The Power of One Hail Mary

I received this message in an email yesterday. I did not write this. I am just passing it on to my readers. Catholic information on Mary can be found at my post on the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Hail Mary,Full of Grace,The Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,and at the hour of death. Amen.

Millions of Catholics often say the Hail Mary. Some repeat it hastily not even thinking on the words they are saying. These following words may help some say it more thoughtfully. They can give God's Mother great joy and obtain for themselves graces that she wishes to give them.

One Hail Mary well said fills the heart of Our Lady with delight and obtains for us indescribably great graces. One Hail Mary well said gives us more graces than a thousand thoughtlessly said.

The Hail Mary is like a mine of gold that we can always take from but never exhaust. Is it hard to say the Hail Mary well? All we have to do is to know its value and understand its meaning.

St. Jerome tells us that "the truths contained in the Hail Mary are so sublime, so wonderful that no man or Angel could fully understand them."

St. Thomas Aquinas, the Prince of Theologians, "the wisest of Saints and holiest of wise men," as Leo XIII called him, preached for 40 days in Rome on the Hail Mary, filling his hearers with rapture.

Father F. Suarez, the holy and learned Jesuit, declared when dying that he would willingly give all the many learned books he wrote, all his life's labors, for the merit of one Hail Mary prayerfully and devoutly said.

St. Mechtilde, who loved our Lady very much, was one day striving to compose a beautiful prayer in her honor. Our Lady appeared to her, with the golden letters on her breast of: "Hail Mary full of grace." She said to her: "Desist, dear child, from your labor for no prayer you could possibly compose would give me the joy and delight of the Hail Mary."

A certain man found joy in saying slowly the Hail Mary. The Blessed Virgin in return appeared to him smiling and announced to him the day and hour that he should die, granting him a most holy and happy death. After death a beautiful white lily grew from his mouth having written on its petals: "Hail Mary."

Cesarius recounts a similar incident. A humble and holy monk lived in the monastery. His poor mind and memory were so weak that he could only repeat one prayer which was the "Hail Mary." After death a tree grew over his grave and on all its leaves was written: "Hail Mary."

These beautiful legends show us how much devotion to Our Lady was valued, and the power attributed to the Hail Mary devoutly prayed.

Each time that we say the Hail Mary we are repeating the very same words with which St. Gabriel the Archangel saluted Mary on the day of the Annunciation, when she was made Mother of the Son of God. Many graces and joys filled the soul of Mary at that moment.

Now when we say the Hail Mary we offer anew all these graces and joys to Our Lady and she accepts them with Immense delight. In return she gives us a share in these joys.

Once Our Lord asked St. Francis Assisi to give Him something. The Saint replied: "Dear Lord, I can give You nothing for I have already given you all, all my love." Jesus smiled and said: "Francis, give Me it all again and again, it will give Me the same pleasure."

So with our dearest Mother, she accepts from us each time we say the Hail Mary the joys and delight she received from the words of St.Gabriel.

Almighty God gave His Blessed Mother all the dignity, greatness and holiness necessary to make her His own most perfect Mother. But He also gave her all the sweetness, love, tenderness and affection necessary to make her our most loving Mother. Mary is truly and really our Mother. As children when in trouble run to their mothers for help, so ought we to run at once with unbounded confidence to Mary.

St. Bernard and many Saints said that it was never, never heard at anytime or in any place that Mary refused to hear the prayers of her children on earth. Why do we not realize this most consoling truth? Why refuse the love and consolation that God's Sweet Mother is offering us?

Is it our lamentable ignorance which deprives us of such help and consolation. To love and trust Mary is to be happy on earth now and afterwards to be happy in Heaven.

Dr. Hugh Lammer was a staunch Protestant, with strong prejudices against the Catholic Church. One day he found an explanation of the Hail Mary and read it. He was so charmed with it that he began to say it daily. Insensibly all his anti-Catholic animosity began to disappear. He became a Catholic, a holy priest and a professor of Catholic Theology in Breslau.

A priest was called to the bedside of a man who was dying in despair because of his sins. Yet he refused obstinately to go to confession. As a last recourse the priest asked him to say at least the Hail Mary after which the poor man made a sincere confession and died a holy death.

In England, a parish priest was asked to go and see a Protestant lady who was gravely ill, and who wished to become a Catholic. Asked if she had ever gone to a Catholic Church, or, if she had spoken to Catholics,or if she had read Catholic books? She replied, "No, no." All she could remember was that------when a child------she had learned from a little Catholic neighbor girl the Hail Mary, which she said every night. She was Baptized and before dying had the happiness of seeing her husband and children Baptized.

St. Gertrude tells us in her book, "Revelations" that when we thank God for the graces He has given to any Saint, we get a great share of those particular graces. What graces, then, do we not receive when we say the Hail Mary while thanking God for all the unspeakable graces He has given His Blessed Mother?

Read more >>

St. Louis de Montfort on the Rosary

FROM ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT:

"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.' 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 will 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."

Read more >>

Archbishop Sheen on the Rosary

Bishop Fulton Sheen in 1953:

“The Rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of the world and open on the substance of the next.”

Read more >>

Pray the Rosary for the Pope

Please post this graphic on your blog and let your readers know that they can post it on their blogs too! Fellow friends in Christ, between November 28th and December 1st Pope Benedict XVI will be journeying to Turkey. At this time in history, the Holy Father desperately needs our prayers. And the Rosary has been called the most powerful prayer after the Mass. At Fatima, Mary asked all mankind to "say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of [World War I]." And, concerning herself, she said, "I am the Lady of the Rosary."

Start praying the Rosary for the Pope today! I will frequently post reminders about this on my blog for the next month.

Read more >>

Praying the Rosary for Pope Benedict XVI

Fellow friends in Christ, between November 28th and December 1st the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will be visiting Turkey. At this time in history, the Holy Father desperately needs our prayers. And the Rosary has been called the most powerful prayer after the Mass. At Fatima, Mary asked all mankind to "say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of [World War I]." And, concerning herself, she said, "I am the Lady of the Rosary."

So, please I will be posting a few days before his trip all the way through December 1st. I will be posting how to pray the Rosary as well as posting the mysteries for that day. Please join me in spreading news around other Catholic blogs! Please participate!

Also, feel free to display the graphic above on your blogs. I created it for that reason. I got this idea from the suggestion of Argent by the Tiber.

Read more >>

The Rosary is a Bond to Heaven

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is celebrated each year, commemorates the great navy victory of the Christians over the Turks in 1571. At that battle, the Battle of Lepanto, sixty-five thousand men prayed the Rosary for three hours and took part in the Sacraments and Traditional Devotions. And, the Christian army prevailed that day against the Turks, although they were outnumbered by a 3:1 ratio. Following the colossal victory of the Christians, the Turks never fully recovered and never again threatened the Mediterranean Sea.

Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on that day - October 7th. It was later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. There are many other Rosary miracles including one attributed to Hiroshima and Russians pull-out of Austria.

Pray the Rosary, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus! As St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: "The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother."

The Rosary is attributed to St. Dominic in the 1200's. St. Dominic was an Augustian priest and worked for clerical reform. By age 26, St. Dominic was fighting the Albigensian Heresy, which taught that there are two Gods, marriage is a sin, and denied the Trinity, incarnation and redemption. While many others had failed to stop the spread of the heresy, St. Dominic succeeded.

In 1208, St. Dominic knelt in the little chapel of Notre Dame de La Prouille and asked Mary, the Mother of God, to save the Church. She appeared to him with a Rosary and instructed him to pray the Rosary, teach it to all who would listen, and she said that the true faith would win out. It was during one of the famous battles in southern France against the Albigensians, when St. Dominic revived the courage of the Catholic armies to victory against overwhelming numbers; he had the Rosary in his hand the entire time.

We too must pray the Rosary!!! The Rosary is the key to union with the saints in Heaven. For through the Rosary all mankind can unite and universally worship Christ and invoke the intercession of the Mother of God. We need the Rosary in our world to foster peace. Without the Rosary, peace will not flourish in the world. Let us follow the request of Mary at Fatima and pray the Rosary each day. Let us add it to our daily prayers along with the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours).

St. Padre Pio said, "The Rosary IS THE WEAPON." How true! With the Rosary, we can fight the powers of Satan, which foster sin, hatred, and war. The Rosary is the weapon of the Church in proclaiming unity and peace. All mankind is called to be part of the One, Universal Faith, and we are called to pray together. The Rosary has been called the second greatest prayer, second only to the Holy Mass. "The Rosary is the scourge of the devil," wrote Pope Adrian V.

We are all called to be children of the One True God. And, the disappointing thing in our world is that few people attempt to follow the Lord now. The Faith has been watered-down so much in some places of the world that it is not even recognizable as Catholic. One of the greatest scandals in the world is when someone claims to be Catholic while still supporting the non-negotiables - abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, gay marriage, or euthanasia. It is a scandal! Still, sin is perverting the world under the disguise of "reproduction freedoms" and other veils; the truth remains the same - the world is suffering from some of the greatest sins since the dawn of mankind!

We must unite against such sins with the Rosary as our weapon! Pray each day not only for unborn children but for the souls in purgatory, the dying, the Holy Father, and all poor sinners. The Rosary is a powerful bond to the Heart of Jesus through the intercession of Mary.

On May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima and continued to appear on the 13th of each month until October of 1917. On the first day the children saw "a lady, clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light more clear and intense than a crystal cup filled with sparkling water, lit by burning sunlight." Mary's request was clear, "I have come to ask you to come here for six months on the 13th day of the month, at this same hour. Later I shall say who I am and what I desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time."

Her final request that day was thus: "Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and the end of the war." On June 13, 1917, Mary revealed to them the Fatima Prayer and implored them to continue praying the Rosary. The children then saw a vision of a heart in the palm of Mary's right hand, with thorns piercing it. The three children understood it to be the Immaculate Heart of Mary - so offended by the sins of mankind - desiring reparation.

On October 13, 1917, Mary appeared again to the three children and said, "I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honour. 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." By then there were thousands of witnesses.

Mary also said, "Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended." At that, the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by 70,000 people as it danced in the sky, changed colors, and was hurled towards earth as if to destroy it.

Thus, I implore all of you to pray the Rosary as Our Lady, Mother Mary, asked of us. Please make it part of your daily prayers. Remember and truly contemplate the 15 promises of Mary to those that pray the Rosary:

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
3. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.
5. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
6. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
7. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.
8. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
9. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
10. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
11. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
12. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
13. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
14. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

(Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)

By praying to Mary, we call on her intercession. There is nothing wrong with asking Mary or any other saint alive in Heaven to pray for us. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful." -- James 5:16.

Don't think the Hail Mary is biblical? Then look to Luke, chapter 1, where the Archangel Gabriel proclaims "Hail Mary" and "blessed among women". Please, again I ask you to pray the Rosary for peace on earth and for all sinners and especially for the unborn. October is the Month of the Rosary, but please pray the Rosary each day of the year as Our Blessed Mother asked. And if you do this, your prayer life shall certainly blossom!

Read more >>

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

In 1571 the Christian army, after intense devotion with the Rosary, suceeded in one of the greatest naval victories in the Battle of Lepanto against the powerful Turks. The sixty-five thousand men prayed the Rosary for three hours. Finally, after these devotions, the men were given absolution (forgiveness of their sins). The Turks had nearly three times more troops. The winds were against the Christians and the conditions were poor, but after the devotions ended, the winds, at the very start of battle, aided the Christians to a colossal victory against the Turks. This was one of the greatest naval upsets in history, from this, the Turks never fully recovered and their threat in the Mediterranean Sea ended.

Following this victory, Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victories on October 7th. The name was later changed to its present form - the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: "The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother." There are many other miracles included one attributed to Hiroshima.

The reason why the Russians pulled out of Austria in 1948 is also attributed to the Rosary Campaign there where 1/10 of the population prayed the Rosary daily for the withdrawl; it came on May 13, 1955, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, when the Russians signed the accord to leave Austria, and no one was injured at all.

St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: "The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother."

Read more >>

The Value of the Rosary by Fr. Gabriel Amorth

The Hail Mary - The Value of the Rosary. 

Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican writes:

One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism: "Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so effective is that the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the Holy Trinity, and is a meditation centered on Christ.
I write in addition to the above: Please enunciate each word of the Rosary clearly and distinctly. Do not trample on the heels' of the words of anyone with your words. Do not speak over the leader, if you are following, or the responders if you are leading the Rosary. Remember that they also are having a conversation with Mary Our Mother and it is not polite to speak when someone else is speaking.

In the case of the public Rosary there are only two people speaking, the Leader and the Responders. Each are speaking to their Mother and listening carefully to her response within their hearts as they meditate on the scene before them in their consideration of the mystery being spoken of and interpreted and translated into their lives. Spread this powerful prayer of exorcism, The Rosary which contains the Our Father, the Perfect Prayer, prayed five times in the recitation of each set of the Rosary's Mysteries, backed up by the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays with us as we pray 53 Hail Marys. The Eternal Father described to a group of us, through a Visionary Friend of mine, what happens when we pray the Rosary, saying, "When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now....., the Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so shebrings Jesus with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with Him.

And where the Holy Trinity is all of creation is and you are surrounded by such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of Grace with her hands out-stretched. Rays of light emit from her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces.

This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time,Your Mother.

Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of these graces."He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan." Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?"

Read more >>

Completed the 54-Day Rosary Novena

This past May I began the Double Great Novena, it is a 54-Day long Novena of Rosaries. I prayed the Rosary each day for several intentions. Many of them were for people I only know online so I do not know if my prayers were answered. But, I do know that two prayers that I earnestly prayed for where answered

1. My mother's ankle problem was completed corrected
2. A blog reader of mine got the job-of-a-lifetime

It is a wonderful devotion and because of it, I was making time to pray the Rosary daily. I'm so thankful for this devotion. If you would like to read more on this devotion, please read my original post on it.

Read more >>

The Rosary For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

On the Cross:

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If Thou, O Lord wilt mark iniquities; Lord who shall stand it? For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason
of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning-watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him plentiful redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Eternal rest give unto them. O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. From the gate of hell. Deliver their souls, O Lord. May they rest in peace. Amen. O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto Thee. The Lord be with you. And with thy Spirit. Let us Pray: O God the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, we beseech Thee to grant to the souls of thy servants the remission of their sins, so that by our prayers they may obtain pardon for which they long. O Lord, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May they rest in peace. Amen.

On Large Beads:

Eternal rest give to them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

Three Small Beads:

Act of Faith: My God, I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth
itself

Act of Hope: My God, I hope in Thee because Thou art infinitely good

Act of Charity: My God, I love Thee with my whole heart and above
all things because Thou art infinitely perfect.

On Small Beads:
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation.

At the end:

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us. St. Joseph, model and patron of those who love the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

Purgatory exists! I encourage the saying of this prayer for all of the pour souls there. We could very well end up there one day ourselves, and then we will need the prayers of the living too. (Photo Source)

Read more >>

Rosary Novena to Close Tiller's Abortion Mill

I am still continuing the 54-Day Rosary Novena, but I also wanted to let others know of another Rosary Novena going on right now. This is from Catholic Fire's Blog:

May 31st - Visitation of Mary to August 15th - Assumption of Mary
38 days of Petition May 31st to July 7th
39 days of Thanksgiving July 8th to August 15th

1. Daily Pray Seven Sorrows of Mary on Regular Rosary Beads.
Meditate on each mystery, as you pray 10 Hail Mary's on each decade.

First Sorrow: Simeon's Prophesy "Thy own soul shall pierce thy heart." Second: Mary and Joseph fled into Eygpt with Jesus.
Third: Jesus lost in the temple - Mary and Joseph suffered the loss of Jesus.
Fourth: Mary meets Jesus on the way of the Cross.
Fifth: Mary stood beneath the Cross and watched her Son suffer and die.
Sixth Sorrow: Mary cradles Her dead Son in Her arms.
Seventh Sorrow: Mary watched Her dead Son placed in the tomb.
Finish the 7 Sorrows Rosary as normal with the Hail Holy Queen, etc.

2. Daily Consecrate Tiller's Abortion Mill to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Use these or similar words: "I consecrate Tiller's abortion mill to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

3. Daily Accept Sufferings during the Novena to Close Tiller's abortion mill. "O Lord, I accept all sufferings during this novena, to close Tiller's abortion mill."

Promise: If during the Novena, Tiller's abortion mill is closed, I will do the best I can to create a memorial to the unborn on the sight, and help establish a procession to Our Lady of Guadalupe every year on the date of its closure.

This novena has already closed one abortion mill in Wichita, KS, but let's not stop there. Please join in to close the internationally famous Tiller's late-term abortion mill -- the place where people from all over the world come to slaughter the innocent -- the place where both women and children are murdered.

Read more >>

Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. In honor of this memorial, I created the above image. I ask you to do only one thing - answer Mary's call to pray the Rosary. She asked us to pray it each day. Even if you don't like the Rosary, please make time to say it once today.

Read more on the apparitions at Fatima

Read more >>

54 Day Rosary Novena

The "54-day Rosary Novena" is an uninterrupted series of Rosaries in honor of Our Lady, revealed to the incurably sick Fortuna Agrelli by Our Lady of Pompeii at Naples in 1884. For thirteen months Fortuna Agrelli had endured dreadful sufferings and torturous cramps; she had been given up by the most celebrated physicians.

On February 16, 1884, the afflicted girl and her relatives commenced a novena of Rosaries. The Queen of the Holy Rosary favored her with an apparition on March 3rd. Mary, sitting upon a high throne, surrounded by luminous figures, held the divine Child on her lap, and in her hand a Rosary. The Virgin Mother and the holy Infant were clad in gold-embroidered garments. They were accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. The throne was profusely decorated with flowers; the beauty of Our Lady was marvellous. Blessed Virgin said: "Child, thou has invoked me by various titles and hast always obtained favours from me. Now, since thou hast called me by that title so pleasing to me, 'Queen of the Holy Rosary,' I can no longer refuse the favour thou dost petition; for this name is most precious and dear to me. Make three novenas, and thou shalt obtain all."

Once more the Queen of the Holy Rosary appeared to her and said, Whoever desires to obtain favours from me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving."

The Novena consists of five decades of the Rosary each day for twenty-seven days in petition; then immediately five decades each day for twenty-seven days in thanksgiving, whether or not the request has been granted. The meditations vary from day to day. On the first day meditate on the Joyful Mysteries; on the second day the Sorrowful Mysteries; on the third day the Glorious Mysteries; on the fourth day meditate on the Luminous mysteries; and so on throughout the fifty-four days.

Please join me as I start this Novena today.

Read more >>

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto

Today we remember Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Just yesterday I watched the transfer of the remains of the other Fatima visionary, Sister Lucia who died in 2005, on EWTN.

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto died shortly after the Fatima apparitions from 1917. Blessed Jacinta (1910-1920) and Blessed Francisco (1908-1919) both died of influenza, and their bodies rest in Fatima today. Shortly before Francisco died, Jacinta said, "Give my greetings to Our Lord and to Our Lady and tell them that I am enduring everything they want for the conversion of sinners" All of the children offered all of their sufferings in reparation of the sins of the world.

The story of Fatima is too long to repost, so please see that post for the amazing story.

Here are some of Mary's requests from Fatima:

* "Men must stop offending Almighty God Who is already so deeply offended."
* "I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives."
* "To obtain Peace in the World you must pray--pray the Rosary every day!"
* "Pray and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell, because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them."
* "Certain fashions and styles will be introduced, that will offend Our Lord very much."
* "More souls go to Hell, because of sins against purity and chastity, than for any other reason."
* "War is a punishment for sins."
* "The Holy Father will consecrate Russia and the World to My Immaculate Heart."
* "Mary showed a vision of Hell to the children."
* "Our Lady foretold that all three children will go to Heaven."

Please say this prayer for their canonization:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly with all the powers of my soul, and I thank Thee for the Apparitions of the most Holy Virgin in Fatima which have made manifest to the world the treasures of her Immaculate Heart. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary I implore Thee -- if it should be for Thy greater glory and the good of our souls -- to glorify in the sight of Thy Holy Church Francisco and Jacinta the shepherds of Fatima, granting us through their intercession the grace which we implore. Amen.

Read more >>

The Miracles of Fatima

Where is Fatima?

In Fatima, Portugal, beginning on May 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared to three shepherd children: Lucia Santos (age 10), Francisco Marto (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7). She showed them a vision of hell while reassuring them that they would go to heaven. She called for the conversion of Russia by consecrating that nation to her Immaculate Heart. She told the children secrets that predicted the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II. One of those secrets was that “a Bishop in white”, would be shot and killed along with other believers who were climbing a mountain. She emphasized the importance for all Catholics to pray the Rosary every day.

The Apparitions:

On the 13th of each month at roughly the same hour from May till October, Mary appeared to the three children.

On May 13, 1917, the children saw "a lady, clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light clearer and more intense than a crystal cup filled with sparkling water, lit by burning sunlight." Mary's request was clear, "I have come to ask you to come here for six months on the 13th day of the month, at this same hour. Later I shall say who I am and what I desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time."

Her final request that day was thus: "Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and the end of the war." The children went about in penance receiving little support from the community - they suffered much for the truth like Mary told them.

On June 13, 1917, Mary appeared and Lucia asked her to take her to heaven. Mary said, "I will take Jacinta and Francisco shortly, but you will stay here for some time to come. Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."

She also revealed to them the Fatima Prayer and implored them to continue praying the Rosary. The children then saw a vision of a heart in the palm of Mary's right hand, with thorns piercing it. The three children understood it to be the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so offended by the sins of mankind, desiring reparation.

Roughly fifty people say this apparition and they spread the news to many others.

On July 13, 1917, Mary appeared again as promised and asked for the Rosary to continue to be said each day. Lucia asked for her name and a miracle and Mary answered, "Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see and believe."

Mary presented three secrets to the children called the Three Secrets of Fatima. The first was of a vision of hell, where she said sinners would go. She asked for continued prayer and sacrifice to save souls.

The first vision:

"She opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, Who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven. Without that, I think that we would have died of terror and fear." (From Sister Lucia's Memoirs)

Mary said, "...The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father."

The second vision was a prophecy of World War II and came with her request to consecration Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God." (Source: The Vatican)

Then Mary asked for another prayer added to the Rosary, which we pray, "O my Jesus..." The details of the third secret have never been fully revealed by the Vatican, even though they were supposed to be released in the year 1960 as requested by our Lady.

In August 1917, the three children were kidnapped and threatened with death if they did not reveal the secrets of Mary. The children refused. Mary appeared and told them to come to the spot again on the 13th.

She also said, "Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them." The children frequently rejected food and drink and remained faithful to Our Lord through Mary's requests.

On September 13, 1917, Mary appeared again and said, "Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Dolours and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on [a rope they wore for mortification and penance], but only to wear it during the daytime."

Lucia presented requests for cures for people that were ill and Mary said something that all of us can keep to heart: "Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."

The Last Apparition and the Miracle:



On October 13, 1917, Mary appeared again to the three children and said, "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." By then there were thousands of witnesses despite the fact that immediately before the apparition a storm had drenched the ground and the crowds.

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

At that, the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by 70,000 people as it danced in the sky, changed colors, and was hurled towards earth as if to destroy it.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared later on in 1929 to Sister Lucia where we requested the First Saturday Devotion to her Immaculate Heart.

Our Response

We have a responsibility to live the message of Fatima. Pray the Rosary every single day. Make the First Saturdays Devotion. Make reparation for sins - our sins, those of our family, and those of anyone else. The message of Fatima is one of prayer and penance. These must encapsulate our lives.

Read more >>

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

"Mary lived in the divine Eucharist, the center of her love. All her thoughts, words and actions sprang from It like the rays from the sun."
(St. Peter Julian Eymard)

Today - February 17 - we remember the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, who had an intense devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows. Please pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary today.

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary:

"This devotion was originated in the thirteenth century It recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son. The Seven Sorrows rosary consists of seven Hail Marys For each of the seven Sorrows. One Our Father is said before each group of seven Hail Marys: which ore separated by a medal. On the three beads of the rosary at the end three Hail Marys are said in honor of the Tears of Our Sorrowful Mother. While reciting the prayers meditate upon.

1. Prophecy of Simeon - reflect on and sympathize in the sorrow of our Blessed Lady, when she presented her Divine Child in the Temple, and heard from the aged Simeon that a sword of grief should pierce her soul on His account.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

2. Flight into Egypt - reflect on her sorrow when, to escape the cruelty of King Herod, she was forced to fly into Egypt with St. Joseph and her beloved Child.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

3. Three-day Separation from Jesus in Jerusalem - reflect on her grief, when, in returning from Jerusalem she perceived that she had lost her dear Jesus, whom she sought sorrowing during three days.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

4. Meeting Christ on the Road to Calvary - reflect on her meeting her Divine Son, all bruised and mangled, carrying His cross to Calvary, and seeing Him fall under His heavy weight.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ - reflect on her standing by when her Divine Son was lifted up on the cross, and the blood flowed in streams from His sacred wounds.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

6. Our Lord is Taken Down from the Cross (Pieta) - reflect on her sorrow, when her Divine Son was taken down from the cross, and she received Him into her arms.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

7. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is Buried in the Tomb - contemplate her following His sacred body, as it was borne by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, to the sepulcher, enclosed there, and hidden from her sight.
Our Father, Seven Hail Mary's

3 Hail Mary's in honor of the Sorrowful tears of Our Lady

V. Pray for us, O most Sorrowful Virgin
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Savior of the world, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost for ever and ever. Amen."

(Source: Catholic Culture)

Image Source: Image believed to be in the Public Domain

Read more >>

Special Rosary Today for the Philippines

The Philippines has a bill in their Government that would promote artificial contraception and establish a 2 child per limit for each family. This policy has caused China to force abortions and sterilizations.

Please, the Philippines are 87% Catholic, let us pray against this. Please join me in a special Rosary today. "Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world" (Pope Pius IX). The Rosary is extremely powerful. Pope John Paul ll called it the second greatest prayer after the Holy Mass. Please join me today for a special Rosary for the Philippines.

Please spread the word!

Read more >>

Mysteries of the Rosary

 Our Lady of the Rosary by A. Ciampelli

The following Rosary Mysteries correspond to a specific virtue.  As you pray the mystery, beseech our Lord through our Lady to grant you that virtue.

Joyful (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday):

• The Annunciation: Humility 
• The Visitation: Charity 
• The Birth of Our Lord: Poverty, or detachment from the world 
• The Presentation of Our Lord: Purity of heart, obedience 
• The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple: Piety 

Sorrowful (Tuesday and Friday):

• The Agony in the Garden: Contrition for our sins 
• The Scourging at the Pillar: Mortification of our senses 
• The Crowning with Thorns: Interior mortification 
• The Carrying of the Cross: Patience under crosses 
• The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord: That we may die to ourselves 

Glorious (Wednesday and Sunday):

• The Resurrection: Conversion of heart 
• The Ascension: A desire for heaven 
• The Coming of the Holy Ghost: The Gifts of the Holy Ghost 
• The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven: Devotion to Mary 
• The Coronation of our Blessed Mother: Eternal happiness

Read more >>

Martin Luther Had a Devotion to Mary

Although I disagree firmly with many things that Martin Luther as a heretic did, I think that many Protestants don't even know how much he still held a strong devotion to Mother Mary. Martin Luther did many bad things for Christ by altering many of the Church's teachings.

"Luther denied tradition; the divine authority of the Papacy; that councils were infallible; that original justice was a supernatural gift; that human nature remained essentially the same in its powers after the fall of Adam; that man, after the fall, can produce any good works; held that man sins in whatever he does; that the sins of the just are covered by faith and not done away with; maintained that all works of sinners are sins; denied free-will; all the Sacraments except Baptism and the Eucharist; transubstantiation; the Sacrifice of the Mass; purgatory and the utility of praying to the Saints; he maintained that vows are made to the devil; that concupiscence is invincible; that the sensual instincts are irrepressible, and held that the gratification of sexual propensities is as natural and inexorable as the performance of any of the physiological necessities of our being.

Lutheranism in general and all the Protestant sects that developed from it were condemned by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). "

(Source: Catholic Truth Publications)

But Martin Luther, surprisingly still was very devoted to the rosary and Mother Mary.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

Read more >>

Miracles of the Rosary

"Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world." Pope Pius IX

The Rosary goes back to the very first centuries when the early Christians recited the 150 consecutive Hail Mary's to the Blessed Virgin, though it was done without the beads that we use today. This devotion was known in the early Church as the 150 psalms to Jesus and Mary, prefigured by the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament.

In 1214 the Blessed Virgin actually appeared to St. Dominic in his chapel and handed him the beads of the Rosary with the commission that he spread this age-old devotion throughout the world. Through the power of the Rosary he went about preaching and converting thousands everywhere, as he cast out devils, cured the sick, and even raised the dead to life on three occasions. And to think that we have these pearls of grace at our disposal today. With the Rosary we hold the power of God in our hands.

No Catholic should be ignorant of the Rosary. While not required under penalty of sin, all Catholics should nevertheless make it a part of their routine to offer at least five decades of the Holy Rosary every single day, as our Blessed Mother requested in 1917. This request was accompanied by miracles as further proof of their supernatural origin.

Some of the many Rosary miracles include:

1. The Miracle during the Battle of Lepanto
2. The Rosary Miracle at Hiroshima
3. The Miracle of the Sun
4. The Expelling of the Soviets from Austria

Read more >>