Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

During the month of November, the Sacred Bouquet of Requiem Masses is being offered for the departed members of each family enrolled. It is very necessary and good to help these Poor Souls in order to release them from the bondage of Purgatory and help them quickly to reach the very Heart of God.

I am organizing a Rosary Retreat at the High School this month and we have many parents pleading with us for their instruction in purity and prayer. They want to have special Masses to be arranged so that their children will find good wives and husbands, and live a married life faithful to God and to one another.

One of the chief virtues of a Child of God must be gratitude to His Father! What have we that we have not received? It is not enough to make, from time to time, a formal act of thanksgiving. Our whole life should be one of gratitude! It is by Faith we know what benefits God has showered upon us. The stronger our faith, the deeper our gratitude will be. God’s gifts to us are as varied as they are innumerable: the Sacraments, the Liturgy, His watchful Providence, His Patience and Mercy! How can we thank Him? We can do this by uniting ourselves as closely as possible with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ’s Thank-Offering to His Father. Our lives are one series of graces sent to us by God: We exist by the power of our Creator. He has given us an immortal soul, a body endowed with marvelous faculties, His Life and Death, the Church and the Sacraments. All of these are free gifts of God’s infinite goodness to us. Thanksgiving consists in three things: knowledge of the benefit received, gratitude for them, and right use of them according to the Will of God. The Heart of Jesus is perpetually pleading for us: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Daily on our Altars, Jesus is pleading for us and everyday nourishing us with His own Flesh and Blood. Yet, we are so cold and so dead, even before the Blessed Sacrament. If others neglect Him, have contempt for Him, distain and profane Him, let us at least give Him our heartfelt Gratitude: visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently, receive Holy Communion and hear Holy Mass with great devotion.

This is good instruction for the young and the old. I continue to struggle to build the church. Please help me. I am ready to do all that you ask. Winter is upon us and our little tent will be very cold. We thank you for the great work done by the Living Rosary and assure you of our blessing and prayers.

I impart to all of you, my priestly blessing:

+ In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Fr. IVAN KOLODIY
Byzantine Rite, Greek-Catholic Church, UKRAINE

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“May Christian nations seek the protection of the Mother of God with an ardor that grows greater every day! May they cling more and more to the practice of the Holy Rosary, not only as a remedy for their misfortunes, but as the very badge of Christian piety! The Rosary is the protection of the Mother of God against the enemies of the Catholic Church. To Mary, we must fly. We wish to see it offered more widely in all places and at all times! The great Virgin of the Rosary is the most potent Help of Christians.” Pope Leo XIII

Dear Apostles of the Living Rosary,

With great enthusiasm and warm affection, I greet you and give thanks to God for your united zeal in wielding well the armament of the Immaculate Conception over the enemies of Holy Mother the Church, and over souls. Your love, sacrifice and zeal, in these days of darkness and terror, are truly a beacon of light!

May the Holy Ghost be the very breath of your soul, its invincible Fortitude, essential Purity, supreme Consolation, and the most sweet and tender Delight of your life! May
He impart to you that holiness of which He is the Fount! May He give you valiant courage in the face of persecution, strengthen and sustain you in your weakness, and fill you with Sanctifying Grace to lift you above the things of this earth! And, may all these Gifts from His Divine Treasury flow with abundance into your soul through the Immaculate Heart of Mary … for this is the Will of God!

The power of the Living Rosary Association is based upon two concrete principles of the spiritual life: charity and unity. These essential Pillars of Fire are without equal. They are gifts of God the Holy Ghost and are His essence. He is the principle of unity of the Church, of Her organization, and of all the gifts conferred upon Her members. God the Holy Ghost is the source and the secret of that unity of Spirit in the bond of peace within the Church. The teaching and pronouncements made by Holy Mother the Church are to be received as sacred and canonical, whole and without question, when presented by the Vicar of Christ to the Universal Church for Her edification, Her instruction and Her sanctification.

O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore Thee. Enlighten me, guide me, console me and strengthen me! Tell me what I ought to do and give me the grace, wisdom and humility to do it without question. Thou, O Holy Ghost, are the infallible guide of the Catholic Church, unchanging and faithful, to the end of time!

Holy Mother the Church is not an individual but, rather, a Mystical Trinity and Her endowments are derived from the Divine Person of Her Head, Jesus Christ, and that Divine Person, God the Holy Ghost, Who is Her Life. She is imperishable, indivisibly One and infallible – both in Her belief and in Her teaching because the Voice of the Holy Ghost and His Illumination are immutable. Holy Mother the Church is never on trial or probation; She is never subject to science or reason, nor is She subject to the Age or to the Times. She can never be affected by the frailty or sins of the human will. What the Church was in the beginning, the Church is now, and ever shall be, in all the plentitude of Her Divine endowments, for all the operations of the Holy Spirit are perpetual and absolute.

The Voice of the Living Church, in the hour in which She declares what God has revealed, is no other than the Voice of the God the Holy Ghost and She, therefore, generates Divine Faith in those who believe. Our Lord has said, “He that heareth you, heareth Me!” The Definitions and Decrees of the Pontiffs, speaking ex-cathedra or as head of the Church and to the whole Church whether by Bull or Apostolic Letter or Encyclical, or Brief to many or to one person, undoubtedly emanate from a Divine Assistance and are infallible.

Whether the final words of science, speculation or reason ever solve the riddle of the material universe or historical evidence makes no difference to Catholic doctrine. The Judgments of the Lord are true, and are justified in and of themselves: They stand for all time.

A Saint is indeed a glorious and sublime being, but Who makes him so? THE HOLY GHOST! To Him, the Saint owes everything. God the Holy Ghost infuses Sanctifying Grace into his soul at Baptism, inundating him with wondrous light, docility, constant self-restraint and courage, distinguishing him as a creature of rare and singular nobility. He communicates strength and fervor to the will of the Saint, and lavishes him/her with the treasures of heroic virtue, miracles and mystic manifestations. The Holy Ghost moves the Church to pronounce Her beatification or solemn canonization upon the Saint in order that He may place His seal upon the glory of His servant.

From the Holy Ghost comes the sudden, inexplicable and impulsive movement among the faithful to venerate the Saint, which is a remote cause in the determination of the Church to raise that Saint to the Altar. From God the Holy Ghost, likewise, proceeds the solemn judgment of the Church, which pronounces officially upon the virtues and merits of the Saint. The judicial decision that the virtues and miracles of this Saint are authentic, and that he is worthy of public veneration, is an infallible utterance of the Vicar of Jesus Christ in prescribing the veneration of the Saint throughout the whole world, He Cannot Err! Hence, it is God the Holy Ghost Himself Who moves the Pope to pronounce this binding judgment, and it is God the Holy Ghost Who guides his action.

The Vicar of Jesus Christ solemnly raised St. Philomena to the Altar, bequeathed upon her a proper Office and crowned her with two jewels of infinite glory – her titles: Patroness of the Living Rosary and Patroness of the Children of Mary
Saint Philomena reigns in power before the throne of God today and forever. The glorious Patron of Priests, that indefatigable Confessor Who could read both heart and soul, St. Jean-Marie Vianney, tells us clearly: “To St. Philomena, God will never refuse anything, for she gave herself entirely to Christ by her virginity and her embrace of a most heroic martyrdom.” The Curé of Ars had no hesitation to admit that St. Philomena submitted to his wishes, for God Himself obeyed him every day at the Holy Altar. We imitate the Saints and obey the directives of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, in our devotion to this glorious Saint of the catacombs.

As members of the Living Rosary, we are bound by a special duty to love Saint Philomena, who is our Patroness and Protectress. While blessing Ven. Pauline-Marie Jaricot, Foundress of the Living Rosary and Propagation of the Faith, Pope Gregory XVI, spoke these binding words:

“O Powerful Saint Philomena, you are the Guardian Angel of the Association, obtain for us the Gifts of the Holy Ghost in order that we will be given the light to know the Will of God, the science of loving Him, the wisdom of discerning what pleases or displeases Him, the fear of saddening Him, and the strength to obey Him. Now, all the Living Rosary is under the patronage of Saint Philomena. Pray to this great Saint, whatever you ask of her, she will obtain for you.”

These are not my words, dear Associates, but the words of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the voice of the Holy Ghost in our regard!

Our Daily Decade, offered fervently and in union with all the members throughout the whole world, will make in our hearts a nest for the Holy Ghost. They will burn like lamps, of which God Himself is the Divine Oil that will never be extinguished. Olive oil is a symbol of intimate union with God, and the peace and charity that should ever possess us. This Divine Oil, with which our souls must be aflame, is to be bought only with the currency of humility and sacrifice; it will never spoil and will burn always for the Glory of God and for our own welfare. Oh, let us enlarge our hearts that the Holy Ghost may fill our entire being, thereby setting it afire and consuming it in His Honor! May we never dim or sully the lamp of our hearts by unnecessary contact with the world, through pride or self-will. We must ever burn with a longing for Heaven and must be consumed by pure love to sacrifice ourselves for poor sinners!

The very life and death of our holy Foundress, Ven. Pauline-Marie Jaricot, was centered in the Cross. Assailed by creditors, by rebuffs, blame and betrayal, by calumny and scorn, her faith was tested and her virtue refined to purest gold. By her confidence, her spiritual vigor, her gentleness, patience and serene acceptance of all these crosses, she climbed to the center of the Cross, there to descend into the very depths of that Divine Heart which was pierced for our salvation.

Today, united in charity, prayer and intention, the Universal Living Rosary fulfills its mission, all our hearts forming but one heart in the Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, thus constituting the Garden of Delight of God the Holy Ghost: His Paradise on earth, filled with purity and love, where all virtues blossom fresh and beautiful, sweetly perfumed and worthy of Him! Lilies of purity, violets of humility and roses of love must delight the Holy Ghost in this Garden.

Do not let your weapons fall into disuse. Do not allow yourself to be lulled into the false sleep of death. In spite of your weakness and your littleness, you must hope against all hope, and never cease to work and pray. Your most generous and persevering efforts to procure the Glory of God will have their effect in time and eternity! Your own burden will become lighter because of our union. According to our faith, we will be given our desire for the conversion of sinners, that the light of faith may penetrate every nation and every soul.

O Mary! Most humble Daughter of the Father, most pure Mother of the Son, most faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Sweet Advocate of Sinners, we bend low before thy Immaculate Heart, Tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity, Seat of Power, Wisdom and Goodness and, by thy hands, offer our hearts to the Holy Ghost, imploring thy help to spread His Kingdom to the whole world!

The hour is late! Make haste to do everything possible to bring about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Most Holy Rosary, consecrating yourself totally to Her pure and humble Heart, that God’s Will may be done, on earth as it is done in Heaven!

Please know that each and every one of you is remembered daily in my prayers and, in your charity, I beg you to remember me in yours.

PATTI MELVIN, Universal Director

SAINT PHILOMENA, PATRONESS OF THE LIVING ROSARY AND THE CHILDREN OF MARY,
PRAY FOR US WHO HAVE RECOURSE TO THEE!

“IN THE END, MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH!”

It is God’s wish that we should clearly see the conversion of Russia as a result of the merits and intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Think of it, dear family, the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will produce the fruit of the conversion of Russia.

What a magnificent importance, then, does our prayer take in bringing this about with greater haste! Many have written in to request prayers that Russia be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart, but it is the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart which will bear the fruit of the consecration and conversion of Russia.

“I want My whole Church to acknowledge this Consecration as a Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!” Our Lord’s words to Sister Lucia

In 1948, Pope Pius XII issued an Encyclical to the whole world calling upon every family and every diocese to make the Consecration. In 1952, this same Pontiff consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with the whole Church and had a Medal struck to commemorate this monumental dedication. Still, Sr. Lucia wrote that, although God was pleased with this act, it was incomplete: “But, it cannot be complete until every individual, every home, every diocese and every country consecrates itself, after the example of the Holy Father, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

CONSECRATION – OUR ANCHOR!

The principal Dogmas of our Faith are from Mary, in Mary, with Mary and through Mary. Looking at Mary, these Dogmas are read, embraced, loved and believed. She contained and contains the Gospel, which She offers to us all through the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary. There is not one single act we cannot accomplish with the help of the Immaculate. Mary is the direct way to Christ, the weapon of conquest with which to establish the reign of Jesus Christ, universally, from one end of the earth to the other! The Almighty, All-Wise and All-Powerful Redeemer, Jesus Christ, has commanded us: “Behold, Thy Mother!” Let us make haste to obey Him. Armed with the Sacred Mysteries under the guidance of Our Rosary Queen, the LIVING ROSARY is the battalion which will fight the battle of Christ. It is our solemn duty to pray faithfully our DECADE and recruit as many souls as possible to practice this devotion for the defense of Holy Mother the Church. We carry with us the treasure of Heaven. God is willing to give us all! Now, all depends upon us!

Love without Measure! Love without End!

The individual devotion of isolated souls is often a spark in the middle of darkness without the influence of a flame. Through our union of charity in praying the Living Rosary, we inject this spiritual remedy into the souls of others as Spiritual Medicine. In this way, those who are strong uphold the weak; those who are fervent inspire the lukewarm; the spiritually rich enrich the poor: Bring them ALL together and You have a FURNACE! One who prays the Rosary alone receives the graces and merits of one Rosary but, if he is united with SIXTEEN Million others, he gains the graces and merits of the whole!

Write and send us your name. We will build a list of 15 and send you the Mystery you are assigned to pray daily. Your Decade may be offered at any time of the day or night, and in any place. Our common intention remains: THE TRIUMPH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF Mary!.

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I left for Karachi on 29th October in the morning and reached there on 30th at about 2 a.m. In the morning after having a meeting with Fr. Saleh Diego, the parish priest, I visited St. Monica’s School and St. John’s School along with Bro. Afzal Ghulfam. The Living Rosary was introduced to the students and teachers; we enrolled all the teachers and students from Class-V and gave them their Decade cards and Rosaries. We also gave Miraculous Medals to the small children.

On 31st, I had a meeting with the catechists of St. John’s Parish. They were also enrolled in the Living Rosary.

In the evening, I went to Shan-e-Mariam Church, Dalmia. In spite of electricity load shedding, people had gathered in the Church. After introducing the Living Rosary, I enrolled people in the Living Rosary and immediately left for St. John’s Church where Fr. Saleh was waiting for me. They had the Coronation of Our Lady. Fr. Saleh introduced me and I explained the aim of the Living Rosary. Again, we enrolled many people.

On All Saints day, Fr. Saleh took me to the Divine Mercy Church and to St. Monica Church, where I introduced the Living Rosary and enrolled many members. Then, I went to a Church at Pehalwan Goth where Bro. Afzal Ghulfam was waiting for me. He also gave me time to introduce myself and the Living Rosary and, with his help, I registered people to the Living Rosary. It was time to leave, so I rushed to the parish house, took my bag etc. and left for railway station. I boarded the train at 1:30 p.m. and reached home the next day morning.

Thank you for all your tireless support.

God bless you,

Afzaal Khokhar
THE LIVING ROSARY – PAKISTAN

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No human tongue can worthily sing the praises of Mary. While God is sovereignly independent from His creatures, He chose to have recourse to the Immaculate Virgin Mary in order to accomplish the greatest designs of His Infinite Mercy. God sent the Archangel Gabriel to solicit her permission. The Holy Ghost miraculously fructified her virginity becoming her Spouse and the Eternal Word drew from her flesh His most Holy Body and infinitely Precious Blood and was nourished for many months while in the cradle of her arms. St. Augustine said, “The Flesh of Christ is the flesh of Mary.”

By her divine Motherhood, the Blessed Virgin Mary possesses indisputable rights over Our Savior. On earth as in Heaven, Jesus pays His Mother the entire respect and tenderness of a Son. Mary’s divine Motherhood should inspire us with unlimited confidence in her all-powerful prayers for us. At the foot of the Cross, God entrusted Mary to us as our Mother. She holds the key which opens the Heart of Jesus that the flood of His richest Graces may pour out upon the world. It is Our Lady’s role to distribute the Graces merited by the Precious Blood of her Divine Son. She refuses them to no one! Christ died for all men.

Mary saw Jesus born in a wretched stable. She was forced to flee into Egypt to guard her Precious Treasure from the murderous rage of Herod. She lost her Child in Jerusalem, finding Him only after three longs days of tears and agony. It was by suffering that Mary united herself to her dying Son for our deliverance at the Foot of the Cross. Her faith was unfailing, her confidence unshakable, and her love knew no bounds! Mary longs to open the door of our hearts so that Jesus might enter into them. In the Holy Eucharist, He communicates His infinite Life to increase the action of Sanctifying Grace within us. He causes His breath of Life to animate our hearts. He brings us His Precious Blood to quench the fires of concupiscence. Here in the Eucharist is the Miracle of His Love: the very Bread of Angels!

May the Humility of the Shepherds, the Faith of the Wise Men, the Joy of the Angels and the Peace of the Christ Child be God’s Gift to us and to all Men, this Christmas and Always!

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UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS GIFTS!

The Holy Mass Crucifix: A sturdy pewter Crucifix dedicated to St. Philomena with St. Benedict Medal on the reverse.

Cost of each = $ 60 includes shipping

St. Philomena Tote: Beautiful Tote bag with tapestry of Saint Philomena woven on both sides, full color, sturdy, height 17” and width 17”

Cost of each Tote: $ 25 plus $ 5 shipping and handling = $ 30

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Receive the Infant King into your heart and give Him to the hearts of your family and friends!

Enroll them in the Christmas Mass Bouquet: Thirty one days of Sacred Liturgies will be offered for all those who enroll in the Christmas Bouquet of Masses offered by Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and the good priests in Ukraine. Your spiritual and temporal needs, your family living and dead will be remembered at the Holy Altar every day during December. The Christmas Mass Bouquet will be crowned with a solemn High Mass on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and during the Christmas Octave. There could be no more precious gift you can give at Christmas time. We will mail the beautiful Mass cards directly to you. These may be sent along with your Christmas greeting cards or placed inside your gift packages. This is a wonderful way to keep Christ in Christmas!!!

SUGGESTED STIPEND DONATION: $5.00 each for Enrollment in the Christmas Bouquet of thirty one days of Masses: PRINT VERY CLEARLY EACH NAME!

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Make your payment online through PAYPAL / CREDIT CARD at: WWW.PHILOMENA.ORG

If payment by Check / Money Order / Cash, please mail it directly to the address below:

THE LIVING ROSARY, P.O. BOX 1303, DICKINSON, TX 77539, USAClick here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Share Your Gift of Faith

For 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.

Please Click here to Share Your Gift of Faith