Praying for Our Seminarians

Friar Alphonsus Mary of Our Lady of Sorrow
with his father

Today a Mass was offered for all seminarians that they will grow in holiness and lead us all in love.  This is something the Children's Rosary does on the first of each month.  We began this practice last April on our Children's Rosary anniversary.  As we had done the previous year we chose a prayer initiative for the year.  As our seminarians will be the future shepherds and our children are the future flock it seemed a beautiful way for the children to help. We would like to continue this prayer intitiative going forward

AS WE LOOK BACK OVER THIS PAST YEAR I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE WONDERFUL TO MEET ONE OF THE SEMINARIANS WHO HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE CHILDREN'S PRAYERS

In October a mother reached out and asked the children to pray for her son who had entered the seminary.  His name is Friar Alphonsus Mary of Our Lady of Sorrows.  She shared a beautiful story one she has given me permission to share.

"This photo includes my dear husband John.  We were visiting Fra. Alphonsus in New Bedford, MA, where he was awaiting his move to Italy one year ago.  We live in southern California and were blessed to make some trips to the various monasteries where he lived and to meet the holy priests involved in his formation.  The good Lord put the call to religious orders in my son's heart.  I didn't anticipate it.  I have two sons only and no daughters and therefore thought both would marry and give me grand babies.   God wrestled him out of my maternal clutches and gently brought me around to complete the surrender of my child that I offered at his birth 20 years earlier.  My husband, likewise, cooperated with God's request.  Although, I think he shed more tears than me.  He has such a soft heart.

Ryan James Timossi, now known as Friar Alphonsus Mary of our Lady of Sorrows, was a very kind younger brother to Sean.  He always wanted to include Sean in treats that he would receive.  He shared toys with his brother, never minding when they were taken from him before he was finished playing.  He seemed to be born with a generous, caring heart.  When he was five years old he came home from a friend's house concerned about how to convince his friend to love God.  He wanted to bring him to church because his family didn't attend anywhere.  He had an evangelical heart early in life.  I home schooled both boys for nine years until they expressed a desire to attend the local public school.  Ryan made friends there and also on the baseball team  that his father coached.  He also developed skills on the guitar and did some composing.  He had rock star dreams.  When he was 16 years old he and his brother attended the Steubenville West conference that his uncle oversaw in San Diego.  He told me that when the priest processed around the arena of 5000 youths, holding high the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, that he had an encounter with the true presence of the Lord.  He spent the next four years shedding the world and running to the Lord.  He looked at several religious orders and discovered the Lord's plan for him with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.   He loves  to teach children and also doing door to door evangelizing.  He and I tie cords onto Miraculous Medals to make nice necklaces.  He carries them in his deep pockets and offers them to everyone he meets.  He loves to read about the Saints. He loves to pray the Mass and the four to five hours of community prayer every day with his confreres.  

This is my dear Fra. Alphonsus.  What we need now is much grace for the years of study ahead.  Italian is a new language for him, and being taught in it presents a huge hurdle.  I truly believe in the power of prayer offered by humble hearts.  Children are a wonderful source of humility and so their prayers have special influence on Jesus and Mary.  Thank you again for this wonderful ministry.  I have a hunch the Lord has great plans for it."

A Beautiful update to this wonderful letter:  "Fra Alphonsus reports that he passed his first classes (taught in Italian).  This is truly miraculous as he only had one year to teach himself the language. Please keep Friar Alphonsus and his entire order in your prayers".

Fruits of Prayer

First meeting of the Children's Rosary at
St. Marguerite Parish 

The Children’s Rosary at St. Marguerite Parish in Brookfield, Connecticut had their first meeting yesterday, Friday January 17th.  The group leader of this new group is someone that the the different Children’s Rosary groups have been praying for in their meetings for several months.  She has several significant health problems which may require a heart and lung transplant. Yet despite her physical weakness she and her young daughter have founded this new Children’s Rosary group.  Seeing the picture she sent and all the children gathered after their Rosary one can see that indeed the Lord works so beautifully through the weak.  Drawing strength from Himself the most beautiful things can be realized and the fruits too numerous to count. Today in the daily reading at Mass we heard of the first King being anointed: Samuel who was from a family of little prominence and he was from the tribe of Benjamin the smallest of the 12 tribes.  Indeed Our Lord continues to show us that in our weakness we may Glorify Him.

Another beautiful grace given to this new group was to see one of the priests from St. Marguerite Parish had joined the children in prayer.  There is something particularly special about seeing a shepherd praying with children.

Thank you to all the Children’s Rosary groups for your prayers one can see that these have borne beautiful fruits with this group.  In a special way we thank the new Children’s Rosary group at St. Marguerite Parish.  For through your witness of courage we may all find encouragement in the crosses we carry.

Thank you all and God Bless.

Other posts you may enjoy:

How to Start a Children's Rosary

"Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours"

"Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”.(Mark 11:22-24)

This was the Gospel Friday. This was also the day when at least 11 novenas to different saints were completed, 8 of them by children.  The intention which was being prayed for I am inlcluding here:

MAY THE CHILDREN’S ROSARY, THEIR FAMILIES, THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHILDREN’S ROSARY INCLUDING OUR PRIESTS, OUR BISHOP AND OUR HOLY FATHER THE POPE BE THE EXTENDED HANDS OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER AND HER SON.  MAY WE GATHER A GREAT MANY SOULS ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE LORD.  MAY WE EXPERIENCE RENEWAL OF FAMILY PRAYER AND SPREAD IT ACROSS THE GLOBE. IN A SPECIAL WAY WE ASK EACH SAINT TO CHOOSE AN INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY OR A PRIEST, ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CHILDREN’S ROSARY GROUP TO LEAD IN THEIR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. DEAR SAINT PRAY FOR OUR EXTENDED GROUP THAT WE MAY EMBODY THE VIRTUES YOU EXEMPLIFIED HERE ON EARTH. AMEN

Over 250 Novenas to Saints have been completed.  Novenas to Divine Mercy, Our Lady, The Holy Spirit, and The Holy Trinity have also been said for the above intention(with the exception of the part about a saint choosing a family). 

We believe very strongly what our Lord tells us in his Gospel.  "If we have Faith ...whatever you ask in prayer, believe it and it will be yours".(Mark 11:24) 

As these novenas were being completed Our Lord held true to His promise.  A mother of one of the second grade students from St. Thomas School emailed me to say she wanted to add her name and her two daughters age 3 and 8 to our letter for the Pope.  She also told me that her daughter received the Bible in her class from the children’s rosary.  They were so excited and have been reading about the Saint that chose them.  Three new families approached me after daily Mass Friday and joined our adult morning rosary group.  One mother had brought her 4 year old daughter who has a heart condition.  One mom asked if she could bring her children to our next children’s rosary so they could learn how to pray the rosary.  One of the three families has recently moved to the United States from Syria and they are just learning all the prayers in English.  

One cannot underestimate the effect one kind act can have on another person.  Each one of these events would have made my day alone.  They gave me such hope and joy.  After Mass on Friday I made an announcement about our letter in support of Our Holy Father from the children’s rosary.  Many of the the folks at the Mass had said our children’s rosary novena and were eager to sign the letter.  After I made the announcement the whole chapel started clapping.  The support and beautiful fruits of all these prayers were truly pouring down upon us.  The Lord hears each prayer.  He waits for us.  When we call upon His help He answers in the most beautiful way.  In writing the post for Friday I came upon the intentions of the Holy Father and saw that the general intention of the Holy Father for May was: The Family. That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.  The children’s rosary has chosen to dedicate our year to renewal of family prayer.  When we wrote the letter to the Holy Father and sent it off last week, we were telling him of the prayers we say for him but seeing what his prayer intention was for May, it is he who has been praying for us. What we have achieved may be as a result of the prayers of the Holy Father and the world. As we know, people all over the planet pray for the intentions of the Holy Father each day.  When we pray we may never know who benefits but be sure someone is somewhere.  It is not for us to know all these things but when the Lord in his generosity allows us to have a glimpse of the fruits of prayer it is pure joy.  I share these things that you may share the joy that I have experienced this weekend.  Thanks to the many people who have through prayer allowed these things to flourish. I thank those of you who by your presence on this blog encourage us to keep pushing forward.  Thank you all and God Bless!

God smiles on us

Today the Lord smiled upon the children's rosary.  The rose which the children planted in the rose garden outside the chapel of St. Thomas on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima twinkled this day with a perfect blossom.  Light rain fell on the delicate petals but each one shown with beauty and elegance just as Our Lady appeared to the children of Fatima.

The children's rosary asked Jesus to give a gift to Our Blessed Mother on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.  The gift was that a 1,000 families would begin family prayer for each petal that forms on each blossom of the Peace rose that we planted for His mother.  Yesterday the children and I admired three buds just beginning to open.  Today 5 were visible.  The bud that I had suspected might open today still held tight together but a more interior one shown fully open.  It was a wonderful example of how Our Lord surprises us with beauty where you aren't expecting it.

The Lord would bring together many pieces which only He could have done.  Several weeks ago we had decided to offer one Mass a week for renewal of family prayer.  When we called one of the only Masses that was available this week was the 8:00AM today.  Last Wednesday a spontaneous call to the principal of the the St. Thomas elementary school would develop into the children's rosary giving the second grade class Bibles this very morning.  In addition the principal of the school had also planned a May crowning of Mary this morning.  At the end of Mass today a friend approached me.  Her daugher had recently joined the childrens rosary and received a Bible on Divine Mercy Sunday.  She said that as a result of the prayers of the children's rosary she had begun family prayer in her home.  She is mother to five children.  My heart smiled to see the work the Lord was doing.  A small prayer by St.Teresa of Avila comes to mind:

Let nothing disturb you.

Let nothing dismay you.

All things are passing.

God never changes.

Patience attains all that it strives for.

Who has God lacks nothing.

God alone suffices.