The Living Rosary, Begun
Such a woman is Pauline, who is held sacred in the Church on more than one account. Pauline's genius matured through even greater reflections. These were to be crystallized into a reality of extreme simplicity. The Living Rosary. It is to her we owe the wonderful thought of distributing amongst fifteen persons, the fifteen decades of the Rosary. In this manner she found a marvelous way to propagate devotion to the Mother of God and to unceasingly invoke her aid. Many Pontifical letters recommended and enriched with numerous indulgences, this new form of prayer which so rapidly spread through public acclamation.
"The Rosary is not a devotion to the Blessed Virgin, it is THE devotion to Mary!"
As closely as we can ascertain, Pauline very likely began this devotion within several parishes on December 8th, 1826. The beautiful devotion of the Rosary had long been left to those who called themselves 'devoted' and to the aged and sick who could do nothing else. The two-fold purpose for the creation of this Association was to save France and encourage souls to learn their faith by distributing good Catholic books. Pauline knew the enormous power of the Rosary against the forces of evil. Some objected that the repetition of the Rosary was childish and the other forms of prayer would have greater merit. To which Pauline replied, "Suppose you had been on earth when the Holy Family were living and you knew they were partial to a certain kind of flower. Wouldn't you try to get it for Them, even though you yourself preferred another!" Let us learn to appreciate the value of the Rosary which the Blessed Virgin recommends to us so strongly.
Pauline knew the enormous power of the Rosary against the forces of evil.
Pauline had the ingenious idea of making each group of 15 to consist of "the good, the mediocre and those individuals who had only good will -15 coals: one being well lighted, 3 or 4 partially so and the others not at all. Bring them all together and you have a furnace!" Father Ramiere to whom we owe the great work of the 'Apostleship of Prayer' wrote in 1862, "This admirable association makes it perfectly suited to become an instrument of zeal. The soul chosen by God to found the Propagation of the Faith, Miss Pauline Jaricot, is welcomed heartily by the Apostleship of Prayer." Each member volunteered to donate a sum of five francs a year, and to bring five other people into the Living Rosary. Most all of the bishops, either by a note or long letter, had recommended The Living Rosary as an essential association for their diocese. After the death of Pauline the members numbered in excess of 2,250,000 in France alone. Pauline herself said, "We will be united in prayer with all peoples of the universe, " -- a universal Living Rosary!
After the death of Pauline the members numbered in excess
of 2,250,000 in France alone.
Pauline animated this immense association with newsletters in which she knew how to suggest her ideas in an admirable fashion: "Lift up your hearts! Let us not concern ourselves with small personal interests; let us not waste our tears on things of small import; let us embrace the universe in the vows that we have formed. Jesus died for all men! Why weaken our hearts with less noble desires?" Pauline, faithful to her youth, brought the members into full missionary work.
Initially the gentlemen of the Central Council of The Propagation of the Faith attempted to suppress The Living Rosary for fear that it's success would be harmful to their collections. After speaking with Pauline on several occasions, they gave it their wholehearted support. Pauline loved to write. She wrote quite a lot and she wrote quite well, whether the subject was a rapturous flight of the soul, or a lengthy correction of self. She inflamed the 2 million members of the Association with her profound, ardent and practical newsletters, which caused a chaplain to write, "They are for our meetings what the Epistles of Saint Paul were to the first Christians."
She inflamed the 2 million members of the Association with her profound, ardent and practical newsletters, which caused a chaplain to write, "They are for our meetings what the Epistles of Saint Paul were to the first Christians."
In 1835 , before and then after her miraculous cure of a grave heart condition at the shrine of St. Philomena, Pauline was a glorious celebrity. She moved to a new location at Lorette from which she directed the immense Living Rosary and handled her personal fortune. This management can be seen as a stunning testimony of her knowledge, her practical spirit and the sureness of her judgment. The fact of her eventual financial misfortune can be seen as to have come from a higher source. In her darkest hours Cardinal Vallecourt wrote, "The present position of this true daughter of the Church is a problem which cannot be resolved. In all aspects, there is something so extraordinary, that one cannot help but believe it to be the great trial of predestination. "
At the height of her happiness, Jean Marie Vianny sent to Pauline a young woman who was to remain at her side to her death. This gesture proved that the Cure' of Ars knew perfectly well the spiritual personality of Pauline Jaricot. He told Maria, "I will give you a mother who will know how to make you advance in the love of Jesus Christ. "And to Pauline this note, "I am sending you a soul, which the Good Lord has surely made for Himself and for you. The Holy Virgin has preserved her up to now from all evil; therefore, guard her well in your turn and teach her to love even more Jesus and Mary."
A friend of the Jaricot family, Father Magallon, visited Pauline and to show his appreciation for the generosity he had received at the family's hands, he gave her a most unusual gift. In fact, it was beyond price, being a major relic of Philomena and the only one of it's kind in France.
"Let us pray for Philomena's canonization," Pauline suggested. "If we do, I am sure she will bless our work in many ways."