Our Lady of the Holy Rosary - A Red Rose - For Sinners

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary by Guido Reni

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POOR MEN AND WOMEN who are sinners, I, a greater sinner than you, wish to give to you this rose----a crimson one, because the Precious Blood of Our Lord has fallen upon it. Please God that it will bring true fragrance into your lives----but above all may it save you from the danger that you are in. Every day unbelievers and unrepentant sinners cry: "Let us crown ourselves with roses." [1] But our cry should be: "Let us crown ourselves with roses of the Most Holy Rosary."

How different are theirs from ours! Their roses are pleasures of the flesh, worldly honors and passing riches which wilt and decay in no time, but ours, which are the Our Father and Hail Mary which we have said devoutly over and over again and to which we have added good penitential acts, will never wilt or die and they will be just as exquisite thousands of years from now as they are today.

On the contrary, sinners' roses only look like roses, while in point of fact they are cruel thorns which prick them during life by giving them pangs of conscience, at their death they pierce them with bitter regret and, still worse, in eternity, they turn to burning shafts of anger and despair. But if our roses have thorns, they are the thorns of Jesus Christ Who changes them into roses. If our roses prick us, it is only for a short time----and only in order to cure the illness of sin and to save our souls.

So by all means we should eagerly crown ourselves with these roses from Heaven, and recite the entire Rosary every day, that is to say three Rosaries each of five decades which are like three little wreaths or crowns of flowers: and there are two reasons for doing this: First of all to honor the three crowns of Jesus and Mary----Jesus' crown of grace at the time of His incarnation, His crown of thorns during His passion and His crown of glory in Heaven, and of course the three-fold crown which the Most Blessed Trinity gave Mary in Heaven.

Secondly, we should do this so that we ourselves may receive three crowns from Jesus and Mary. The first is a crown of merit during our lifetime, the second, a crown of peace at our death, and the third, a crown of glory in Heaven.

If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins "you shall receive a never fading crown of glory." [2] Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practise black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if----and mark well what I say----if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.

In this book there are several stories of great sinners who were converted through the power of the Holy Rosary. Please read and meditate upon them.

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From The Secret of the Rosary by St. Luis De Montfort, Montfort Publications

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

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"When Christ appeared to Margaret Mary and revealed His infinite charity to her, He also let her perceive a kind of sadness in Him in His complaints against the countless and grievous insults He suffered by reason of men's ingratitude.  May the words He then spoke become firmly engraved in the souls of the faithful and never be erased!" - Pope Pius XI in his Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor

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"This sovereign Spirit that operated and acted in me independently of me, had seized such absolute control over my whole spiritual and even bodily being that it was no longer in my power to command any feeling of joy or sadness except at His good pleasure; nor could I focus my mind on anything except what He presented to it." - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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"Truthfully, my dear Mother, I don't know what to say to those I love, unless I speak to them of the cross of Jesus Christ, and when I am asked what graces our Lord grants me, an unworthy sinner, I can only speak of the happiness there is in suffering with Jesus Christ, for I see nothing more precious in this life, for those who love Him, than to suffer for love of Him." - From the Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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"O my dear Mother, if its true value were known, everyone would not flee from it and reject it so freely; but on the contrary, it would be so greatly cherished and loved that everyone could find happiness only in the cross, and rest only on the cross, and would have no other wish than to die in His arms, scorned and abandoned by all." - From the Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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"All my prayers and everything I can do seem to be directed toward this goal alone, to establish reign of the Sacred Heart; and now to obtain the approbation of the request you have made to Rome on this matter.  I am not failing to ask the most sacred Virgin and our blessed Father La Colombiere to take an interest in it, and I hope he will be of very great help to us.  For, just as you are taking his place on earth, I think he also is taking yours in heaven to love and glorify this divine heart." - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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"Finally my dear Mother, it is consoling to hear the successful progress of this beautiful devotion.  (Note from me: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus)  We are informed from Lyons that it is like a Miracle to see how everyone is embracing it with fervor and eagerness.  Three or four cities have been mentioned to us where these books are going to be printed, including Marseilles.  And a thousand have been taken for that one place.  And of twenty-seven religious houses in that city, there is not one that has not accepted this devotion, and they have been so eager that some of them have erected altars, others are dedicating chapels to it; and as soon as the people of Marseilles heard about it, they urged their preachers to give them exhortations to thoroughly explain this devotion to them, which, in less than two weeks, spread so rapidly that an unbelievable number of devout persons receive Holy Communion every first Friday. And it has been said that it is going to be established in all the houses of the reverend Jesuit Fathers, who even have the young fathers who do not say Mass receive Communion every first Friday..." St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Stained Glass Window -Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

 Photo by Esther G.

Excerpts from Saint Margaret Mary by Msgr. Leon Cristani,  St. Paul Editions

Santa Teresa de Jesús

St. Teresa of Avila Writing by Antonio Acisclo Palomino

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"I know of a person to whom Our Lord wished to show what a soul was like when it committed mortal sin.  That person says that, if people could understand this, she thinks they would find it impossible to sin at all, and , rather than meet occasions of sin, would put themselves to the greatest trouble imaginable..." -excerpt from First Mansions Chapter Two

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"Humility must always be doing its work like a bee, making its honey in the hive:  without humility all will be lost." - excerpt from First Mansions Chapter Two

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On God calling us:  "...His appeals come through the conversations of good people, or from sermons, or through the reading of good books; and there are many other ways, of which you have heard, in which God calls us.  Or they come through sicknesses and trials, or by means of truth that God teaches us at times when we are engaged in prayer;  however feeble such prayers may be God values them highly..." excerpt Second Mansions Chapter One

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"Oh, humility, humility!  I do not know why I have this temptation, but whenever I hear people making so much of their times of aridity, I cannot help thinking that they are somewhat lacking in it..." - excerpt from Third Mansions, Chapter Three

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"...If we have not progressed as far as this, then, as I have said, let us practice humility, which is the ointment for our wounds; if we are truly humble, God, the Physician, will come in due course, even though He tarry, to heal us." - excerpt from Third Mansions, Chapter Two

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..."Perhaps we do not know what love is:  it would not surprise me a great deal to learn this, for love consists not in the extent of our happiness, but in the firmness of our determination to try to please God in everything and to endeavor, in allpossible ways, not to offend Him, and to pray Him ever to advance the honor and glory of His Son and the growth of the Catholic Church..." excerpt from Fourth Mansions, Chapter One

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..."The really essential thing, sisters, is that you should speak to your confessor very plainly and candidly- I do not mean here in confessing your sins, for of course you will do so then, but in describing your experiences in prayer.  For unless you do this, I cannot assure you that you are proceeding as you should or that it is God Who is teacing you.  God is very anxious for us to speak

St. Teresa protecting the 21 Carmelite Nuns
by Juan Pedro López

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Source: Interior Castles by Teresa de Ávila

Giving Thanks to God

"The picture of miner Johny Barrios put on an image of Our Lady of Fatima at La Esperanza encampment, beside the San Jose mine, near Copiapo, 800 km north of Santiago."

You can see two other photos at Helen's blog CatholicSeeking.

If it weren't for the Catholic news coverage, we would not be aware that Faith played a vital part in this miracle.

John Paul II to be beatified possibly within a year

EWTN Live - Fatima - Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. with Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR...

Dear Lady of Fatima

Practicing Holy Indifference

Baby Jesus

"Holy indifference must be practiced in things that concern natural life, such as health, sickness, beauty, ugliness, weakness, and strength; in things concerning civil life, such as honors, rank, and wealth; in the various aspects of the spiritual life, such as dryness, consolation, delight, and aridity; and in actions, and in sufferings - in sum, in every even of every kind."- St. Francis de Sales

Finding God's Will for You. Published by Sophia Press.

October 13, 1917 - The Sixth Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima

WAF Blue Army Shrine - Our Lady of Fatima

"We left home quite early, expecting that we would be delayed along the way. Masses of people thronged the roads. The rain fell in torrents. My mother, her heart torn with uncertainty as to what was going to happen, and fearing it would be the last day of my life, wanted to accompany me.

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One the way, the scenes of the previous month, still more numerous and moving, were repeated. Not even the muddy roads could prevent these people from kneeling in the most humble and suppliant of attitudes. We reached the holmoak in the Cova da Iria. Once there, moved by an interior impulse, I asked the people to shut their umbrellas and say the Rosary. A little later, we saw the flash of light, and then Our Lady appeared on the holmoak.


"What do you want of me?"

"I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."

" I have many things to ask you? the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things..."

"Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins."

Looking very sad, Our Lady said:

"Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended."

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself.

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Here, Your Excellency, is the reason why I cried out to the people to look at the sun. My aim was not to call their attention to the sun, because I was not even aware of their presence. I was moved to do so under the guidance of an interior impulse."

St. Joseph and Baby Jesus

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After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady; it seemed to me that it was Our Lady of Dolors. Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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Our Lady of Sorrows

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- Sister Lucia
Excerpt from World Apostolate of Fatima Spiritual Guide for the Salvation of Souls and World Peace, WAF USA

Purgatorian Archconfraternity

The practice of recommending to God the souls in Purgatory, that He might mitigate the great pains which they suffer, and that He may soon bring them to His glory, is most pleasing to the Lord and most profitable to us...

...But, if we wish for the aid of their prayers, it is just, it is even a duty, to relieve them by our suffrages. I say, it is even a duty: for Christian charity commands us to relieve our neighbors who stand in need of our assistance. But who among all our neighbors have so great need of our help as those holy prisoners?...

A Christian Duty by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

To learn more about the Purgatorian Archconfraternity, please visit them here.

Thank you very much for sharing Terry at Idle Speculations via Twitter.

EWTN: PHOTOS for Mother Angelica street naming

EWTN President & CEO Michael P. Warsaw and Canton, Ohio Mayor Healy at the EWTN Family Celebration Oct. 9 at the Canton Civic Center with a mayoral proclamation and the sign that will grace the newly designated “Mother Angelica Memorial Corridor,” on Market Ave. between 30th St. N.W. and 44th St. N.W. Mother Angelica, who founded EWTN, the largest religious media network in the world, is a Canton native.

EWTN President & CEO Michael P. Warsaw (left) thanks Canton City officials for naming a section of Market St. after EWTN Foundress and Canton Native Mother Angelica. Canton City Engineer Dan Moeglin (second from left), and Canton City Councilman Jim Griffin (far right), unveiled one of three signs, which will grace the street, during a ceremony attended by an estimated 3,000 people at the Canton City Center, Sat., Oct. 9. EWTN Anchor Raymond Arroyo hosted the event.

EWTN Family Prayer - For Mothers

Changes in the Papal Coat of Arms

Canton, Ohio Names Street for EWTN Foundress and Hometown Native Mother Angelica

PRESS RELEASE

For Information, Please Contact:

Oct. 12, 2010

Michelle Johnson

Director of Communications

EWTN Global Catholic Network

5817 Old Leeds Road
Irondale, Alabama 35210-2198 USA

(205) 795-5769 – Office

(205) 441-6248 ­– Cell

(205) 795-5781 – Fax

mjohnson@ewtn.com





Canton, Ohio Names Street For

EWTN Foundress and Hometown Native Mother Angelica



Irondale, AL (EWTN) – Mother Angelica, the cloistered nun who founded the EWTN Global Catholic Network, was honored by her hometown of Canton, Ohio in a ceremony Saturday night, Oct. 9 at the Canton Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. City officials – who have designated a section of Market Avenue between 30th St. N.W. and 44th St. N.W. as the “Mother Angelica Memorial Corridor” – presented EWTN President and CEO Michael P. Warsaw with the Canton City Council’s resolution and the sign that will grace the street in three places at the Saturday celebration.

The ceremony was witnessed by at least 3,000 people who were on hand for EWTN’s 2010 Family Celebration, an annual event that attracts viewers from all over the country. The event will be televised on EWTN at 6 p.m. ET, Sat., Oct. 16 and 2 p.m. ET, Sat. Oct. 23. (Find EWTN at www.ewtn.com/channelfinder.)

“Mother Angelica and all of us at EWTN are truly touched and thrilled by the recognition bestowed upon our foundress by the Mayor and the Canton City Council,” said EWTN CEO & President Michael P. Warsaw. “It is a testament to the work that Mother accomplished in her life – work from which the whole world is benefiting. We want to thank Mayor William Healy and the Canton City Council, especially Councilman Jim Griffin and City Engineer Dan Moeglin, for recognizing Mother Angelica in this way.”

The Mother Angelica Memorial Corridor will include the section of road that runs in front of Sancta Clara Monastery, where Mother made her first vows and lived out her first years as a nun. The sign includes the quote for which Mother is most famous: “Unless we are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the miraculous.”

During the Celebration’s welcome ceremony Saturday morning, Stark County Commissioner Dr. Peter Ferguson also presented Warsaw with a resolution promulgated by the Stark County Commissioners recognizing Mother Angelica’s achievements.

Excitement over EWTN’s presence in Canton was evidenced not only by the crowds at the event, but by the sold-out hotels, bus tours of sites important in Mother’s life (which attracted almost 500 people according to Barbara Gaskell, General Manger of Living Bread Radio AM 1060, an EWTN affiliate), and the widespread coverage from television, radio, print and the Internet sites across Ohio, from Cleveland to Akron to Canton. Among the highlights was NBC 3 Cleveland’s feature story, http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=152548, which noted that Mother is “the only woman in the history of broadcast television to found and lead a television network.” Their story included a clip of Mother once telling her audience, “We’re in TV, radio, shortwave, AM & FM and the Internet. Wherever there is rot, we’re there!”

The story was also front-page news in “The Repository” for two days. Canton’s hometown paper lauded the former Rita Rizzo, one of McKinley High School’s first drum majorettes, not only as the foundress of the largest religious media network in the world, but as “the only woman to found and lead a cable network” and compared the amount of time Mother logged on-air to that of Lucille Ball.

The crowd, which applauded wildly the entire weekend, was especially enthusiastic about Saturday night’s program celebrating “The Life & Legacy of Mother Angelica.” Those who worked with her from the beginning told behind-the-stories of her impact on their lives, the early days of the Network, and Mother’s unique way of preparing to go on-air. EWTN Anchor Raymond Arroyo hosted the program which included the memories of popular EWTN radio host, local Ohio celebrity, and Psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi, Mother Assumpta Long, and “Journey Home” Host Marcus Grodi – all of whom were also speakers – as well as “”Life on the Rock” Host Fr. Mark, the Irish singer “Dana,” and Event Emcee Doug Keck.

Arroyo, who has also penned several best-selling books on Mother Angelica, received a standing ovation earlier that day after regaling the crowd with hilarious stories from Mother’s past, often in a voice that perfectly mimicked the famous nun. He was followed by “Family Talk,” a question-and-answer session, that included Deacon Bill Steltemeier, Warsaw, and the Franciscan Friars.

EWTN was also honored by the presence of Birmingham, Ala. Bishop Robert J. Baker, who was celebrant and homilist at the Sat., Oct. 9 Mass, and Youngstown, Ohio Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D, who was celebrant and homilist at the Sun., Oct. 10 Mass.

Between shows, attendees including some who had fallen away from the faith or who had been atheists, thronged the “Family Talk” and “Meet the Author,” to thank Mother and the network for their conversions to the faith. While Mother could not attend the event herself, she will watch the event on television with the rest of her viewers over the next two weekends.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 29th year, is available in over 160 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.

(Editors’ Note: Images to be delivered via Photo Express or AP Commercial Wire. Select images will also be available after noon on Mon., Oct. 11 in EWTN’s Online Press Room, www.ewtn.com/media.)

-end-

Saint Damien

Saint Damien

Father Damien was canonized one year ago today by our holy father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Saint Damien pray for Hawaii.

"Admiral of the Ocean Seas"

Christopher Columbus

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"...Conditions become worse. Water turned bad, and food was running out. On October 10, some of the sailors wanted to mutiny and throw Columbus overboard. Fearlessly, Columbus faced the frightened men. He told them that God had taken care of them thus far and He would continue to watch over them. Finally his captains agreed to go for three days more before turning back. Columbus said nothing regarding this new threat.

The next day, October 11, was full of hope. A green reed was found floating in the sea--then some cane--a small board--and finally a branch covered with berries. Admiral Columbus believed surely that land was near, and he ordered a careful watch. But dusk fell, and no land had been sighted. At en o'clock that night, Columbus was on the high poop and believed he saw a light flickering in the distance. He called one of his officers who confirmed the light. The vindicated leader then led his men in singing the "Hail Holy Queen," and afterward he told them to watch well for land.

At two o'clock on the morning of October 12, a sailor aboard the Pinta saw the moonlight brightly reflected by the white sand of a beach some miles ahead of the ship. Immediately the cry of "Land! Land! was echoing throughout the little fleet. Columbus ordered the ships to stand by until morning.

When daylight came, Admiral Columbus went ashore on the island took possession of it in the names of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and called it "San Salvador..."

-From Our American Catholic Heritage by Albert J. Nevins, MM