| October 7, 2013
Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Dear Apostle of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Amidst the worst kind of anarchy, corruption and utter ruin, the Church has always found victory, not with troops or arms, but with the power of the Most Holy Rosary. We, too, may rejoice in this knowledge if we ardently and perseveringly pray the Rosary. When we have recourse to the Mother of Mercy, She is instantly at our side of Her own accord dispensing plentiful Graces from that treasure with which, from the beginning, She was divinely endowed in the fullest abundance that She might be found worthy to be the Mother of God. It is a great thing for any Saint to have Grace sufficient for the salvation of many souls; but to have enough to suffice for the salvation of everybody in the whole world, this is the greatest of all. It is impossible to say how pleasing and gratifying it is to Mary when we greet Her with the Angelic Salutation, Full of Grace! The Rosary contains the chief Mysteries of the Christian religion in an orderly fashion and impresses them upon our mind. In the places, the families and the Nations in which the Rosary of Mary retains its ancient honor, the loss of faith through ignorance and vicious error need not be feared. With suppliant hands held out to Mary, let us lift up our voices in prayer: Keep our lives spotless, make our ways secure;
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THE LIVING ROSARY – THE CROWN OF ROSES After having left the direction of the Propagation of the Faith “to those who wished to take it,” Pauline retired to pray and meditate. In 1826, Pauline founded her second great work, the work of her heart: The prestigious Living Rosary! The Propagation of the Faith and the Living Rosary were the two greatest works of the Church in the 19th Century. They will mark the history of the Church after the French Revolution. The Living Rosary experienced immense success in every class of society. Henceforth, until her death, Pauline’s life was dominated by the Living Rosary. For a period of 30 years, this simple yet hugely fertile association is her uncontested domain and personal success. (Fr. G. Naidenoff) She managed this universal work alone. Lorette, her home, was the Center. She had two chaplains and a few companions, the Daughters of Mary who, with her, led a religious life. Pauline had always been haunted with the desire of making Jesus Christ known and loved. In her day, souls had grown cold and the faith itself was threatened. It was vital to awaken in society supernatural values. How could this be done? Pauline had recourse to Mary. Many times, the Church had recommended the Holy Rosary to revive devotion, appease the wrath of God and produce the fruit of virtue in souls. But the devotion had fallen by the wayside, being left to the devout, the old or the unlettered. Many considered it a prattle of superstition. Pauline knew personally of the power of the Rosary. It was a summary of the Gospel, a history of the Life of Christ and Mary, a book opened to all, the fruit of which was plentiful tenderness of His Love and consolation abundant. She pondered how it would be possible to make this prayer agreeable for the masses. Under the inspiration of Heaven, Pauline adopted the means, which had proved so successful with the Propagation of the Faith: PRAYER, PENNY and PROPAGATION! She launched the groups of “fifteens”. Every person committed to praying one decade of the Rosary daily, meditating on a given mystery for the period of one month. She linked the spiritual inspiration to a practical organization! 15 hearts united, forming 150 roses as a crown for Jesus through Mary. Spiritually, they were all linked through intention and through their prayer of the Rosary. This Association was a union of hearts, a universal spiritual family. Each member was linked invisibly but, united, they prayed the whole Rosary, and all of them gained the merits of each rose. Pauline likened the 15 to coals ~ some were cold, some poorly lit and a few would be on fire. Bring them together and you have an inferno! She asked each member to bring in five other members. The 15’s then increased with an unbelievable speed. By the year of her death in 1862, the Living Rosary numbered over 2,250,000 in France alone. Through the Living Rosary, Pauline wanted to animate persons in a great movement of prayer. Individually, her desire was to enliven Christians. Bad books abounded which poisoned souls and plunged the faithful into lukewarmness. These five minutes of meditation daily on the mysteries of the Life of Christ could not help but warm up and vivify the hearts of men, thus producing the fruit of salvation. On an ecclesiastical level, she challenged her associates by proposing this great universal and missionary effort for the intentions of the conversion of sinners, and the preservation of the faith in France and all Catholic countries, as well as the propagation of the faith in the whole world, and the exaltation of Holy Mother the Church. Here, we have it, the enormous goal of the Living Rosary in the world. The Holy Rosary is put forth as the combat weapon par excellence! Praying the Rosary we offer to the Father the infinite merits of Jesus and Mary, we recognize the love of Christ’s Heart for mankind as the principle object of our praises. (CRY 1850) THE LIVING ROSARY UNITES US!
THOUGH WE ARE MANY, WE BECOME ONE! The work of the Living Rosary made Pauline famous. She was its mother and its queen. She exercised an influence without measure. Through her letters, her circulars and personal interviews, she communicated the super-abundance of her spiritual life. She transmitted the fire which consumed her to others. Her influence was immense. The Living Rosary was ablaze! This magnificent work of the “Daily Decade” triggered a true spiritual renewal of society in the 19th Century. The Living Rosary was the very first organization of the Church in France and the countries of Switzerland, Belgium and America, after the devastation of the French Revolution. Repeatedly, it was approved and blessed by Holy Mother the Church. In 1827, it was officially blessed by the Nuncio in France, Cardinal Lambruschini, who became its protector. Pope Gregory XVI in two formal briefs gave the Living Rosary his approval ~ January 27 and February 2, 1832. |
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Share Your Gift of FaithFor centuries, our cherished Catholic faith has been passed from person to person, parent to child, etc. Each of us carries in our heart a special memory of how God first graced us with the knowledge of the faith and how Our Blessed Mother, Saint Philomena, Venerable Pauline Jaricot and other saints changed our lives and brought us closer to Christ. In our work in the Universal Living Rosary Association, we see first hand how millions of souls are currently living without that knowledge of God and are living outside of His grace. We have been given a beautiful opportunity to carry out Christ’s work and pass on our faith and blessings to others who would otherwise never be introduced to Our Lord, the Savior of all mankind. Just as we pray for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them, we should also make it a part of our life’s mission to pass on our faith to as many souls as possible who have no one else to pass it on to them, who don’t know Our Lord and His promise of salvation.
This is the box we send out to the foreign Missions $77.95. It contains Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, Cord & Oil, Newsletters, Calendars, Catechism books, 2 TAN books, large color prints, lists and encouragement for our Promoters. |
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Your loving gift brings hope and joy to despairing hearts! Life for many is filled with great trials and much suffering. Anxious and desperate, they feel very discouraged. Browsing through the Encyclicals written by Pope Leo XIII, the feeling of desperation is overcome and we are filled with a positive plan of action which will obtain for us strength and victory. Hope is soon planted firmly in our souls, not to be uprooted!
Tags: Association, Catholic, Filomena, Living, Philomena, Philomene, Rosary, Saint, Santa, Universal