayer group composed of children and lead by children.  Once a month or if interest exists weekly the children meet together with their peers to pray the rosary.  It is here in prayer that they begin to reflect on the life of Jesus.  As the Rosary is repetitive in nature it is ideally suited for children.  As each child prays a decade we are told that fruits are given.  If one were praying the first joyful mystery the fruit of that prayer is humility and the second joyful mystery is love of neighbor.  How beautiful to contemplate ones children growing in the virtues in such a gently way.  I have often reflected on the many deficiencies I have as a mother and am consoled by the thought of Our Blessed Mother helping in the shaping of my children.  For when we bring our children to her in prayer she makes up for our deficiencies enveloping them in a maternal love so strong one can not fully appreciate such a thing. Another way to initiate your children into prayer is to have a small family prayer every night.

Some posts you may find helpful:

How to Start a Children's Rosary

How to Begin Family Prayer

Find a Children's Rosary Near You.

Pope Francis Urges Families to Pray the Rosary

This past weekend Pope Francis sent out several messages to the world via his twitter account.  He began Friday with the following message “It would be a good idea, during the month of May, for families to say the Rosary together.  Prayer strengthens family life.”  On Saturday he went on to write “Let us ask Our Lady to teach us how to live out our faith in our daily lives and to make more room for the Lord.”

These beautiful words from Our Holy Father underscore the importance of the Rosary and Our Lady in strengthening our families.  In a time when so many families are sick and broken our Holy Father points to a medicine to heal our brokenness.  He points to the mother who will wipe away our tears and tend our wounds.  Under her care and protection she will safely lead us to rest and fullness in her Son.

In this month of May, a time dedicated to Our Mother Mary, let us find special moments each day to come together as a family and pray.  Might we find those Rosary beads tucked in a drawer and ask Our Heavenly Mother to help us in prayer.  We are her children and when we ask her to help us begin prayer in our families she rushes to our aid and provides when we ourselves do not see the way. 

You may also like the following posts:

How to Pray the Rosary

How to Begin Family Prayer

The Month of May is Dedicated to Mary

Holy Father Calls Christian Families to be Schools of Prayer

Feast of the Holy Family

Just a year ago, before the Feast of the Holy Family Our Holy Father spoke of the importance of prayer in our families.  

Our Holy Father  at the Crib of Jesus
Reuters picture

Benedict XVI December 28th 2011 “Our continuing catechesis on prayer leads us, during this Christmas season, to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we learn to contemplate the mystery of God’s presence and to grow as faithful disciples of Christ. The Gospels present Mary as the supreme model of prayerful meditation on the mysteries of Christ’s life; in praying the Rosary, in fact, we unite ourselves to her contemplation of those mysteries in faith and hope. Saint Joseph fulfilled his vocation as the father of the Holy Family by teaching Jesus the importance of quiet fidelity to work, prayer and observance of the precepts of the Law. Jesus’ unique relationship with his heavenly Father was reflected in the prayer life of the Holy Family and stands at the heart of all Christian prayer. May the example of the Holy Family inspire all Christian families to be schools of prayer, where parents and children alike come to know that closeness to God which we joyfully celebrate in these days of Christmas.”

The Catechism echoes Our Holy Father’s directives regarding prayer in the family.

“Through the grace of the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children”. (Catechism 2225)  When should this evangelization begin?  The catechism is clear that it should start at an early age: “Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the ‘first heralds’ for their children. They should associate them from their tenderest years with the life of the Church”.(Catechism 2225)

The Children’s Rosary has dedicated this year to Renewal of Family Prayer.  To this end we have offered 31 Masses for the intention of Renewal of Family prayer.  Over 660 novenas to different saints have been said praying for renewal of family prayer.  Close to 400 Children’s Bibles have been given out to families to assist them in renewing family prayer in their homes.  Countless rosaries have been said in by children at their parent's knee that renewal of family prayer will spread across the globe.  On this Feast of the Holy Family may Our Lord bless each one of our families with a spirit of prayer. Amen. 

Getty Image- St. Peter's Square on Christmas Eve 

Favorite Quotes by John Marie Vianney

"You cannot please both God and the world at the same time, They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions."

"I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world and its pleasures."

“Here is a rule for everyday life:Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.”

Spiritual Communion

“A spiritual communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder-covered fire which was about to go out.  Whenever you feel your love of God growing cold, quickly make a spiritual communion.”

Blessed Virgin Mary

"Jesus Christ, after having given us all he could give, that is to say, the merit of his toils, his sufferings, and bitter death; after having given us his adorable body and blood to be the food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing he had let, which was his holy Mother,"

"When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant."

Priests

"If we had faith, we would see God hidden in the priest like a light behind glass, like wine mixed with water."

"The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Blessed Sacrament

"Every Consecrated Host is made to burn Itself up with love in a human heart,"

Of adoring Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament St. John Vianney has written:

"When we speak to Jesus with simplicity and with all our heart, He does like a mother who holds her child's head with her hands and covers it with kisses and caresses."

"The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it. Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls,"

"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master."

Prayer

"Man is a beggar who needs to ask God for everything."

"You cannot please both God and the world at the same time, They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions."

"I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world and its pleasures."

“Here is a rule for everyday life:Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.”

The Family

"I turn to you, dear parents, and implore you to imitate the Holy Family of Nazareth."

"What Do You Think About When You Say The Rosary?"

On the evening of Corpus Christi, which was celebrated here in the US on Sunday June 10th, the children and I were saying our rosaries. At the end of our prayers I had an urge to ask them what they think about while they say the rosary.  I thought they might say nothing at all or what they were going to do when prayers were over. Instead my daughter said she thinks of Our Lady.  She thinks often of the visitation.  She said she saw a lovely picture of the visitation and she thinks about it when she prays.  My son, who just turned eight said that he thinks of the bread when we say the luminous mysteries, Jesus being born during the joyful, during the sorrowful he thinks of Jesus dying on the cross and during the glorious he likes to see Our Lady being crowned.  My daughter then jumped in that she loves to think of Our Lady being crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.  

Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth

I had never asked the children what they think about during the rosary.  As I am always asking the kids to sit still during prayers or to say the prayers aloud, I was completely surprised by their response.  I find my mind wandering often and thought that their mind was probably far off given they are only children. 

During the week I reflected often about their response.  This past Sunday I heard a line from the First Reading that struck me "for we walk by faith, not by sight"(2 Corinthians 5:7).  In the Gospel Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!"(Mark 2:26-29)

As parents we are called not to inhibit the spread of God’s Kingdom.  Christ is the sower.  Reading of scripture, family prayer and the Holy Sacraments water that seed but how it truly grows and what it will grow into is known to God alone.  My son at age 6 told our family he felt Jesus was calling us to say three rosaries a day.  At the time we had just begun saying one as a family.  As a parent I tried not to inhibit the work of Our Lord in our family and we began to say three rosaries a day and have continued this prayer ritual ever since. Sometimes I do not always understand all the steps or the exact path we will follow but I pray that I will be able to discern God's Will, have the strength of spirit and body to live it and the courage to follow it through.

Saturday night the children and I were again saying our evening rosaries.  They were almost falling asleep as they had spent a whole day working on my Mother’s 37 acre farm.  I stopped for a moment and asked them what was their favorite mystery.  Both children perked right up.  It was as if I asked them where do you want to go on vacation.  Our middle son Kostin jumped right in.  He started listing the mysteries.  He told me it is very difficult to pick just one. He mention all five of the joyful and said really his favorite is when Jesus is found in the temple.  He listed all of the sorrowful but said the agony in the garden is his favorite.  He listed all the glorious and again repeated his favorite is Mary being crowned.  When it came to the luminous he said he likes when the dove comes down and Jesus is baptized but also when He gives out the bread.  Although he also likes when Jesus lights up (Transfiguration). As we finished prayers Kostin got up and hobbled out of the room.  He was stiff from working all day and said as he left the room “I’m like an old man” with a little laugh. 

Working at Grandma's farm

We walk by faith not sight.  I do not know how a young child comes to love the mysteries of the rosary. But hearing my children speak of their love for Our Lady and the mysteries of the rosary I feel more and more like a child myself.  I look to Our Blessed Mother for help parenting. I know I don’t have the answers and frequently stumble as a parent.  However, I do not regret the time we spend in prayer because this is when our Lady makes up for all of my inadequacies as a parent.  She waters the seed planted by her Son.  My piece is to pray that I may recognize my role in helping them. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the effects of the rosary on May 3 2008, "With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory". 

How to equip our children for every good work

“from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.(2Timothy3:15-17)

This was the first reading from Mass today.  The Mass I attended had been offered for renewal of family prayer.  As I was listening to the reading I was struck by the timing of such a message.  As the passage states Sacred Scripture is God-breathed or inspired by God.  As such it is truth and our road map to salvation.  How does one learn the Holy Scriptures from infancy.  They are taught by our parents in family prayer.  The reading of the Bible from an early age is critical in the training of our young people in “righteousness” so that they may be “equipped for every good work”( 2Timothy3:17)  When young children are not exposed to the word of God growing up, they lack the direction needed to make choices which are in the best interest of their soul.  I do not mean to judge anyone by bringing this point to light.  Only in the past few years have we begun reading our Read Aloud Children’s Bible at night as a family.  I did not grow up reading the Bible at night and find that I am making up for lost time now as a young adult.  I have however, witness the beautiful effects on our children.  Our oldest son knows most of the Bible stories from the Old and New Testament. They are alive to him and he spends many nights as he is falling asleep reading them over before bed.  Spending time with Sacred Scripture is as important a school as the one we send our children to each day.  

Through this time with the Lord and His Word in family prayer vocations are born.  Our oldest son was just 6 when he began to speak of wanting to become a priest.  On his 8th Birthday just over a month ago, he and I were walking to church and I asked him if he wanted to ask the priest to give him a blessing and pray that maybe God would grant him the grace to become a priest.  He told me he would pray that he could become a priest silently when the priest was blessing him.  Just before Mass we said hello to the priest who was going to be saying the Mass.  My son asked for a blessing as it was his birthday.  The Father placed his hands on his head and blessed him and concluded by saying I not only bless you but ordain you to be a priest.  My son and I were both shocked to hear the priest say this as we had not said anything to him about his thoughts about a vocation.  This was also the first time this visiting priest had met my son.  I share this personal story to show the fruits of family prayer and reading scripture as a family.  The children’s rosary is dedicating this year to renewal of family prayer.  If you would like a Read Aloud Children’s Bible please contact us and we will get you one.  See the about us section of the blog for contact information.

Prayers before Our Lady

Our two oldest children

God Bless you all!!!

Renewal of Family Prayer

April 15th Rosary with the Children

Sunday the children's Rosary Celebrated our 1 year anniversary and dedicated our upcoming year to renewal of Family prayer.  We gave out Read Aloud Children's Bibles and Bookmarks to a great many people at both our Rosary in the morning and the Divine Mercy Celebration in the afternoon.  The children's Bibles that we handed out are the same one we read in our family at night.  We read two stories per night.  After a long but exciting day at the Church we met my mother for dinner and returned home for baths and our night prayer.  When we took our Bible out Kostin, our 7 year old son, said lets get the bookmark we selected for our family earlier in the day.  Realizing that the kids were right, the whole idea was to have our bookmark in our Bible.  As we opened the Bible my husband said, "Oh we actually are done and it is time to start over".  The Lord was showing us that although we were using the same Bible we always use, tonight was beginning a renewed family prayer in our home. We had prayed for renewal of family prayer in the 169 novenas completed and the Lord made it visibly clear that he was answering this prayer. He was blessing our family along with all of our members a new time of renewed family prayer. Just as many who received their Bibles were reading their first stories we too were beginning on the first page too:  The Creation.  As we prayed for each other my son closed the night with a prayer for the Saint that chose our family: St. Dymphna.

Lord may all the members of the children's rosary experience renewal of family prayer and spread it across the globe.  Amen