Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

December 2015

Dear Members, Benefactors and Apostles of the Living Rosary,

With great solemnity and joy, we contemplate the Birth of Christ. All those who are saved become co-redeemers with Christ. Our lives should be a combination of faithful witness from without, and loving contemplation from within: of action and prayer, of giving and possessing, of outward witness even to the shedding of blood, and of burning charity within. Christ must be our lives. How better to live the Life of Christ, than through Catholic Action whose goal is to restore all things in Christ. What is needed today is the direct approach to men in the name of Christ. Our world is very like the world at the time of Christ. Every kind of injustice and moral depravity abounded. Through the centuries, it has been the confronting of the world with Christ and Him crucified that transformed, elevated, refined and established it in law and order. Christ’s Grace alone can renew and restore private and public life. We must be true apostles, enkindled with the fire of the Heart of Christ, strong in faith, steadfast in persecution and burning with zeal spreading everywhere the Kingdom of Christ. The greatest need today is not knowledge, but holiness.

Mary’s consent to the announcing Angel was completed and ratified when She stood at the foot of the Cross offering Her Son for the sins of men, redeeming the world with Christ and, by Her sorrows, bringing forth the children of Grace. Mary became the Mediatrix of all Graces. Through Catholic Action, we must lead souls to God. It is a continuation of the Redemption and perpetuation of the Incarnation. Every Grace is bestowed through Mary; every soul that is led to God, is led by Mary; no new stronghold of the Kingdom of Christ is established without the active co-operation of Mary. Her universal mediation forms an essential part of the continuation of that work begun by Christ and carried out by the Mystical Body of Christ.

Christ is not priest as God but as man; yet, it is the same Person Who is God and priest. Now, if Our Lord became priest at the moment of His Incarnation, it follows that His ordination must have taken place in the womb of the Virgin Mary. What temple could be more fitting? The consent of Mary was the sign for the sacred ceremony to begin. From an altar of ordination, Mary became an altar of sacrifice for, from the first moment of His human existence, living in Mary, Christ offered Himself for the restoration of the divine life of men. She it was, indeed, who prepared the Divine Victim for the Eternal Sacrifice of Calvary.
The laity is inseparably connected to the priesthood of Christ through the sacramental character of Baptism and Confirmation. This reality of the mission given to us by Christ to live united to Him in Mary, through Mary and with Mary continuing the work of His priesthood, is awesome. Mary remained a virgin before the Birth of Christ, during the Birth of Christ and after the Birth of Christ. Let us remain hidden in the womb of the most holy Virgin, where we will be protected, nourished, brought up and made to grow and, from whence, we will be brought forth to eternal glory. The image which must remain constantly impressed upon our souls, is the image of a life utterly, totally, entirely and absolutely dependent upon our Mother, the Mother of God!

Strengthened through our union of prayer and action by the Dedicated Decade which binds us all, we go forth to preach the Gospel to all peoples. All of you have a special remembrance at the Sacred Altar each day during the month of December, at the Christmas Vigil and Holy Mass during this Glorious Season of great Joy. Upon you and your family, both living and departed, we ask God’s blessing and infinite Mercy.
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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Friends of Santa Philomena Conference, Namibia – November 2015

Greetings from the Friends of Santa Philomena!

The Lord has done great things for us, Holy is His Name. I have all the reasons to praise him because the Children’s Living Rosary Conference went very well and a great number participated. Our effort to educate our Catholic children in the tradition and values of the Church has paid off, and a number of local businesses welcomed it and came to our assistance by donating food and refreshment for the event. The materials you sent brought a great joy to all of us. We pray that your strength may be doubled and renewed each morning. On behalf of the children, thank you and God bless you!

Sr. Margaret Uutoni, National Director of ULRA
Windhoek – NAMIBIAClick here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

The Sacramentals of Holy Mother the Church serve as spiritual bridges much like that of a physical bridge. Sacramentals do not save souls, but they are a means of securing heavenly help for those who use them properly and devoutly.

There is a vast difference between the Sacraments and Sacramentals: The former were instituted by Christ; Sacramentals are founded by the Church. The Sacraments produce grace directly while the Sacramentals give us the help of grace necessary to make it easy to obtain an increase in Sanctifying Grace and the forgiveness of our sins. Sacramentals must be used with confidence, reverence and abiding faith.

The Agnus Dei is the most ancient and potent Sacramental of the Church, yet it is little known today. The Agnus Dei is a wax disc impressed with the figure of a lamb and blessed by the reigning Pope in the first year of his pontificate and every seven years thereafter. They are made of pure bees wax symbolical of the human nature of Christ Who took Flesh in the most pure womb of His Blessed Mother without stain of sin; the lamb is symbolical of that Immaculate Lamb immolated on the Cross for the salvation of the human race: It is immersed in holy water, and mixed with balsam to signify the sweet savor of Christ and His chrism, which is symbolic of chastity. In days gone by, every new Bishop was provided with an Agnus Dei to carry in his Bishops mitre.

The Agnus Dei fosters piety, banishes tepidity, preserves us from vice and disposes us to virtue. This powerful Sacramental cancels venial sins and purifies the stain left by grievous sin after it has been remitted in the Sacrament of Penance. The Agnus Dei banishes evil spirits, delivers us from temptation and preserves us from eternal ruin. It is a protection from a sudden and un-provided death. It dispels fears occasioned by evil spirits. The Agnus Dei is a protection in combat and has the power to ensure victory! It delivers from poison and the snares of the wicked. It is an excellent preventive against sickness, and is most efficacious especially in cases of epilepsy. The Agnus Dei hinders the ravages of pestilence, of epidemics and of infectious disease. It quiets the winds, dissipates hurricanes and keeps away tempests. The Agnus Dei saves from shipwreck and the danger of lightening and floods. Lastly, it preserves mothers and babies from peril and obtains for mothers a safe and easy delivery.

What a lamentable woe for us to realize that the Church no longer blesses the Agnus Dei wax and so its protection and defense of the faithful and religious is lost while the ramparts of the Church remain exposed and unprotected. Let us do all we can to revive the devotion of the Agnus Dei!

O Mary, thou art especially vigilant in protecting those devoted to thee.
Defend me from the snares of the devil and keep me ever safe in thy loving care.Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

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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.

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