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News from the Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) from Around the World Dear Friends, Cordial greetings from the new Catholic Diocese of Bo in Southern Sierra Leone! I have been in touch with Ms. Juliana Tommy. I acknowledge and appreciate the spiritual work she is engaged in, that is, of promoting the praying of the Rosary in our country which is largely Moslem. I would like to express my gratitude to you and your organization for the gifts of Rosaries, Chalice, Holy Oils, etc. that I received from Juliana after my Episcopal Ordination on 7th May this year.
Our diocese is the newest and youngest in Sierra Leone. We hope to build it up on a very solid spiritual foundation. We, therefore, kindly ask you to keep us in your prayers and help us form the people of God in this new diocese in deep spirituality. May Mary, Our Mother, Help of Christians, pray for us all! Yours in Christ, Most Rev. Charles A. M. Campbell Thank you so much for the package you sent me. St. Philomena’s cord is unbelievable! l wear it all the time. It is like my own umbilical cord that connected me to my mother! I am overjoyed with it. It is part of me now and will be forever! I have been a member from 2003 and my wife joined in 2008. Thank you for your magazine, Dedicated Decades, we both read it throughout. The spirituality of the essays deepen our faith, while the accounts of the miraculous interventions of St. Philomena and the courageous efforts of Catholics in third world countries, increase our devotion. We are sending our annual donation.
Thank you so much for your parcel. May God reward you 100-fold! Great numbers have benefited. I encourage all my students to enroll in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). We pray for all of you and we thank you! I treasure everything you send, for it gives strength to our people. Thank you for your gift of Rosaries. Today, we have many faithful who come to pray the Rosary. They live under the firm confidence in Mary and the power of the Mysteries. Countless numbers convert. The simplicity of this devotion makes it perfect for children and persons of every walk in life. Forgive my delay to send my thanks along to you. I work alone as Prior of our Dominican Mother House, Director of a school and representative of the Dominican Order in Quito. When I distribute the Rosaries you send to our people, before we begin the Holy Rosary, we pray for you first.
I mailed you 720 members and here is another photo of new members from the Madeleine Academy and our feast day celebrations for St. Philomena. Your FOREX boxes are such a support for the spread of this devotion among the suffering and poor. God bless us all!
We gather all our youths for 2 weeks out of the year and we invite speakers, resource people from the Church and government, to give guidelines to the youth. During this time, we have sports activities, Bible studies, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration, fund raising and a social night. We are happy to learn about your Youth for Purity Crusade and are eager to be a part of this work. I greet you on the Eve of St. Patrick’s Feast. May St. Patrick along with St. Philomena bring you and all your staff many graces and blessings! I am hoping you can send me some medals of St. Philomena. I work as a hospital chaplain and give out the medals. I place the children under her care. Prayers are answered in abundance! I know she is a powerful Saint. Also, I place couples who have suffered miscarriages under her protection to help them conceive. May God reward you!
Thank you for accepting our sincere request to join full membership in the ULRA. Many will be willing to join the group. I enclose a photo of our new members. We appreciate your concern for us and pray that this communion may shine forth toward accomplishing the desired mission before us, which is the salvation of the whole world.
I have presented the framed photo of St. Philomena to his Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Camilus Elukudo (SP) while the members look on. I intend to build a shrine for St. Philomena in the Port Harcourt diocese. We will need your help and prayers. Yours faithfully,
I have enrolled these young seminarians in the ULRA. I could not include everyone as many were writing their exams. Please, we need more materials for the large number of new members.
I am officially continuing to assist the youth in our parish to take part in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). It is my hope that youhave received the enrollment forms I sent and more materials will be coming to us. I am sharing photos of the youth just enrolled. The young generation and our whole community wish to be involved in the ULRA. Folks from distant villages want to take part. Please send us more materials to help spread the devotion. God bless all of you!
< Andrew – ZAMBIA > Please find 26 completed forms for membership. We are patiently waiting for more Rosaries. We thank God for the good works you do in His Name.
< Sr. Mary Florence – CAMEROON > I thank you and all your members for your tireless support of my missionary work by providing Sacramentals. We are very grateful as it is an important part of what we do here at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Heart of Mary.
< Fr. Okanya, Rector – KENYA > Thank you for the Rosaries, Medals and all the materials you send. Our ULRA groups are growing in great numbers not only in this parish but also in other parishes the priests invite me to share with them the life of St. Philomena. The bishop has invited me to teach the people about the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) and St. Philomena. We pray for all of you.
< Mathewos – ETHIOPIA >
< Michael – Nigeria, AFRICA > Our people have little money to buy books or Sacramentals. We thank you very much for all the spiritual treasures you send for our members in Romania. This is Transylvania where we still continue to have Holy Mass under the burning sun, and confessions in make-shift confessionals.
< Monica – ROMANIA > It is with great pleasure I wish to report my visit to Sri Lanka along with our Spiritual Director, Fr. Prasad Ignatius (who was appointed by our Archbishop, Most Rev. A.M. Chinnappa) from July 29 to August 1, 2011. Fr. Andrew Uthayadas, Animator of Sri Lanka organized a Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Rally on 30th July. About 150 members participated. The role of Our Lady in the Salvation of mankind and the Children of Mary’s cooperation in the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart was the theme of our Spiritual Director’s talk to the members.
On August 1, we met Most Rev. Malcolm Ranjith, Cardinal and Archbishop of Sri Lanka and discussed about the ULRA functioning in our country and recommended the petition of Fr. Andrew, Animator of Sri Lanka for the appointment of a National Spiritual Director. The Cardinal was happy to appoint Fr. Prasad Ignatius as the Spiritual Director of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Sri Lanka and he is very supportive in spreading the devotion of the ULRA in the country. It was a fruitful and worthy meeting. The prayers and reflections during the Rally were conducted in the local dialect, Sinhala and in Tamil, followed by Eucharistic benediction. Brother Joseph Roche and his Indian Spiritual Director, Fr. Prasad Ignatius, had boosted the program. The success of the ULRA Rally in Sri Lanka is due to the constant love and support of our ULRA Director, Patti Melvin. We thank you, dear Benefactors, for helping us spread the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Sri Lanka. We keep you in our prayers and in the Sacred Masses too.
Fr. Andrew with Cardinal and Fr. Prasad Ignatius
Joseph Roche with Cardina The Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Papua New Guinea
I and my family wish to enroll in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). We are interested and happy to follow your instructions, and guidelines, so that peace and harmony may come to our communities. We are all happy to become soldiers in Mary’s Holy Rosary. I am requesting for Rosaries and the holy oil of St. Philomena. Everyone loves this dear Saint, whose rope and oil are healing the sick, driving the devil out of those possessed and strengthening every one spiritually. A group of about 20 families meet every Sunday, pray the Rosary, have a Bible study and carry out social activities. I had 30 candidates for First Communion. Please send us anything you can. The demand is just great. I failed to reply and inform you about what is going on. The people in our parish badly need the sacred materials you send out to teach and strengthen the Faith. The youth turn to drugs and homebrew alcohol. This creates lots of problems in the family and society as a whole. All who call upon St. Philomena are helped. Thank you. We await your parcel! I am a seminarian and the animator of the Pontifical Missionary Childhood Group here in Port Moresby. We have 40 consecrated children who have committed themselves to the service of the Church and to the world. We have many programs that help us to be missionaries. I hope you can send for them, little pictures of St. Philomena, oils, Rosaries and Medals which will bolster their spirits to seek after the things of Heaven. We will keep in touch with you in our prayers under the guidance of St. Philomena. St. Philomena’s holy oil has cured many people in Yabob Village, Madang. Please, I beg for more. I am so glad to receive your spiritual gifts, reading materials, booklets and literature which encourage, inspire and enrich me and to share these with my people. Thanks a lot, not only for the gifts, but also for your support, care and prayer during my vocation crisis and, above all, for your love and faith. Yours in Jesus and Mary, Fr. Levi Supriyadi, SVD PARISH PRIEST St. Philomena’s Feast Day Celebration in Myanmar (Burma)
Wishing you a Happy Feast of Saint Philomena!
I am very proud to tell you that the celebration of Saint Philomena’s Feast was successful. We four priests (Kaly, Vicar Forane – Fr. Jerome as main celebrant) offered High Mass at 8 a.m. and there were about 200 faithful. Soon after Mass, we had a meeting. One girl, Helena Tee gave witness to the power of the Rosary and Infant Jesus. She recites 1,000 Decades a day. She casts out devils from those who are possessed through the power of the Holy Rosary, holy water, and holy oil and cord of St. Philomena. 26 lay persons promised to say one Rosary every day. I need more Decade numbers for enrollment. Please send me Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, holy oil and cords of St. Philomena as soon as possible for another list of members. I have already mailed the lists of new members. How about our proposal to build a chapel for St. Philomena? Here are the photos of our activities.
God Bless All of You! < Fr. Joseph Mung, Pastoral Center, Pinlon, Myanmar – ASIA > I was invited to launch the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in village Kologory, located in Lviv near the mountain. The people learned about the strength of the ULRA spirituality and invited me to form the LR group. All the village folks came to church for the Sacred Mass in honor of St. Philomena and the youth performed a concert which was dedicated to the Saint. Everybody was moved to learn how St. Philomena offered her life for Jesus Christ. 30 children participated in the performance and almost 100 faithful were present at the Sacred Mass along with members of Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) from village Kologory. “In my suffering from kidney failure and dialysis three times each week, your parcel and kind words are a great consolation. The road of pain leads to Heaven. I have to suffer. Please pray for me and know that you are remembered in my prayers.”
Fr. James Parokaran (RIP) THRISSUR – KERALA Please pray for the repose of soul of Father James. Archbishop Thazhath continues his Decade in the ULRA.
I am very happy to receive the packet containing a Crucifix, Rosaries, poster pictures of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Way of the Cross, and leaflets. I am also happy to understand that you have included my classmate, Fr. James Parokkaran (RIP), in your prayers. I am distributing the Rosaries and poster pictures to our faithful who are really devotees of Our Lady. Practically in all our Catholic houses, the Rosary is recited daily. I wish God’s blessings through the intercession of Mary for the success of your ministry for the Glory of God. With best regards, yours in Christ, X Mar Andrews Thazhath, Archbishop of Trichur, Archbishop’s House, Trichur, Kerala – INDIA I am very happy to have the DVD on the Eucharist. I am one with you in prayer that through the example of St. Philomena, every family may cultivate a great love and devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother! I am so grateful to receive materials from your Association. Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Mission in Ghana, Africa
You may see how the work is been done at our Center. Michael, Sylvester and Gabriel are so busy at typing the enrollments and filling out Decade Cards for new members. You can see how we sort out / arrange devotional items for making the packages. You may see, after packaging, how we try to decorate the packages or boxes and address label them for mailing. We finally pack them into the St. Philomena’s van, and then to the Post Office for special mailing. So sorry, the little camera I use cannot capture indoor pictures clearly. You may see me behind a lot of boxes in my office at the St. Philomena’s House!
One of the schools, we had the privilege to visit last month was the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School at Odeneho-Kwadaso. We talked much about Purity to the students who are already members of the ULRA. You can see Sr. Cecilia Salifu, headmistress with some of the staff members in the group photograph. Most Rev. Peter Paul Angkyier, the Catholic Bishop of Damongo Diocese in the Northern Region of Ghana giving me a warm welcome. Thank you, dear Benefactors and Patti, for all the love and support to the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Center in Ghana. |
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I am sending you some pictures taken at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Abuja, Nigeria where many people were assigned a Decade. There was a lot of publicity so people from other parishes and dioceses came. In fact, all the presidents from other churches helped set up a superb meeting, as for the very first time we had something to eat and drink for they were really happy with the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) for the good work it is doing in spreading the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
After Mass, the parish priest, in his message, conveyed his happiness with what we were doing and encouraged us to do more to reach out to other people who are in dire need of our united prayer. He has worked in many places but has not come across any society that is doing this much in spreading the devotion of Mary. I visited the HIV-AIDs victims. They are all happy to be a part of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA).
Dear Leader, Associates, Friends and Benefactors of the Universal Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Association, Thanks for the Rosaries and religious articles!
Fr. Prof. John Appiah Poku, on my left, is a Senior Lecturer, School of Medical Science, University of Science & Technology, Kumasi and on my right is Fr. Dr. Augustine Ntim Duodu, Vice Rector of St. Joseph’s Catholic Seminary, Mampong. They are very well recognized as the Spiritual Directors of the ULRA in Ghana, after Archbishop Emeritus Dr. Peter Sarpong and are very active and much supportive to the work of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA). They try always to travel from their various destinations to celebrate the Mass of St. Philomena with us on every feast day of the Saint at our St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica. This they have done for over the past 20 years now. They say, they deserve NO recommendation from anyone as they do all because St. Philomena is their own beloved Sister who intercedes for and refuses them NOTHING they ask through her intercession. Patti, you can see both our good Priest members at the Altar offering the Mass of St. Philomena during her last feast on May 25, 2011.
During the 1990’s, both Fathers John and Augustine use to accompany our Preaching Team for some weekend trips to other Parishes and that was so very encouraging but, nowadays, due to their heavy schedules, they cannot continue. In fact, they have done a lot for the fast spreading of the ULRA devotion here in Ghana more than any other Priest in the country. They do much to inspire me in the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) work in Ghana and other places. Moreover, they have taken the responsibility to celebrate Holy Masses for the special intentions of the ULRA, both spiritual and temporal. They love Our Lady, the Rosary, ULRA and St. Philomena as well as you, Patti and me! You and your wonderful Apostolate are always in their hearts. Many people call them Saint Philomena’s Brothers in Ghana, as I am also called Anthony Philomena. Let us continue to keep them in our daily prayers.
Tags: Association, Catholic, Filomena, Living, Philomena, Philomene, Rosary, Saint, Santa, Universal