Novena to Servant of God Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan of Vietnam

Recently Tran, one of our Children's Rosary group leaders in Bien Hoa City Vietnam, asked if we could invite, Servant of God Cardinal Francis Xavier, to be a member of the Children's Rosary. He hoped that we might add him to the list of Saints we have prayed to for our Children's Rosary intention. Cardinal Francis Xavier is well known in Vietnam but possibly less known in other parts of the world. Tran shared some of his background. His life is a beautiful example of love, mercy and sacrifice. Tran also shared that he has a second class relic of Servant of God Cardinal Francis Xavier. 

Tran wanted to invite others to join him in a nine day Novena to begin November first, the Feast of All Saints. He promised to pray before the relic of Cardinal Francis Xavier for the members of the Children's Rosary and also those joining in the Novena.  

This seemed a beautiful invitation from Tran who yet only 16 years old, has tried to both continue the Children's Rosary group in this parish and spread the Children's Rosary. This after the death of his beloved Pastor Fr. Augustine in August. Tran, following in the example of his late Pastor has shared prayers for the members of the Children's Rosary before many relics of saints. As the Children's Rosary grows and more individuals from other parts of the world join, we have the wonderful blessing to know of many saints that otherwise we might be unfamiliar with in our home countries.  How beautiful to have this sharing of faith. It was our hope to invite all the Saints in Heaven to be a part of the Children's Rosary and to intercede for us. Slowly we are trying to move toward that goal.

Background

Cardinal Francis Xavier was born in Vietnam on April 17, 1928. He was brought up in a Catholic home and was introduced the life of St. Therese of Lisieux by his mother when he was a child. He was ordained a priest in 1953. In 1975, on the Feast of the Assumption, he was detained and held in house arrest. Without a trial, he was taken to North Vietnam where he was imprisoned for his Religious beliefs. He spent 13 years in prison and 9 of which were in solitary confinement. He was released on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady. Despite the religious persecution he experienced he lived a spirit of forgiveness and preached reconciliation. In the year 2000 he was invited by Pope St. John Paul II to preach a Lenten retreat to the Curia. The Holy Father had a private audience with Cardinal Francis Xavier and gave him a chalice. Cardinal Francis Xavier said, "Twenty-four years ago, I said Mass with three drops of wine and one drop of water in the palm of my hand, I never would have thought that today the Holy Father would give me a gilt chalice. Our Lord is great indeed and so is his love”. Cardinal Francis Xavier died on September 16, 2002 in Rome.

Prayer for Beatification

16 Sep 2007 | The Most Reverend Giampaolo Crepaldi

O mighty and eternal God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
I offer thanks for giving to the Church
the heroic testimony
of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân.

The suffering he experienced in prison,
which he united with the crucified Christ
and commended to the maternal protection of Mary,
is for the Church and the world
a shining witness of unity and forgiveness,
and of justice and peace.

His loving person and his Episcopal ministry
radiate the light of faith,
the enthusiasm of hope and the warmth of love.

Now, my Lord,
through his intercession
and according to your will,
grant me the grace I am imploring
in the hope that he will soon be elevated
to the honour of sainthood.

Amen. (source: Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan Foundation)

Children's Rosary Intention

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 SERVANT OF GOD CARDINAL FRANCIS XAVIER TO CHOOSE AN INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY OR A PRIEST, ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CHILDREN’S ROSARY GROUP TO LEAD IN THEIR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. DEAR CARDINAL FRANCIS XAVIER, PRAY FOR OUR EXTENDED GROUP THAT WE MAY EMBODY THE VIRTUES YOU EXEMPLIFIED HERE ON EARTH.

To become a member of the Children's Rosary one only has to tell the Lord in their heart of their desire to be a part of our group.  You will then be included in all the novenas being said and all of the rosaries being prayed daily.

To Join the novena please say the prayer for Beatification above and the intention in bold for nine days. We will be starting the Novena on November 1, 2016 and concluding on November 9, 2016. However, if you are not able to begin with us on this date we still invite you to pray the Novena at a later date.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
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New Children's Rosary at St. Anne School

This week we received a picture from our new Children's Rosary group at St. Anne Catholic School in Beaumont, Texas USA. They held their first meeting on October 7th 2016. The group was Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary at the first meeting. In this way the group is under the protection and guidance of Christ and His Mother. The group has chosen to meet weekly on Fridays before school from 7:15-7:45 AM CT. In the picture above you can see the roses placed before the feet of Our Lady during their Children's Rosary.  In addition to the prayers and roses the children give to Our Lady each week they make the added sacrifice to get up a bit early on Fridays to join her in prayer. What joy must exist in Heaven to see these little ones coming together each week to kneel in prayer of the Rosary.  

A special thank you and welcome to the children of this new group! 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
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Mass Offered on October 25th 2016 for all the Members of the Children's Rosary

On the 25th of every month a Mass is offered for all members of the Children's Rosary and all those who help the Children's Rosary.  It is a small thank you to the many who have helped this prayer movement.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us so beautifully the importance of the Holy Eucharist:
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (Catechism 1324)

The picture above we recently received from our Children's Rosary group in Muhammad Pura, Pakistan. The children kneel in prayer of the Rosary during their meetings. But as children so much love to sing and dance they also enjoy this, too!

A special thank you to all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. May Our Lord bless you. Amen.

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First Children's Rosary in Uganda!

We are excited to share that we have a new Children's Rosary group in Uganda.  They met for the first time yesterday at Our Lady of Fatima (Mwera) Parish in Kiyinda Mityana Diocese.  Approximately 40 children came together for the first meeting. Fr. Jude Ssali, pictured above with the children, shared that the new group was Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. In this way the group is under the protection and guidance of Christ and his Mother.

We are so excited to welcome this new Children's Rosary group from Uganda!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
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Hello From Nigeria!

Last fall we met Fr. Paul Miapkwap at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  USA. He had traveled from his home country of Nigeria.  After hearing about the Children's Rosary he was excited to try and begin a group in his own parish. Several months later we received news from him that a group had begun at his Parish of St. John of the Cross in Shimankar. This is within the Catholic Diocese of Shendam, Plateau State Nigeria.  He reported that the children of his group have been meeting twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays from 6PM - 8PM. Father sent the picture above of he and the children.

Father Paul Miapkwap had more news to share. His Diocese has just sent him to study Missiology at the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome. Father shared that the picture above was taken just before he told the children he was leaving. The news brought on many tears, for the children will indeed miss their Pastor.  Yet the Children's Rosary group will continue he explained, and we look forward to receiving more news from Fr. Paul Miapkwap and the new Pastor.

Father had these words to share with the Children's Rosary, "Thank you for the inspiration I got..which helped to develop the spiritual life of the little children in the parish."

Praise God for such graces. We are so grateful for Fr. Miapkwap's "Yes" that helped to introduce the Children's Rosary to his Parish and we thank the children for embracing prayer with an open heart.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
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Candlelit Rosary

This week we received news from our Children's Rosary group at St. Paul's Parish in Fenton, Missouri. They hold their monthly Children's Rosary on the 13th of each month. This month they planned a special candlelit Living Rosary.  The group leader wrote that many people attended their Children's Rosary group on Tuesday evening and they had enough people so that each person was able to represent a bead of the Rosary.

This being the month of the Rosary, it has been beautiful to see so many groups sending in pictures. Each picture is different.  While the groups share the unifying bound of coming together as a prayer group to pray the Rosary, to see such glimpses into these different prayer groups is indeed very special.

Thank you all for making this month of October so special!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary 
Month of the Rosary
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The Loss of a Child

We received news this weekend that one of the children who is part of our Children's Rosary group in Rombo, Kenya died. 

This past Sunday the Children's Rosary group in Rombo traveled to the boy's home to hold their Children's Rosary (see photo above).  Several of the other Children's Rosary group leaders from the area also attended and the Pastor.  Br. Cleophus shared that the family was greatly comforted by the children coming to pray with them. The boy who passed away was just 11 years old and died of lung failure.  His sister is present in the photo praying with the other children.

Seeing this sight of the children coming together to support each other in such times of pain and struggle one sees how important such support is for children.  Children like adults suffer illness, pain and loss.  They too need support and prayers from their friends. 

The sad news continued this weekend for the Children's Rosary.  One of our Children' s Rosary group leaders, Shiny, lost her daughter tragically Sunday.  Through an accident her daughter was run over accidentally by a fire department vehicle responding to a call. She was just 19 years old.  

We ask that you keep these two young people in your prayers and their families.  Our Lord told us to take up our cross and follow Him. 

Yet when we are surrounded by love, support and prayers we can find comfort in our suffering. These families will need our prayers. It is never easy when one loses a child. In a special way Our Blessed Mother knows such pain and we ask her to come and provide solace and comfort to the mothers and fathers of these children along with their families.