Bearing Fruit

Today at daily Mass the Gospel included this passage,"the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold." (Matthew 13:23) The priest at daily Mass asked us to look at our prayer life and ask if it is bearing fruit in our lives.  

His words reminded me of something Fr. Jude had shared Wednesday evening. He had written about the Children's Rosary in his parish in Uganda. He has a Children's Rosary prayer group in the main parish and also in several of the outpost stations of the parish. The picture above is of a Children's Rosary group at Our Lady of Fatima Mwera Parish - Mayirye.  This is one of the outposts at Fr. Jude's Parish. The children had their first meeting on Feb 18th 2017. They meet Saturday and Sunday evenings at 6PM local time. I asked Father Jude to tell me about these children. Did they have anything to share or anything he has observed. 

This is what he shared: "The children feel happy when they pray together. Some have learnt how to lead others in prayer. The parents also are grateful. 
Some have asked to start taking readings during Mass. Others have shown willingness to join religious life. Some encourage their fellow children to recite the rosary when they meet at school. Mother Mary is doing miracles in their respective families. Some things are working out in a miraculous way. Got good results about the fruits of the Rosary from the groups! I'll be informing you. God is good all the time."

Fr. Jude also shared that the numbers in the groups are growing. I asked him if the children are encouraging others to join the Children's Rosary. He answered,
 "In our parish the pastor is so grateful because he is seeing the fruits. It's true they encourage others. That's why the numbers are increasing in all groups."

It is beautiful to see how fertile is the soil in the hearts of these children. Their meetings to pray are indeed fruitful in their lives. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit."(Matthew 7:18)

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
A Child's Interview about the Children's Rosary (in Spanish)
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

Vocation Sunday 2017

As today is Vocation Sunday I thought it would be timely to share some good news from one of our Children's Rosary groups in Nigeria. This Children's Rosary group formed after we meet the Pastor, Fr. Paul, at the World Meeting of Families in 2015.  Returning home to his parish in Northern Nigeria, he began a Children's Rosary prayer group. The group chose to meet twice a week. He shared with me that the Children's Rosary became a shining light in his Diocese. Whenever there was an event the children would go and lead a Rosary. Someone seeing the children leading the prayers offered to make a donation for uniforms to be made which you see in this picture. 

Fr. Paul was selected from his Diocese to go to Rome in September 2016 to obtain a Masters in Evangelization.  As he was leaving the parish, one of the girls who was helping with the Children's Rosary group decided to enter the convent. She entered in the fall of 2016.  The Children's Rosary group continued after Fr. Paul left for Rome. One of the boys who has been helping to organize the group recently shared he is now interested in entering the seminary.  So there is much to be grateful for with such good news. Two beautiful vocations to the religious life have taken root in this Children's Rosary group.

Sometimes people ask what are the fruits of having a Children's Rosary prayer group. One fruit which we have seen not only in this group but others is vocations. Other fruits have been evangelization, peace, return to prayer of the children and those around them, rebuilding of the Church physically and spiritually. Indeed we have seen abundant graces flowing.  On this Vocation Sunday, I would like to thank in a special way God the Father for calling these souls to a life of prayer and service through priesthood and religious life.  

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
A Window to the World Through Prayer
Resources to Help Begin a Group

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. This group meets each Wednesday and Saturday at 7PM. 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.

Mass Offered for Seminarians on April 1, 2017

A Mass was offered today for all seminarians that they will grow in holiness and lead us all in love. Every month we have a Mass offered for this intention. 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 have been periodically featuring different seminarians on the first of the month by inviting them to share something of themselves - a beautiful sharing of faith and love of Our Lord.



Today, when one would expect the warmth of spring, we have ice and snow falling in the Northeast part of the United States.  Yet, through this we see the beauty of spring peeking through. Just so there is great beauty in the hearts of men saying, "Yes" to a life in service of Our Lord. Today we would like to share the stories of two such men.  These are beautiful stories and I hope many will want to share these with their children and also pray for these young men.


Kevin Camilo
"Hello, my name is Kevin Camilo, and I am currently in my sophomore year of the minor seminary studying for the Archdiocese of New York. I was born on September 19, 1995 in Brooklyn New York. I lived there for most of my life before spending some time in Missouri, California, and settled back again in New York. My mother was always very devout and she tried her best to instill the faith in my siblings and I. Now I first felt the call to the priesthood when I was about 10 years old. I have memories of looking at the priest all wide eyed as he would elevate the body and blood of Jesus. As I went through middle school into high school I put the idea of priesthood more and more on the back burner, until I found myself walking somewhat far from God. During my senior years of high school, the good Lord called me back to Himself and I rediscovered the faith of my mother and the love of that God had for me. As I started to practice the faith and take responsibility for it, our Lord once again brought the thought of priesthood back to my mind. I ran away at first but after a while the love of God caught up with me and with great peace I realized that this was something I had to at least take a look at. So I spoke to my parish priest and he spoke to me about what a vocation is and what it means to feel called to the priesthood. After about two years I decided to take the leap of faith and apply for the seminary. By the goodness of God, I was accepted and not a day goes by that I regret it. Seminary life is not without out its difficulties and even doubts at times, but I know that God is always faithful and more and more He has become my daily strength regardless of where He may lead me."

Niall McDonagh

Childhood
"I was born in Westminster, London, to Irish parents in 1984. I am the middle child of three boys. I received the sacraments as I attended Catholic Primary and Secondary school. My mother brought me to mass as a child, and did her best to ensure I was exposed to the faith. 
My priority as a child was soccer, either watching it or playing it. Like most young boys it was always my dream to be a professional soccer player.

Moved to Ireland as a 14 year old
My family and I moved to Galway, Ireland, in my teens. I found this initial move hard to take. As with most teens all you want to do is fit in with the crowd, at that age your peers mean everything to you. Playing a high standard of soccer allowed me to make friends and feel accepted among my peers. I was captain of the school soccer team. As I made friends I developed a social life at a young age and my Catholic faith played no role in my life.
School was becoming less important to me as my social life was taking over. I received a sport soccer scholarship while at university. I had a girlfriend, many friends and popularity. Mass and prayer were not things I would have wasted my time with! My lifestyle was earning me popularity for the wrong reasons, and I was beginning to isolate myself from the rest of my family.

Over the space of 9 months my life was turned upside down.

I left the University course I was studying as I realized it wasn’t for me. Shortly after, while playing a soccer match I sustained a serious leg injury. I was on the wrong end of a bad tackle, and broke my leg severely, it was a compound fracture of my tibia and fibula. I had three surgeries, where I had a metal rod inserted through my knee and 4 screws to hold it in place. This was a painful experience for me on many levels. My priorities were really challenged, as I had lived for playing soccer, and it had been taken away from me.

Then the dreaded news came, "Niall, worst case scenario, we are going to amputate your leg." This news hit me badly, it was like a knife to my heart. My biggest worry up to that point was what soccer team I would sign for, and now I was faced with the prospect of having my leg amputated. 

The night before the surgery while lying in my hospital bed, I really started to enter myself for the first time in years. I began to ask questions regarding my existence, "Why is this happening to me?" "What's this life all about"?!  For the first time in years I began to pray, "God if you are real then please save my leg. I’ll be good from now on and I’ll change my life, please help me"...and thank God after three more surgeries and plastic surgery, my leg made a recovery. For some reason I believed that God had heard my prayer.

Conversion

After this event that occurred in my life I began to seek out a meaning and purpose to my existence. I had a Bible that I began to read regularly. I began to compare passages in the Bible to my own life, and the more my existence started to make sense. I became more curious about my faith and regularly discussed it with my mother, and started to attend Catholic events.

I had by this time established a prayer life and a relationship with God. My focus was changing from the materialistic things of today’s world to Christ himself.

I dedicated my time to helping the homeless, reading and learning more about my faith. In 2014 I came to the South Bronx, New York to work with the Missionaries of Charity in a homeless shelter. It was while serving the homeless and the forgotten that I felt the Lord inviting me to discern my vocation at a deeper level. In 2015 I entered seminary for the Archdiocese of New York.

Reflecting on my life, it is evident that invoking the Saints has played a pivotal role on this journey. Praying to Ignatius Loyola, who also found God through a leg injury brings me great courage. St Damien of Molokai, the ‘suffering servant’ who lived and died with lepers exiled on the island of Molokai, is a true example for me, an example of how to live with joy and solidarity with the outcasts of the world. St. Teresa of Kolkata, and my experiences with her congregation, has laid a foundation for my faith ‘to do small things with love’ and to ‘see Christ in everyone.’ And my devotion to our Blessed Mother, has brought me closer to her son Jesus.

I feel it must be mentioned that none of the above took place on my own merit, but simply by God’s grace working in my life. Surrendering my own will, and cooperating with God, has brought me on a journey that I could never have imagined. I have done nothing to deserve the way He has blessed me, or the way He continues to act in my life. There has been a major transformation, and a complete renewal of my mind, and none of it has been my doing, but simply saying yes, and surrendering my will to Him. I hope to always wholeheartedly try, with the grace that I receive, to do the will of God."

A special thank you to Kevin Camilo and Naill McDonagh for sharing their beautiful vocation stories. Please keep them in your prayers.

Other Posts you May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
"When the Impossible Becomes Possible"
Tears of Joy

Patience When Answering the Call

Today while walking home from confession my eight year old son asked me if there was a particular school one has to go to become a priest.  I told him yes it is called a seminary.  He asked if he could enter that school now.  I told him unfortunately you have to graduate from high school first.  He asked when that would be and I told him he would be 18 years old.  To Kostin who is only 8 years old this seemed like a lifetime.  Well actually it is a lifetime to him as it is more time then he has actually be alive.  He said in a pleading voice that he wants to enter that school now as he so much wants to be a priest.  This is not the first time Kostin has expressed an interest in becoming a priest.  He has been talking about it since he was 6 but this summer he has become decided on it.

He has mentioned to me in the past that he is worried he will forget how much he wants to be a priest when he is old enough to become a priest.  Today as we walked home I suggested he write a letter to himself which we will seal and have him open when he is 18.  When we got home Kostin began writing and drawing.  He told me part of what he wanted to write was a picture.  Part of the picture would have a sun with an arrow pointing to it.  When I came back in the room the letter and picture were done and he had made an envelope already with a piece of paper.  He put the letter in and sealed it with tape.  He was very private about what was inside but he was purposeful and decided about it whatever it contains.  Kostin's experiences seem to be paralleling those of a dear friend who is also a member of the children's rosary.  She, however is 26 year old.  Her pursuits to find an order of nuns to join have not been fruitful.  She has found it difficult to find where she fits but inside her heart there is a deep longing to consecrate herself to Jesus.  She shares with me the pain that waiting brings.  To find fulfillment each day is a struggle when your heart seems to be calling you to a vocation.  Caitlin and Kostin share another thing, they both have a child's spirit.  Both are innocent to the world in many ways and look to the Lord for guidance in all that they do.  The struggles that they experience remind me of poor St. Rita who for years tried to enter a covenant after her husband died.  It was not until she was miraculously transported within the walks of a convent that she was finally accepted.  St. Faustina, too, experienced rejection from the first covenants that she tried to enter.

I pondered today on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows why Our Lord places in certain hearts a burning desire to join Him in a consecrated life yet also commands them to wait, in some cases years.  I then think of His dear Blessed Mother who He loved beyond imagining and yet she herself had her heart pieced seven times.  Could it be that those chosen souls who are given the gift of suffering and longing are meant to reside in a special place in the Heart of Jesus.

Honoring Our Lady of Sorrows
Graces given to those who honor the sorrows of Mary
Litany to Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady Makes up for Our Deficiencies

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

About six weeks ago my son Kostin leaned over at Mass and said he had made up his mind what he wanted to be when he grew up.  I said what is it.  He said a priest.  Although Kostin had spoken about this for some time there was a new deeper conviction in his voice and a certainty.  He said he had some questions and wished he could read a book about priests and ask some questions.  That weekend there was a notice in our bulletin about vocations with a contact number.  I left a message and for many days Kostin kept asking if the priest ever called back.  Time went by and I had forgotten about the call and I believe Kostin had forgotten as well.  Then last week the phone rang and it was Fr. Dolan who coordinates vocations for the diocese.  I told him about Kostin and his interest.  I mentioned that one of Kostin's Teachers had annonced he was going to be leaving the school to enter the seminary.  Kostin was fond of this teacher and I wondered if he might in the future be a nice mentor.  Fr. Dolan mentioned that  this young seminarian would be in his office this past Monday and did I want to bring Kostin in to meet him.  I had a doctors appointment some distance away so unfortunately this would not work.  Fr. Dolan also mentioned that Kostin's teacher would be in a seminary in Boston 2 hours from us.  As I do not drive with my disability it seemed unlikely we could make the drive to visit him anytime soon.  Fr. Dolan did offer to meet with Kostin possibly on Thursday of this week. 

Meanwhile, during the past two weeks tensions have been high here at home with Kostin our son.  Life at home seems to go in waves.  There are moments when for a moment all is at peace.  Then one child seems to want to test the waters.  Mercifully this usually brings with it better behavior from the other children as they take pleasure seeing their sibling getting in trouble. 

These past two weeks it has been Kostin who has been butting heads with myself and his father.   It is at these moments that I feel dissapointed with myself as a mother.  I remember a priest once told me to ask our Lady to make up for the love we are not able to give to our children each day.  

With all the drama with Kostin I began to feel this wasn't a good idea that he meet with the priest. 

Last night I had a thought that instead of going to my normal Parish maybe I could join a friend who likes to go to the Cathedral for 12:10 Mass on Wednesdays.  I had never been but thought as I was on vacation this might be a nice time to visit the Cathedral.  She mentioned a nice older priest, Fr. Liptack often says Mass. 

As we entered the Chapel almost all the seats were taken, only the front row seat was empty.  We all filed into the row.  The Mass began and who should walk out as the assistant for Mass but Kostin's old teacher who had entered the seminary. Kostin lit up.  He was radiant and smiling.  I thought through the Mass at how wonderful that our Lady should give Kostin this gift on her Feast Day.  After Mass we spoke with his teacher and at the end of the conversation he said I have to run because Father Dolan is going to give me a ride.  As the seminarian left I was stunned, had it been Fr. Dolan who had just said the Mass.  I had spoken to him on the phone but never had met him face to face.  I brought Alina and Kostin with me and we headed to the back of the chapel.  I found the seminarian and a priest there.  I asked if that was Father Dolan.  Indeed it was.  I introduced myself.  As soon as he heard my name a huge smile came across his face. I introduced him to Kostin.  I mentioned that this was my first time at the Cathedral.  He told me it was the first time the seminarian had assisted Mass.  I said to him that this meeting seemed like a gift from Our Lady: bringing us all together on her Feast. He said it is funny how she does that.

Because of my insecurities as a mother and the struggles I was having with Kostin I had given up on bringing Kostin to meet Fr. Dolan myself.  I also did not see how it was possible for Kostin to see his old teacher as he was leaving shortly for Boston.  Our Lady had made up for my deficiencies and saved the plan.  In reflection I realized that it was important that a connection be made between the vocation director, Kostin and also with Kostin's teacher.  I am not sure how things will turn out in the future but I do feel that the meeting was important. Our Lady sees everything.  She was able to bring us together at the Holy Eucharist on her Feast Day.  Although this story seems very long winded and I have retold it quite badly let me conclude by saying Our Lady made it very clear to me today that she is present and active in our lives.  When we are weak she helps her children.  If we give ourselves to her and her Son we have nothing to fear.  We know from Revelation that she wins the battle with satan and although he is strong and beats against us Our Lady is there to protect us. 

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!!!