Worldwide Rosary for the Unborn Oct. 18
Please participate and pass it on:
Saint Michael the Archangel Organization is coordinating a Worldwide Rosary for Unborn Babies on 18 October (Saturday).
The idea is that everyone, according to their time zones, prays the Rosary sometime between 9-10 a.m. with the intention, "For an end to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn babies." Because participants will be praying the Rosary according to the particular time zones they're in, the hope is that the earth will be circled with multiple waves of Rosaries within a 24-hour time period.
For those of us in the U.S., this prayer is especially needed; as the liberal
LA Times puts it, "Every four years, defenders of abortion rights proclaim that the fate of Roe vs. Wade hangs on the outcome of the presidential election. This year, they may be right." See also
LifeNews.com's article on the subject.
H/T to
Fr. Tim Finigan.
Labels: abortion, politics, prayer, pro-life, rosary
Rosary Roundup: Mysteries, history, and more
Some Rosary-related reads t'share:
- Helpful post from Leon Suprenant on how to keep kids engaged while praying the Rosary!
- If you're looking for an overview of the Rosary's history, read St. Dominic and the Rosary, posted by the good friars at Air Maria.
- My pal Melissa posted a touching meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries.
- "Ninety years after the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, Catholics are gearing up to commemorate its jubilee anniversary [13 October] with two thousand public square rosary rallies." Details here.
- Need some inspiration? Read this story of a blind and deaf master Rosary-maker.
Labels: prayer, rosary
CFotD: Painting of Mary's Coronation
Cool Find of the Day: I did backflips when I unexpectedly stumbled 'pon
this wonderful painting of Mary's Coronation, as it has Joseph watching! That's always how I picture this particular mystery of the Rosary, and it's one of my faves. Imagine how thrilled Joseph was to watch Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth. His heart must've felt like bursting!
My other favorite mystery is the one just prior to the Coronation, Mary's Assumption. I see that as a big ole family reunion, not just with her and Jesus, but her, Jesus, and Joseph. The Holy Family reunited! Can you imagine the joy those Holy Spouses must've felt to be together again?
Anyhoodle, jes' had to share. :-)
Labels: cfotd, joseph, mary, prayer, rosary
Have Rosary, will travel
This past Tuesday as I was plugging along, prayin' the Rosary before falling asleep, a pretty firm thought came to me out o' the blue: "Go pray the Rosary with your mom".
Huh, I thought,
that's interesting. And completely out of character for our relationship, since we never, ever prayed the Rosary together while I was growing up.
We were one of those "Catholic In Name Only" families -- we went to Sunday Mass and I got all the Sacraments like I was supposed to, but that was it. The faith was something we didn't talk about or live in any sort of meaningful way. (In fact, I taught myself how to pray the Rosary as a tyke when, rummaging through the dining room cabinet, I came across my grandmother's Rosary and was immediately drawn to it. Mind you, I didn't pray it with any sort of regularity, but every so often, I took out my little blue
Daughters of St. Paul Basic Prayers pamphlet and tried to follow its Rosary instructions.)
This was also unexpected because I had a wholly craptastical childhood. As a result, the usual mom-daughter relationship never existed between us, and it's been an ongoing struggle to develop what relationship we do have.
You can see why this thought of praying with my mom caught me by surprise.
But, no matter the weirdness, I resolved to act on it because a few years ago I learned the hard way that when God nudges, you'd better act: Some months before my dad died, I kept getting persistent thoughts of "You should call your dad", which I knew I should do. However, my relationship with him was even worse than my mom's (see aforementioned crapulent childhood), and I had zero inclination to talk with him. And since he lived half a continent away, talking by phone was really our only point of contact.
So when that late-night call came from my brother, I knew at the first ring who was calling and why, and also instantly regretted having ignored the promptings to talk with my dad.
Anyway, if ya think
I was surprised, imagine how my mom felt when I called her yesterday about this. She was astounded ... and delighted. Why, of course I could come right over! What a great idea for us to pray together! And it
was a great idea.
The visit was brief, but praying together -- actually sitting down, pulling out our Rosaries, and
praying together -- was a definite step forward in healing. No, it wasn't anything grandiose; no trumpets sounded, no Deep Mom-Daughter Moment happened, but it moved us forward One More Step. It was, at least, Something.
Labels: family, prayer, reflections, rosary
Rosary Roundup: Two neat stories
The Rosary bein' my fave prayer, I'm always on the lookout for related stories, posts, etc. So, I was delighted to read the following article about a mom using a quilt to teach her kids about the Rosary. Pretty cool!
Arkansas Catholic: Parent says rosary quilt aids in teaching prayers, virtues
by Maryanne Meyerriecks, 12 August 2006
"Greenwood mother Cassandra Poppe helps her four children learn and understand the rosary by making simple quilts with a fabric rosary using silk rose petals instead of beads. She published an activity book to share her method with other parents and teachers." Read the full article.
And I got a huge laugh outta Sister Eva-Maria's
airborne Rosary story. :-P
Labels: rosary
Booklet: 'Praying the Rosary Without Distractions'
Like many others, I've often had difficulty in keeping my mind focused while praying the Rosary. However, using the booklet,
Praying the Rosary Without Distractions, completely eliminated that problem. Priced at just US$1.50, it's also quite a bargain!
While my copy came with an insert of the Luminous Mysteries, the booklet's recently been updated to include them. (Hmm ... I just may have to order another one!) So, my description below could vary a bit from the new version.
Section 1: Our Lady's Favorite PrayerBasic description of the Rosary and its purpose.
Section 2: Difficulties That Some ExperienceDiscusses the two most common problems folks have when praying the Rosary and ways to counter them.
First difficulty:
"Some persons find praying the Rosary difficult, because they do not understand the manner in which the vocal and mental prayer of the Rosary are to be combined. ... We are not meant to focus our attention on the Hail Marys. The ten Hail Marys are only a measuring device to determine the length of time to reflect on [a particular incident] in the [life] of Jesus."
Second difficulty:
"Other people have difficulty in keeping their mind on the mystery of the Rosary they are praying. The mind tends to wander, and distracting thoughts enter in. To help solve that problem is the precise purpose of this booklet."
Section 3: Why These Particular Mysteries?Explains why, out of all the events in the Lord's life, we focus on the particular 20 mysteries.
Section 4: How to Pray the RosaryNice illustration of the Rosary, with all the prayers -- except the optional Fatima prayer -- included.
Main Body: The 20 Mysteries & ReflectionsIncludes color art for each of the 20 mysteries; for each mystery, there are 10 brief points of reflection to go with each Hail Mary.
Ending Section 1: The Rosary ConfraternityDescription of the
Confraternity and its obligations, benefits, and how to join.
Ending Section 2: Fifteen Promises of the Blessed Virgin to Christians Who Faithfully Pray the RosaryEnding Sections 3 & 4: Rosary Leaflets & LabelsDescriptions and
how to buy them.
Labels: prayer, rosary
Spiffy: Rosary bracelets from Poor Clares
Oooh,
these look loverly! :-D
I found 'em while pokin' around the site of the
Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration (Arizona). If they sound familiar, it's 'cause they're from
Mother Angelica's community!
In addition to the bracelets, they've also got some regular Rosaries. Wish there was a pic of the St. Joseph Rosary -- from the description, it sounds wunnerful. I'm also eyeing the
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament First Holy Communion Rosary Bracelet -- looks like a great gift idea for my niece, who has a birthday comin' up. ;-)
Labels: poor clares, rosary, shopping, spiffy
