Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

Through the Power of God and during one and a half years of hard work, prayers, pennies and help from many sources, the beautiful St. John the Baptist Church is completed. Divine Providence was with us. I was able to find a good construction company who bid the job at half the price of other companies. During the construction of the Church, we had our Sacred Masses in an outside tent. We roasted in the summer and froze in the winter. The tent was taken down on January 14, 2016 and we moved inside the Church, warm and wonderful! Without the support of the Living Rosary, it would not have been possible to accomplish this in the midst of war. We continue always to pray for all the donors whose names will be embossed in the memorial plaque which will be placed at the entrance of the church. The parishioners will see your names and pray for all of you. On January 24, Bishop Ihor Vozniak, Archbishop of Lviv, consecrated the church. It may look a bit plain right now but, in time, there will be additional icons and a special place of honor will be given to St. Philomena. How great must be our confidence in God’s Power, Wisdom and Mercy!

The Catholic Church is proud of Her Rites. They are harmonized into one beautiful, polyphonic symphony for the Glory of God. The real fullness of Catholic worship cannot be understood without taking in the Rites of the East and West as one great whole. The Church is fundamentally one. This is explained in the Catechism: All members profess the same Faith, partake of the same Sacraments and are united under one and the same visible head, the Pope. The most widespread Rite of the Eastern Church is the Byzantine, and the most widespread Rite of the Western Church is the Roman. The prayers of the Divine Liturgy contain all Marian theology: Mary’s divine motherhood, her perpetual virginity, her Queenship and her mediation. The most frequent invocation in the Sacred Byzantine Liturgy is the oft repeated: Lord, have mercy!

We Christians, even the most devout, do not possess that confidence which excludes all anxiety and doubt. Fear not, our repeated imperfections, weaknesses, serious faults and relapses will not discourage God. The more miserable we are, the greater claim we have to His Mercy. “I do believe Lord, help my unbelief.” Lack of confidence, whatever its cause might be, does us much harm and deprives us of great blessings. All too often, we give way to discouragement which is more pernicious than sin itself. We must entrust our lives to the Divine Master Who has given us everything: the Treasures of His Heart, His Love, His Life and the very last drop of His Most Precious Blood! Ordinary hope is lost by despair. The hope we must have is heroic hope: Confidence fortified by Faith! Our confidence in God must be unshakable: firm, stable and constant! Such was the confidence of Job. Stricken by every possible misfortune, he did not allow himself to be discouraged: no murmuring was mixed with groaning. “Although the Lord should kill me, I will trust in Him!” St. Martin fell into the hands of robbers who would have killed him, but his hope and confidence was in the Lord. Some pray only in the time of suffering, others pray fervently, but do not persevere. Unshakable firmness in prayer is the first characteristic of confidence: Let us be confident in God, not in ourselves!

Without Grace, we can produce nothing in the supernatural order. The Apostles labored all night to catch fish, and caught nothing. But, when they received the Master into their boat, they cast their nets and attained an undeniably miraculous catch, so much so that their nets nearly broke. We must not count on our efforts, but go forward with the sure conviction that all depends upon God. We must believe blindly upon His merciful and fatherly Love and His omnipotent goodness. Confident souls obtain God’s graces! God will provide for our temporal necessities. Amidst material difficulties, even anguishing ones, we must not become disturbed. With complete certainty, we must hope to receive from the Divine Hands of God that which is necessary to maintain our lives. Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor do they reap; consider the lilies of the field, they labor not, neither do they spin. If we seek first the Kingdom of God and His Justice, all else will be given to us. Without any doubt, Divine Providence will distribute exactly the aid necessary for each one of us. For great evils, God sends great remedies! We must not trouble ourselves about the future. Do today what you can to satisfy your obligations, counting without hesitation on the aid of Divine Providence for tomorrow’s needs. To be afflicted about the future, constitutes a lack of confidence in God and wounds His loving Heart. We must conform our will in everything to His Adorable Will. It is not enough to await God’s assistance; we must ask Him for it! The Master has unhesitatingly shed His Precious Blood for us. How could He refuse us the graces that are absolutely necessary and that He Himself merited for us on Calvary?

Jesus knows our miseries, He sees them. His Heart takes pity on them. How poorly we understand the Heart of Jesus! We must confide our mortal miseries to His Merciful Heart! The soul without confidence, outrages the Lord. The confident soul, who knows its weaknesses and its own nothingness, unfailingly wins His favor. Christian souls, employ all the means at your disposal to acquire confidence! Frequently make acts of confidence in God’s Mercy. In suffering and in danger, raise your hearts and souls to the Heart of God!

We pray for your families, your courage in the difficult days which lie ahead, the gifts of wisdom, hope and confidence in God that all of you may remain faithful unto death to Our Crucified Savior Who has sacrificed His Life in reparation for our transgressions. We beg from God that His most profound benedictions may rest upon you and your family throughout the New Year.

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

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Please find enclosed two filled forms, Minutes of Meeting of St. Philomena’s Group in Njinikom Hospital and their testimonies, and $35 with 8 Mass intentions. I thank God for another opportunity He has given me to send you these through the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at La Crosse. I am sorry this opportunity came abruptly. I had no time to type the Minutes, and their testimonies.

I have given this Group the wrist cords, since the long cords are not enough. I have given them three Chaplets to pray and then pass them on from member to member to take to their families. Reading through their Minutes, you see the miracles that are happening through the devotion to Saint Philomena’s Cords and Oils.

Thank you immensely, Patti Melvin! Thanks to our Benefactors! Thanks to your Team! May God bless and reward you all! We are praying for you.

With lots of love and prayerful wishes throughout the New Year 2016 and beyond!!!

Sr. Mary Florence Angwe
St. Joseph’s Convent
Shisong – Cameroon

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

At length, the culmination of prophecy arrives. The shadow of things to come gives place to the reality, and the angel of God appears in a humble cottage of Galilee to an unknown maiden. He comes not to command but to propose, for God will not take away the freedom of His children. His proposal is this – that She, Mary of Nazareth, shall consent to become the very Mother of the Eternal God Himself. “Behold, thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son; and thou shalt call His name ‘JESUS.’ He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High.” There is a pause; then a question; then another pause. At length, She bows Her lovely head as She utters those momentous consenting words: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word.” At that moment, the Word is made Flesh and dwells amongst us.

God thought so much of Mary that He willed to make the Redemption of men dependent upon Her free consent. If She had not consented then; if, for example, She had said instead, “Lord, I am not worthy” the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity would not have taken flesh in Her. How or when we would have been redeemed, we do not know, nor is it of any importance that we should know, for our fate was safe in Mary’s keeping. To that consent of Hers, we owe Jesus, His Church, His Grace and any hope we have of attaining eternal life. The Redeemer came through Her to the rest of our poor fallen race, and He brought everything that the Faith contains. Almost immediately, the significance of this Truth becomes evident when Mary visits Her cousin, Elizabeth. On the approach of Jesus now living within Mary, the unborn precursor leaps in his mother’s womb. Elizabeth says expressly that this happens at the sound of Mary’s greeting reached her ears. John the Baptist is cleansed from original sin, only because the Savior comes to him through His Mother. Mary exercises, for the first time, Her unique prerogative as the administrator of the Treasury of Heaven: the Dispenser of all Graces.

At Bethlehem, both Shepherds and Magi find – not Jesus alone but “Mary with the Child” or “the Child with His Mother.” Later, in the Temple, Jesus and Mary are united in sorrow. He will be “a sign which men will refuse to acknowledge”; Her soul will “have a sword to pierce it.”

At Nazareth, the Hidden Life is spent with Mary and ends on the note of Mary: “His Mother kept in Her heart the memory of all this.” The Public Life of Jesus begins, is even advanced, through Mary: “There was a wedding-feast at Cana in Galilee; and Jesus’ Mother was there.” Likewise, the Public Life ends on the note of Mary. “His Mother … had taken Her stand beside the Cross of Jesus.” For the Sacrifice of Redemption, Mary provided Victim and Priest, Blood and Altar. Moreover, in the words of Pope Benedict XV:

“With Christ suffering and dying, She too suffered almost unto death. For man’s salvation, She abdicated Her rights as mother over Son. In order to appease Divine Justice, She immolated Him as far as it lay within Her power, so that we may justly say that She has, with Christ, redeemed the world.”

The work of Redemption, begun and consummated dependently on Mary, continues as long as grace is applied to the souls of men. Mary gave us the very source of grace; She continues now to obtain every grace for us. “Mary,” said Pope Benedict XIV, “is, as it were, a celestial stream, by which all heavenly gifts and graces are borne to men.” “Nothing whatever of that magnificent treasure of grace which Christ has won for us,” continues Leo XIII, “nothing is imparted except through Mary.” And, concludes Benedict XV: “The graces of every kind which we have received from the treasures of Redemption are administered by Her hands. Graces of every kind.”

Therefore, Sanctifying Grace, the life of the soul is given to us through Mary. Hence, supernatural life comes to the soul from God through Mary, just as natural life comes to the body from God through natural mothers. Mary is in truth and reality the Mother of the souls of men. We are related to Her in the supernatural order just as actually as we are related to our earthly mothers in the natural order. If it is true that we can do no good work of ourselves towards our salvation without God’s Grace, and that no Grace is given except through Mary, it must certainly be true that we can do no good work of ourselves towards our salvation apart from Mary.

Pondering these sublime truths of theology, Mary’s Child understands that they will benefit him little unless he tries to reduce them to practice in his own spiritual and apostolic life. He knows that his desire to bring Mary to the world as the infallible means of winning the world to Jesus is utterly impossible unless he has Mary in his heart. Without Her, he can neither lift himself to God nor do God’s work; with Her, he becomes capable of attaining a marvelous degree of sanctity and of possessing unbelievable power over the souls of others.

At the moment of the Annunciation, God viewed the human race through Mary; She was our representative and, as such, God became Incarnate within Her. The spiritual life of a Christian is simply the growth within him of the life and spirit of Christ. Because it is a work of grace, this new “Incarnation” does not take place without Mary. She is really the Mother of Christ; She is really the Mother of the Christian. For the daily growth of the Christ-life in the individual soul, Her consent and motherly care are just as necessary as they were when He took flesh at Nazareth. Realizing this, the Child of Mary deliberately and whole-heartedly acknowledges Mary’s position as his representative at Nazareth and on Calvary.

It was through Mary that all his actions became the actions of a Christian; Acknowledgement of Her position implies that every action of his should bear some impress of gratitude towards Her. An act of consecration once repeated would never be sufficient ratification of the things Mary did on his behalf. Our actions are only rendered supernaturally meritorious because of the grace bestowed through Mary; therefore, every action should contain some expression of the soul’s dependence on Her.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

The rational man needs the Mass to pay Almighty God the debt of homage and adoration he owes Him. The grateful man needs the Mass to pay his debt of thanksgiving. The sinful man, and who among us is without sin, needs the Mass to propitiate God’s Justice and to pay his debt of satisfaction.

The needy man needs the Mass, that praying with Jesus Christ and through Him, he may offer a prayer that is worthy of being heard and, thus, discharge his duty and debt of petition.

At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. At every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins. Assisting devoutly at Mass, you render the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, the greatest homage. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By hearing Mass, you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Mass heard by you, during life, will be of more benefit to you than many offered for you after death. Holy Mass preserves you from many dangers and misfortunes that would otherwise befall you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass and win for yourself a higher degree of glory in Heaven. At Mass, you kneel amidst the multitude of Angels who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. You receive the priest’s blessing which Our Lord Himself ratifies in Heaven. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

Nihil Obstat: P. L. Biermann, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: X George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago

The names you send for individual enrollment for the Sacred Masses during the Lenten Season and Easter Octave will be placed upon the Altar. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and all the priests you have helped in Ukraine will offer these Masses. Suggested donation for each enrollment is $5. Mass cards will be provided for the persons enrolled. Please PRINT the names CLEARLY:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 NO. 1303, DICKINSON, TEXAS – 77591

Click 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 Missi4 lb. box @ $53 (in place of $42.70), 20 lb. box @ $95 (in place of $86.25), 1 lb. package @ $22 (in place of $20)7.95. 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

I always keep you in prayers before Our Lord Jesus Christ that He may accompany you in your daily routine. I am so sorry for not being in touch for the past two years. I want you to know that I have been following the Postulancy and the Novitiate Programs with Franciscan Capuchin Brothers. Due to these engagements, communication possibilities like postage and internet services were inaccessible to me because the Communities where I have been are remote from the urban cities.

How are things with your spirituality? I hope you are doing well and I solemnly request you not to forget me and to include me in your prayers that I may persevere in my vocation.

Dear Patti, I was extremely pleased with those good presents which you along with the others rendered to me.

I implore you to assist my pastoral service as you did in the past by sending special Rosaries, Miraculous Medals, Scapulars and other Sacramentals, prayer cards, leaflets and spiritual materials which are an invitation for new Christians who are living around my location (Novitiate).

I visit the new Christians around the rural areas where it takes four hours on foot to reach these places. I am very happy to help them, as this is part of my life. Please pray for me and support me in this Living Rosary Mission.

I send my heartfelt thanks to you. Please give my kindest regard to all our benefactors.

May God bless you!

Yours fraternally,

Brother Mebratu Paulos Gebre
Addis Ababa, Asko – ETHIOPIA

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

I apologize for the delay in acknowledging the wonderful parcels sent in October and November 2015 that came in my absence.

With heartfelt gratitude, I render a big thank you and a huge hug to you, Patti! The parcels are full of treasures!!! I am overwhelmed with the inspiring and soul searching prayer cards, special Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals and the “Holiness Through Mary” Book. Most excellent Book! I am really absorbed in Marian Devotions; thanks to you, I have so much to share with others looking through these spiritual materials. The Holy Spirit is really at work with you when you prepare what to send to me. I have shared all the “Novena to the Holy Spirit” Booklets which you sent. There was a person who was looking for this booklet but I had no copy left to give him. Now, you have sent us more copies. The leaflet on “The Holy Name of Jesus” is really touching. I myself have experienced the power that is in the Holy Name of Jesus! Thank you, Patti, for spreading this good news to the whole world. I will do my best to spread this wonderful devotion of The Holy Name of Jesus. If I may beg, could you kindly send me a few more copies of this leaflet, more copies of “The Holiness Through Mary” book. I am reading through it now!!! The Ten Life-Long Resolutions leaflets are beautiful indeed!!! You are leading countless souls to Heaven! Could I have a few more copies of these also? The Jubilee Card of St. Benedict is beautiful too! In fact, all the things in these boxes are very excellent, especially the CD, Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart, etc. to mention a few. Thank you very much for all these spiritual materials. May all your intentions and the intentions of all our Benefactors be granted as we say these prayers!

We are praying for all of you. We are united around the Crib in prayer. Merry Christmas!!! Thank You, Jesus, and Mary, Our Immaculate Mother, for Patti Melvin! Thank you, St. Philomena and Pauline-Marie Jaricot for Patti Melvin!!!

Sr. Mary Florence Angwe
St. Joseph’s Convent,
Shisong – Cameroon

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

We have 420 Catholic families in our parish belonging to the Lotha tribe. It’s rather a remote center. Our people are by and large poor, but our faithful are fervent in Marian devotion. It will be a great help for our Catholics if you could send Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, and Sacramentals as you did in the past.

Gratefully acknowledging all that you have been to our mission. We assure you our prayers in all that you do.

Fr. George Anthony
Nagaland, INDIA

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Again and again, the Children of Mary are reminded that they must always show forth the spirit of charity which lives in their souls by the ceaseless practice of kindness and gentleness. Often and especially when dealing with the derelict or abandoned classes, this calls for genuine heroism and an outlook that is completely supernatural. It is easy to be kind on occasions; it is difficult to be always kind; it is heroic to be habitually kind towards those who can truthfully be described as vile. Yet, kindness is the only way. Insistence upon discipline repels such people; gentleness and warmth of heart alone attract them and eventually win them over. They often fall again but, with continual kindly help, the falls become ever less frequent. When kindness and gentleness are exercised with supreme patience and perseverance, they always return in the end to the friendship of God.

A kindly attitude outlaws the spirit of criticism. The conduct of many of those encountered during active work seems open to criticism, but he is never the critic. This does not mean that he completely stifles his critical faculty – a procedure which would make him the dupe of every charlatan; but it does mean that he governs that faculty according to the laws of Faith and exercises it only according to the spirit of charity. If he discovers evil, error or defects, he never blames, upbraids, rebukes, censures or condemns; rather, he searches for the good that is always to be found in every character, though it is often half-hidden or ill-expressed. This is itself magnificent training in the practice of charity and is bound to result in rapid progress towards perfection. It demands an attitude of mind that is prepared to love every individual before anything loveable manifests itself and to expect to find beauty before any is visible.

Under no circumstances whatsoever does the Child of Mary depart from the way of gentleness and sweetness, for he knows that to depart from that way will result in harm rather than in good. It is precisely in those cases that seem to call for rebuke that there is greater need for kindness and gentleness. If he is true to his vocation and really trying to reach the most abandoned souls to bring them back to God, he will surely come into close contact with those who seem to be even worse than the ordinary great sinners, superlative in their badness, incarnations or selfishness and personifications of treachery, filled with hatred of God and of a nauseating outlook towards religion. In them, there appears to be not a spark of grace, a trace of softness or a gleam of the spiritual. In them, he knows that Christ is, so to speak, held captive, mocked and crucified again. Therefore, they must be converted; Christ must be freed. There is only one course open; their hard hearts must be melted by the steady and persistent application of the warm flame of charity, declaring itself as kindness, gentleness, patience and understanding.

The law is absolutely invariable, whether they are approaching those inside or outside the Church, the way is the same. The center of the entire scheme is the appeal of one person towards another; the attraction of one soul to elevate another. Prejudice and ignorance by irreligious education of those outside the Church, always yield before an approach made in the spirit of the Good Shepherd. Humility, affection and sincerity which spring from genuine belief succeed when a controversial, overbearing attitude fails. Certainly, they are never resented; on the contrary, they invariably leave a deep impression which ripens to complete conversion.

The ideal after which each one aims is that he be filled to overflowing with the spirit of Mary. He aspires after Her fathomless humility, complete obedience, seraphic sweetness, ceaseless prayer, all-embracing mortification, immaculate purity, perfect patience, celestial wisdom and dauntless love of God and, more than all, Her faith. Thus animated, the Child of Mary is prepared to attempt any and every task, for he knows that in Mary, he may and can do all things. When he is tempted to think that a certain spiritual work is impossible, he asks himself with Mary, “How can this be done?” and, with Her, he repeats that incomparable act of resignation, “Behold, the slave of the Lord” and he knows that the task allotted to him can be accomplished by the over-shadowing of the Holy Spirit.

True Devotion

The apostolate is built on devotion to Mary. The first obligation of every member, the duty that ranks before any other, is practicing a devotion to Mary proportionate to the place She occupies in God’s plan for the sanctification of the souls of men.

There are still many who try to make Catholic doctrine more acceptable to those outside the Church by keeping Mary in the background. Such conduct may be justified by merely human reasoning; it certainly does not accord with the dictates of a prudence based on God’s revelations concerning His Mother. In the light of these, it would be just as sensible to preach Christianity without Christ as Redemption without Mary. For it has been God’s Will that no coming or giving or manifestation of Christ should be without Mary! He is trained to ponder seriously and often the answer to this question: “What does God think of Mary?” He takes himself in spirit to the very first days of creation and listens to the voice of God addressing the Serpent in Eden: “I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, and thy seed and Her seed; She shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for Her heel.” That is God’s own summary of His plan for redeeming the newly-fallen race of men and, in that divine summary, Mary is set apart alone as the co-worker of Salvation.

That first divine foretelling of the Savior to come is echoed and re-echoed by Prophet after Prophet during all the long years of waiting before the earthly conception of the Messiah. “The Virgin,” “The Virgin and the Child,” “The Woman,” “The Woman and the Child,” “The Queen seated at the right Hand of the King” – so they go on assuring us, again and again, that a Woman is to be closely associated in the work or our saving.

“Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,” cries Isaias, “and He shall be called Emmanuel, God with us.”

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned!

The Sacrament of Penance is an abundant source of consolation and peace to every Christian soul. Confession means always an act of self-denial, as it is essentially an act of penance. Our Heavenly Father forgives the heaviest possible crimes, immediately and unrestrictedly, when asked for mercy in the spirit of humility and contrition. God’s infinite sanctity bars even the slightest compromise with sin. God hates sin infinitely. Hence, reconciliation with God and man is unthinkable so long as man stubbornly adheres to sin.

A good preparation is necessary for Confession. Daily spiritual reading and a careful daily examination of conscience are very important to forming a clear conscience. Pray to the Holy Ghost for light to know your sins, the strength to confess them and the Grace to be truly sorry for them. Strive to go to Confession weekly or at least once a month. If you go every two weeks, you are eligible to gain all the indulgences and graces that are offered through Holy Communion on special Feasts and the offering of particular prayers and Novenas throughout the year, which require Confession within the octave of the completed devotion. Under pain of mortal sin, you must make your Confession at least once in the year and receive Holy Communion during the Easter Season. You should confess your sin, the number of times it was committed and the circumstances under which it was committed, whether alone or with others.

For a good Confession, you must have sorrow for your sins. Contrition is a hearty sorrow for your sins and a firm determination never to commit them again. Sorrow must be interior; it must come from the heart and be felt in the soul. Tears, sighs and exterior signs are not necessary. See your sins to be the greatest of evils, detest them as you would a poisonous snake. You need not weep, sorrow is in the will. Your contrition must be universal: You must be sorry for every mortal sin; if you confess only venial sins, you must be sorry for at least one of them. Contrition must be supernatural, not out of shame, but because you have offended Almighty God and lost Grace and Heaven, and deserve Hell. If you are sorry because you have offended God, the best of Fathers, our loving Redeemer Who is all good, glorious and amiable, your contrition is perfect. Imperfect contrition suffices to make a good confession.

Look upon Christ dying in agony on the Cross; Sin nailed Him to It!

We must have a purpose of amendment to make a good Confession. This is a firm determination to change your life, avoid sin and have a definite resolve to suffer anything rather than commit a mortal sin. If you are resolved to avoid sin, you will be resolved to avoid the proximate occasion of sin – for instance, persons, places or times in which you are faced with temptation to sin. Resolve, always resolve to avoid every deliberate venial sin, for venial sins are the rungs on the ladder that lead to mortal sin! Always perform your Penance in a timely way. Be resolved to make good the wrong you have done. Perhaps, this will be restitution in goods, or in good name, or in soul, or by praying for those you have scandalized.

Confess your sins. Confession must be entire; you must tell all your mortal sins and, if no mortal sin is present, at least one venial sin for which you are truly sorry. Your Confession must be clear, not vague. Give the sin, the circumstances and the number of times it was committed. Consider the Ten Commandments and confess your sins in that order. Be sure not to conceal, diminish or disguise your sins through false shame. Remember the silence of the Confessional is as the silence of the grave. No priest may ever reveal what he has heard in Confession. He may have to undergo torture or death, but he may not utter a single word he has heard in the Sacrament of Penance.

Accept the penance the priest gives you. In Confession, the eternal punishment due to sin is remitted, but the temporal punishment remains in whole or in part. The penance given is for the expiation, in part at least, for the temporal punishment due for your sins, and for the amendment of your life. Never sit, kneel or stand too close to the Confessional as you may inadvertently hear the confession of another.

The priest really does forgive sins in the Confessional. The dominant purpose of Christ is to seek and save sinners. Yes, only God can forgive a man who has sinned against God. But Jesus Christ is God; and the power of forgiving sins which is His, He gave to Peter and to the other Apostles to be used in His Name. “Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed in Heaven.” (Matt 16:19) “Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (John 20:22-23)

Christ gave this power to His Apostles and it was a power given to them in their official capacity as ambassadors of Christ, to be passed down through the Ages by apostolic succession, until the end of time. Can a priest forgive his own sin? No, he cannot! He, too, must go to Confession to another priest. The Pope and the bishops go to Confession regularly that their sins may be forgiven. From the beginning of time, there has been absolutely no sin, the remission of which has been refused to penitents by a universal law in the Catholic Church. The Church cannot by any means grant the right of refusing absolution to those who are guilty of sin no matter how great their crimes, provided they are rightly disposed. But, anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven, for it is morally impossible that he should meet the conditions for absolution. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is final impenitence and it frustrates, and is absolutely opposed to the remission of sins. Even God cannot pardon where there is no sorrow for sin. Man has a free will and God will never interfere with or force man’s free will.

Through the Sacrament of Confession, the Holy Ghost will increase our self-knowledge, Christian humility will grow, bad habits will be corrected, spiritual neglect and tepidity will be corrected, the conscience will be purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control attained and grace will be increased.

Mortal sin strips our soul of the merits and graces of a life time. Everything is lost by mortal sin. But, how consoling this truth of our holy religion! Meritorious words revive when, through the forgiveness of mortal sin, grace is restored to the soul! All the merits of the pious works performed before the sinner fell while he was in the state of grace, are restored to the soul. God is so Good!!! But, while the soul is dead through mortal sin, it cannot gain one single favor from Heaven. How miserable and unhappy is the state of the sinner in mortal sin!

The amendment of our lives is the surest sign that our Confessions are good. If, since your last Confession you have been guilty of only venial sins, then include a grievous sin of your former life for which you are heartily sorry. In this way, even if your sorrow concerning the faults committed since your last confession should be somewhat wanting, you need not be disquieted about your confession or have doubts about whether you had sufficient sorrow for them. Form the firm resolution of never willingly offending God again.

The Sacrament of Confession was principally instituted for the forgiveness of mortal sin: and every mortal sin committed after Baptism must be confessed. Still, confession of venial sins is highly recommended by the Church as a great means of Christian perfection. By making frequent your confessions, you are exercising watchfulness over yourself and striving after perfection day by day. Through it, you will grow in His Love and His Grace. He that does not go forward in perfection will slip backwards. Here is a sort of model for devotional confession:

“Father, my last confession was a week ago. Since then, I have been slightly angry and have given expression to my feelings in unkind words. I have told three lies in unimportant matters, just to elevate myself in the estimation of others. And I wish to include in this Confession all the sins of my past life, especially the mortal sins I deliberately committed against the Sixth Commandment. I am sorry for these sins I have mentioned and I firmly resolve to avoid them in the future.”

By the Grace of God through frequent and sincere Confessions, may you continually advance in holiness before God and man!

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because I have offended Thee, my God Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

The rational man needs the Mass to pay Almighty God the debt of homage and adoration he owes Him. The grateful man needs the Mass to pay his debt of thanksgiving. The sinful man, and who among us is without sin, needs the Mass to propitiate God’s Justice and to pay his debt of satisfaction.

The needy man needs the Mass, that praying with Jesus Christ and through Him, he may offer a prayer that is worthy of being heard and, thus, discharge his duty and debt of petition.

At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. At every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins. Assisting devoutly at Mass, you render the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, the greatest homage. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By hearing Mass, you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Mass heard by you, during life, will be of more benefit to you than many offered for you after death. Holy Mass preserves you from many dangers and misfortunes that would otherwise befall you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass and win for yourself a higher degree of glory in Heaven. At Mass, you kneel amidst the multitude of Angels who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. You receive the priest’s blessing which Our Lord Himself ratifies in Heaven. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

Nihil Obstat: P. L. Biermann, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: X George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago

The names you send for individual enrollment for the Sacred Masses during the Lenten Season and Easter Octave will be placed upon the Altar. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and all the priests you have helped in Ukraine will offer these Masses. Suggested donation for each enrollment is $5. Mass cards will be provided for the persons enrolled. Please PRINT the names CLEARLY:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 NO. 1303, DICKINSON, TEXAS – 77591

Click 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 Missi4 lb. box @ $53 (in place of $42.70), 20 lb. box @ $95 (in place of $86.25), 1 lb. package @ $22 (in place of $20)7.95. 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

I have sent all the financial reports and recent lists of over 600 new members. We want to begin the New Year fresh and be ready for the work that lies ahead.

Meanwhile, for the second time, I have traveled to the Diocese of Sangmelima, mostly dominated by the Protestants, upon the invitation of the Bishop’s private secretary who gave us an appointment to meet his Lordship, the Bishop, Msgr. Christophe Zoa and explain the ULRA to him. On December 23, I went with one of the members, Mr. Docky Jean Paul. We left at about 8:30 a.m. and arrived in Sangmelima at about 11:45 a.m. We were so lucky that the Bishop had not yet arrived in his office when we reached. We sat and waited till around 4:15 p.m. The city of Sangmelima is about 180 km. from Yaounde.

After our meeting, the Bishop gave us permission to introduce the ULRA throughout the Catholic schools and with the Youth Groups in his Diocese. He insisted that we must work with the Vicar General to draw plans with the Secretariat of Education and the Youth Chaplaincy. We presented the Bishop with the Holy Mass Crucifix with St. Philomena’s image, “Jesus, the King of Love” booklet and a precious Rosary. The only instruction he gave us was not to abandon the work when we start and we must reach out to the youth of the diocese and to schools.

Schools across the country open on Monday, January 4, 2016. During my 5 days stay, I met and explained the ULRA to the Vicar General, who did not hesitate to accept all the plans we had put in place as regard to working in the area. He ordered that some of our flyers be placed on the notice board on all corners of the Cathedral.

I expect the Vicar General to call us when school resumes so that we know when the enrolment is to begin. I was so encouraged on how we were received and the way the ULRA was welcomed in the diocese.

Many thanks to all our benefactors and staff for all their untiring support in 2015! I plead and pray God to give us the grace to work harder in 2016, and to crown our efforts with fruitful result. Ave Maria!

< Paul – Cameroon >

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Blessed Christmas, Patti! Blessed Christmas to your Team! Blessed Christmas to all our Benefactors! Blessed Christmas to the all the ULRA members! May our Divine Infant King bless and reward you all!

I apologize for the delay in acknowledging the wonderful parcels sent in October and November 2015 that came in my absence.

With heartfelt gratitude, I render a big thank you and a huge hug to you, Patti! The parcels are full of treasures!!! I am overwhelmed with the inspiring and soul searching prayer cards, special Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals and the “Holiness Through Mary” Book. Most excellent Book! I am really absorbed in Marian Devotions; thanks to you, I have so much to share with others looking through these spiritual materials. The Holy Spirit is really at work with you when you prepare what to send to me. I have shared all the “Novena to the Holy Spirit” Booklets which you sent. There was a person who was looking for this booklet but I had no copy left to give him. Now, you have sent us more copies. The leaflet on “The Holy Name of Jesus” is really touching. I myself have experienced the power that is in the Holy Name of Jesus! Thank you, Patti, for spreading this good news to the whole world. I will do my best to spread this wonderful devotion of The Holy Name of Jesus. If I may beg, could you kindly send me a few more copies of this leaflet, more copies of “The Holiness Through Mary” book. I am reading through it now!!! The Ten Life-Long Resolutions leaflets are beautiful indeed!!! You are leading countless souls to Heaven! Could I have a few more copies of these also? The Jubilee Card of St. Benedict is beautiful too! In fact, all the things in these boxes are very excellent, especially the CD, Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart, etc. to mention a few. Thank you very much for all these spiritual materials. May all your intentions and the intentions of all our Benefactors be granted as we say these prayers!

We are praying for all of you. We are united around the Crib in prayer. Merry Christmas!!! Thank You, Jesus, and Mary, Our Immaculate Mother, for Patti Melvin! Thank you, St. Philomena and Pauline-Marie Jaricot for Patti Melvin!!!

Sr. Mary Florence Angwe
St. Joseph’s Convent,
Shisong – Cameroon

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

In spite of every difficulty, the Child of Mary holds on, absolutely and obstinately determined never to lose heart. Ever constant in his faith and unrelaxing in his efforts, he hopes for success, but his work goes on independently of it. When apparent failure comes, he fights on, undismayed, confident that, fortified by grace, he will eventually wear it down. He has a heart for the impossible, but his spirit is applied in all its fullness to even the smallest task. To each, he brings the same golden tenacity of purpose, standing by the cross until his work is consummated. He has been chosen as Mary’s instrument and, though ever conscious of his utter unworthiness, he will not fail through any cause in his own power in the fulfilment of the trust reposed in him, no matter how long or drawn-out the battle, how hard the labors, how great the rebuffs, how hardened the cases, how hopeless the prospect. He knows that there simply does not exist on God’s earth the person in whom his faith, trust and perseverance will produce no results. In the sinner, Christ is held captive, still being mocked and crucified; the King of Heaven is in possession of the enemy. The pursuit of such a soul must be unrelenting, even if the campaign lasts a life-time and the battle is the grimmest ever waged. White-hot faith must burn up everything natural which stands in the way of the salvation of that soul. Therefore, he never allows himself to be put off by false human reasoning. It is enough for him that God wants that vile disfigured soul so ardently that He has sent His only Son to die for it in fearful torment.

In our present state of fallen nature, it is impossible for us to love God truly and effectively without sacrificing ourselves for Him. That is a basic truth of the spiritual life and the Child of Mary fully recognizes its importance. From the outset, the member is told to keep ever before him the image of his Crucified Lord Who devoted to him His last sigh and the last drop of His Blood, and to remember that his own service must strive to reflect such utter giving of self. He is bidden to emulate St. Paul who met with toil and weariness, and was often sleepless, hungry and thirsty. His work will take him out in the bitter cold and blinding rain; it will bring him to evil places, alive with stinking vermin and repulsive with filth; it will bid him approach those from whom he may expect only sour looks, ridicule, insults, rebuffs, criticism and ingratitude; it will often involve suffering the pangs of failure and taking on the anxieties of others. There is little glamour in his true life, but his soul is trained to count suffering a joy.

Those who are nearest to Christ will usually have the biggest share in His Cross. Suffering must have its place in every fruitful life. Often, the Child of Mary feels himself thwarted, crossed, frustrated; At such times he remembers that he who will not walk with the Man of Sorrows has no part in His mission for souls. Likeness to Christ means complete conformity with Him, on Calvary as well as on Thabor. We cannot pick and choose in Christ. Mary became the channel of all Graces because She accepted the whole Christ and all the anguish He brought with Him. So, it is with the Child of Mary. He knows that he is useful to God in proportion to his nearness to the Sacred Heart of Christ, from which he can draw deeply of the Precious Blood in order to bestow it on other souls.

Therefore, suffering is always a grace: it bestows healing, it confers power; united with that of Christ, it becomes priceless in its worth. The sense of suffering becomes the sense of Christ’s close presence; the sorrows of life, especially those arising from the effort to make God known and loved, are a sign that the Precious Blood is being painfully forced through the chilled veins of the Mystical Body so that each member may receive It to the degree Christ wills for him.

“No greater favor can His Majesty bestow on us than to give us a life such as was led by His beloved Son.” Such was the belief of St. Terésè. The process of being molded to the likeness of Christ through suffering is never an intolerable burden. Mary’s Children soon recognize that, because almost inevitably they are brought into close contact with Calvary in themselves or in others. This bearing of the Cross is in itself even more meritorious than their active works; it may well win more souls than vigils, disciplines or fasts.

In this Army of Mary, many souls who represent every stratum of society, are brought together in a great organization whose very life is to mirror the spirit of Mary to the world. Each member is bound in a unique way to all the other members; a principle of connection exists from each individual up through all grades of authority in the apostolate. The strength of the life of the movement depends on the strength of that connection, which, in its turn, depends on the loyalty of the members.

The Children of Mary are an army. What earthly army ever succeeded without rigorous discipline, heroism and sacrifice? Dare Mary’s soldiers offer Her less? The soldiers of the world are often called upon to lay down their lives for their cause. That is not often demanded of Mary’s soldiers, but they are expected to have at least complete readiness to offer their feelings, judgment, independence, pride and will to the wounds of contradiction and the death of a whole-hearted submission, when authority demands it.

Cause of Our Joy

The Mother of God is the Cause of our Joy. Therefore, Her Army must be permeated by the spirit of joy. This is one reason it sets out to attract to its ranks bright, generous and enthusiastic youth. A unit which is not attracting them fails in its purpose. Moreover, just as the mission of Christ was always to give joy, even through the Cross, so is the mission of the Apostolate. It wishes to banish from the face of the earth the one thing which can stand between the heart of man and true joy, namely sin. The true knighthood of Mary is always characterized by the sweet charm of spiritual joyousness; he is happy to serve his Queen and follow Her, if She should demand it, even to Calvary. That spirit he radiates to all around him.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

The rational man needs the Mass to pay Almighty God the debt of homage and adoration he owes Him. The grateful man needs the Mass to pay his debt of thanksgiving. The sinful man, and who among us is without sin, needs the Mass to propitiate God’s Justice and to pay his debt of satisfaction.

The needy man needs the Mass, that praying with Jesus Christ and through Him, he may offer a prayer that is worthy of being heard and, thus, discharge his duty and debt of petition.

At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. At every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins. Assisting devoutly at Mass, you render the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, the greatest homage. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By hearing Mass, you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Mass heard by you, during life, will be of more benefit to you than many offered for you after death. Holy Mass preserves you from many dangers and misfortunes that would otherwise befall you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass and win for yourself a higher degree of glory in Heaven. At Mass, you kneel amidst the multitude of Angels who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. You receive the priest’s blessing which Our Lord Himself ratifies in Heaven. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

Nihil Obstat: P. L. Biermann, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: X George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago

The names you send for individual enrollment for the Sacred Masses during the Lenten Season and Easter Octave will be placed upon the Altar. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and all the priests you have helped in Ukraine will offer these Masses. Suggested donation for each enrollment is $5. Mass cards will be provided for the persons enrolled. Please PRINT the names CLEARLY:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 NO. 1303, DICKINSON, TEXAS – 77591

Click 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

The thirst of all mankind must be quenched in the cooling waters of the Love of God. Every soul must be filled with the Light of God and carry it to others. The perfect harmony of the Holy Family is for us an example of Love at its pinnacle. Of all the virtues that flourished in the little House at Nazareth, the Gospel names but one: Christ’s submission to His parents; submission made all the more wonderful by the superiority of the subject to those who had authority over Him. Jesus is God, yet He obeys creatures. Mary is privileged beyond all other women, yet She recognizes Joseph as head of the House and obeys him. In that holy House, the Lord of Hosts obeyed a Woman, accomplishing the tasks She set for Him according to Her wishes. In all simplicity, Mary fulfilled the humble duties of any housewife.

God, Who made the world, learned His trade from a village carpenter whose instructions He followed exactly! The exercise of authority at the holy House of Nazareth is an example to all those in authority. Mary and Joseph gave orders; it was their duty to do so. But, with what respect they treated one another! All parents and superiors should treat those entrusted to their care with great respect. With the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph before our eyes, who would dare to ask if his superior or parent was more learned, more experienced, or holy enough to have a right to command him? He has only to submit in all simplicity. In His Life, our God associated with men, but none longer and more intimately than Mary and Joseph. With them, He made the House in Nazareth a Home of Love, Peace and Joy.

Yet, Christ brought with Him the Cross for only by this means can He draw us to Himself, assimilate us and transform us. If we are one with Christ, the Life of His whole Body pulses through our being; Its needs and pain are our needs and pain. If we love with Christ’s Love, it is the neighbor who lies wounded on the roadside who will be the special object of our compassion and care. He who accepts suffering is an apostle; he who avoids it whenever he can, is a servant of self, a barren fruit-tree! Like our saintly foundress, Ven. Pauline Jaricot, let us love with the Heart of God all those who are in travail and pain even more than we love ourselves.

BEHOLD, THE CRIB OF BETHLEHEM!

“I have come to be your ransom and also your Model in conforming your life
to the Will of God. Hasten to the crib and learn the true secret of happiness,
and let this be your guiding Light in life and in death. Thy Will be done!”

Our prayers are¬ with you both day and night.

PATTI MELVIN, Director – ULRA

Let us pray for one another.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Human respect, often called common prudence, respect for the opinions of others, and the like, paralyses the powers of action of those who are called to be apostles and reduces works for souls to triviality. Living in the midst of great communities of pagans or non-Catholics or the lapsed, the faithful make little or no effort to convert them and the graces God offers are returned unused. Aware of this, the Army of Mary sets itself to a deliberate campaign against the operation of the spirit of human respect in its members. The principal means employed are insistence upon sound and strict discipline and constant indoctrination of the fact that human respect in a Child of Mary is comparable to cowardice in a soldier. Love, loyalty and discipline, if they are genuine, will certainly result in sacrifice and courage. “What a shame to be the delicate member of a Thorn-crowned Head!” … words of St. Bernard which the member must constantly apply to himself.

“If you fought only when you felt ready for the fray, where would be your merit?” asks St. Terésè of Lisieux. “What does it matter even if you have no courage, provided you behave as though you were really brave? If you feel too lazy to pick up a bit of thread, and yet do so for the love of Jesus, you gain more merit than for a much nobler action done on an impulse of fervor. Instead of grieving, be glad that, by allowing you to feel your own weakness, Our Lord is furnishing you with an occasion of saving a greater number of souls.”

PRAYER – The Life of The Soul

Courage is shown not only in the performance of his apostolic work, but also in his prayer-life. His devotion to the means of grace appointed by the Church and fidelity to prayer have a quality of heroism and are models and inspirations to the rest of the faithful. Only thus will he attain the degree of courage expected of him in his work for souls. Natural timidity and fear, false or well-grounded, must be overcome. Every member amongst the most wretched and dejected of the population must not only be visited but known personally and intimately. That is the goal, and his courage must rise to attain it. He always remembers that his search for each individual member of the degraded classes may be their only chance of eternal life. How intense, how earnest, how courageous must that search be!

Natural philanthropy serves humanity for humanity’s sake; but that is not love and it requires no courage. The apostolate sets itself to a devoted and universal attention to the “down-and-out,” the hopeless, the impossible, the unlovely, the repulsive elements of the population that those who see it at work are amazed at the courage of such love and recognize in it a confounding of the materialistic systems which offer but a counterfeit of Christian charity. The effect is electrifying; even the irreligious are startled into a new seriousness towards religion; modes of thought are changed, and new and better ways of living begin to show themselves.

Through the strictly disciplined system of the apostolate, the member is thoroughly trained in the spirit and practice of prudence. He is warned against a common fallacy of the present day which confounds the Christian virtue of prudence with that which is merely natural – the prudence of the flesh.

The exercise of prudence demands, in the first place, a mature deliberation of which the best means to attain the end in view may be discovered and a wise judgment as to the means likely to be most effectual. Secondly, it requires that the plan adopted be executed without delay, but with foresight, discretion and necessary caution. The Gospel must be preached to every creature. That supreme wish must swallow up every difficulty and overcome every obstacle.

The Child of Mary is trained in such a way that his outlook will invariably be apostolic. The apostolic spirit enters his soul and reigns there as master. By a judicious mixture of prudence and courage, he sets himself against the spirit of cowardliness which seems to prevail even amongst the good. His training fits him to undertake difficult work and the system reduces the possibilities of harm to the absolute minimum. When it is known that a work is difficult and dangerous, but yet is necessary if certain souls are to be saved, everything possible is done in the interests of safety and the attack goes on with appropriate materials. They do not stand by and look on while souls are being plunged into hell.
One of the reasons why so few of us succeed in attaining the higher reaches of the spiritual life is simply that we do not persevere. Aware of this, the apostolate trains all its members in perseverance and determination. We are warned that, unless we aim at perfection of membership, we cannot hope to persevere. It would be too much to expect perseverance to be achieved without regular performance of acts which are bordering on heroism. Thus, the stamp of persevering effort characterizes every duty. Instability and novelty-seeking, which result inevitably in the breaking down of discipline, are shunned. The only way to achieve anything great and real is through sustained effort and that, in its turn, arises only from the unconquerable will to win.

The Child of Mary never accepts defeat, nor does he court defeat by classifying items of work as unpromising, hopeless, and the like. As far as he is concerned, no soul is in a hopeless position. He considers it wrong to abandon priceless souls to their own ways, therefore leaving them free to pursue unchecked their reckless course to hell. He is not immediately concerned with results. Whether a harvest springs up at his heels or not, he carries on, impelled by only the highest considerations. He never allows that grain of doubt to enter his mind as to whether his efforts are justified or not. He knows they are, just because souls are worth the infinite price of the Precious Blood of Christ. His is a life of faith and he never subjects faith to the approval of human reasoning. He perseveres in spite of the natural timidity, the pettiness and the worldly prudence which tempt him to present only a casual or half-hearted service to his Queen. For him, intensity of purpose is more important by far than the completion of a definite program of works.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

The rational man needs the Mass to pay Almighty God the debt of homage and adoration he owes Him. The grateful man needs the Mass to pay his debt of thanksgiving. The sinful man, and who among us is without sin, needs the Mass to propitiate God’s Justice and to pay his debt of satisfaction.

The needy man needs the Mass, that praying with Jesus Christ and through Him, he may offer a prayer that is worthy of being heard and, thus, discharge his duty and debt of petition.

At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. At every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins. Assisting devoutly at Mass, you render the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, the greatest homage. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By hearing Mass, you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Mass heard by you, during life, will be of more benefit to you than many offered for you after death. Holy Mass preserves you from many dangers and misfortunes that would otherwise befall you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass and win for yourself a higher degree of glory in Heaven. At Mass, you kneel amidst the multitude of Angels who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. You receive the priest’s blessing which Our Lord Himself ratifies in Heaven. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

Nihil Obstat: P. L. Biermann, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: X George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago

The names you send for individual enrollment for the Sacred Masses during the Lenten Season and Easter Octave will be placed upon the Altar. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy and all the priests you have helped in Ukraine will offer these Masses. Suggested donation for each enrollment is $5. Mass cards will be provided for the persons enrolled. Please PRINT the names CLEARLY:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 NO. 1303, DICKINSON, TEXAS – 77591

Click 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

We enter now, most deeply, into the spirit of the Season of Advent. It is a time of preparation for our pilgrimage to Bethlehem with the Holy Family, and of that final pilgrimage Home, when Christ asks of us an account of the Talents He has entrusted to us. LOVE alone that matters! Let us unite with Jesus and Mary upon the martyrdom of love, for this is our sacred vocation. Fire consumes wood and reduces it to ashes. Fire purifies gold and makes it resplendent. To surrender ourselves wholly to Love suffices, and Love will do the rest. When our hearts are contrite and humble, God is so pleased. No matter our weaknesses or failings, let us never be afraid of God. We give Him the greatest pleasure by believing in His Love. The complete surrender of self is painful and very few make this offering. To those who do, God lavishes the plentitude of His graces. Suffer because you love, work because you love and, above all, abandon yourself without reserve to Love! We all need a Heart Who loves and understands us. It is the Heart of God we must have!

Little sacrifices, acts of self-discipline, a kind word, a smile and alms for the poor: all of these are kindling for the fire. Light for the blind, love for hearts that are indifferent, comfort for the sick and suffering: these are all offered in abundance through our confidence in God’s Love for us. Love transforms everything, mercy pardons all! God needs victim souls in which to be reborn in the world that He may transform it into Goodness and Peace. Will you be that soul? This is Love’s Hour!

“Come to Me and fear not, for I love you!”

“I will wash you in My Blood. All your offenses will be forgiven and nothing shall be able
to tear from my Heart its love for you. I live now among you, that I may be your Life,
your Physician and your Remedy for all the diseases bred by a corrupt nature.”

You, your loved ones and all those with whom you are united in prayer, will be remembered at the Sacred Altar during the 31 days of December and, in particular, during the Glorious Octave of Christmas. We pray you will do everything possible to center your Christmas Holy Days around Christ, Our Divine Infant King. Glory be to Jesus Christ!

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

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude for your generous gifts which enable us to provide beautiful and life-giving Sacramentals to souls throughout the whole world. Each leaflet, holy card and Rosary speaks to them of the Love of the Mother of God and Her promise to be with them always. May God reward and bless you and your family most abundantly!

As God’s overflowing Love is so intimately bound up with all that is earthly, we shall never entirely grasp how close that union, willed by Him, can be. To accomplish it, He took Mary, the whole woman, body and soul, pure in spirit, that garden enclosed, and sought Her consent. The descent of the Word into the virgin’s womb was the perfect flowering of Divine Life in a human being. Christ came to earth for all men. All are called.

The householder bade his servants to invite his wealthy friends, men of esteem who had many possessions, to the great Wedding Feast. Many refused to come. Then, he told the servants to go into the streets and invite the cripples, lame and the blind. Still there were empty seats. They went to the highways and byways to compel more to come in. He provided for each one the wedding garment. Some refused to wear his spotless wedding garment. The garment represents Grace and those attending had to put off their soiled work clothes and renounce sin, in order to be clothed with the incorruptible life of immortality, the Supper he had prepared for them.

In this penitential Season of Advent, there is no better or more effective form of mortification, than to cease judging others. Judgement, as we pass it a hundred times a day, is not the result of reflection but the outcome of our bias.

Correct judgment of oneself and others, is impossible to our fallen nature. Do not judge others, or you yourself will be judged. To act the judge is to set ourselves above Him Who saw good in all men and helped all! We must keep our hearts open to receive Grace which heals and sanctifies. If we could but realize the value of interior silence, the essential condition of union with God! Only a mind free of judging is free to receive God. Let us, like Christ, be about our Father’s business, concentrating all our attention and love upon it. Only then, we will overflow with good-will for all men, never jealous, never blaming others.

O Mary, you are the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ, help me to be ever ready to render loving assistance to all other members!

Our prayers are¬ with you both day and night.

PATTI MELVIN, Director – ULRA

Let us pray for one another.Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

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!

*****

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

Visit our devotional items page to order these and many other items online

******

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!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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, USA

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

On Saturday, 28th November 2015, the ULRA took a stall at the Annual ‘Towards Advent’ Festival of Catholic Culture. The event has been running at Westminster Cathedral Hall for some years now, and last year was the first time that the ULRA attended. There was such an interest in the Living Rosary last year that it was decided to take a stall again this year. Once again, there was a lot of interest in the Living Rosary stall, where Anne, the UK representative for ULRA, gave out many sacramentals, lots of prayer cards and literature about the Apostolate of Our Lady and St. Philomena.

The event was inaugurated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols of the Westminster Archdiocese, and it began with hymns from the choir of St James’ School, Twickenham. The hall was full of thirty different Catholic organizations promoting their various Apostolates and it was a good atmosphere.

During the day, there were also talks and workshops on Gregorian Chant, the life of the Franciscan Friars, and the urgent needs of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere.

I think, it is the only Festival of its kind in England and happens once a year, just before Advent. Catholic Apostolates display their work there, many of them, like us, travelling a distance to be there. It took us two hours to get there from Colchester and 3 hours to get home at the end of it, but it was worth it to be able to publicly display the Living Rosary. We were pleased to have our stall next to the Sons of Divine Providence and to have help from Kevin Rowles to get set up.

The numbers were down a bit this year; perhaps due to demonstrations against bombing Syria and also fear of terrorist attacks in the city. But, the people who did come were enthusiastic and our stall was pretty busy all the time. Our prayer cards and leaflets – always so popular – went like hot cakes! The visitors were keen to get as much as they could free and we didn’t mind that because we were willing to give freely. No one seemed to want to splash out on anything expensive – unlike last year when people came looking for presents to buy for their loved ones! Still, we gave away a lot of our literature and prayers cards, and told many people about the Living Rosary. I felt a small personal pleasure in being able to persuade a few people, including a teacher and a priest, to take on the Youth for Purity Crusade and I hope they will be able to get that going in London.

We met several Living Rosary members who expressed their appreciation for our work. Our stall was very colorful and our poster of St. Philomena attracted many people to our table. We also had, courtesy of Kevin Rowles, the First Class Relic of Blessed Alexandrina de Costa on our table and she, too, attracted people to us.

We enjoyed it, the time went really quickly but we were a bit tired after such a long day, having left home at 6.30 a.m. and getting back at 7.30 p.m.

All in a day’s work for Our Lady!

Anne Curran – THE LIVING ROSARY, ENGLAND

Click 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

One-by-One, From France to Texas, and around the World!

The Living Rosary numbers about 16 million members located in every country in the world. We have over 70 thousands families in the USA, who receive our quarterly newsletter and often have two or more at one address who pray their Daily Decade. The Decade is an individual commitment, not a group or family enrollment. In each mission country, we try to establish leadership and develop a Center, so that one individual will take responsibility for receiving the materials we send, making enrollments, distribution of Decades and materials, and working closely with priests, religious and his local bishop. We have some great leaders and strong Centers: Ukraine, England, Pakistan, Philippines, India, Africa and many Spanish speaking countries.

We have little means of advertising this work except through the apostolic action of our members. One-by-one, the Living Rosary is spread throughout the world. Each member must be an apostle! When we began the revival of the Living Rosary, we called it just that. Eventually, we contacted Fr. Georges Naidenoff in Lyon, France, who was in charge of the cause of Ven. Pauline Jaricot. He was the editor of the MISSI, the magazine that reported the world-wide activity of the Propagation of the Faith which was also founded by Ven. Pauline Jaricot. Father had access to all her writings. When we shared our work with him, he responded in a very vital way. He could see that we had revived the devotion exactly as Pauline had founded it. Both he and his secretary took up their Decades in the Rosary with us and Father sent us a First Class Relic of Ven. Pauline Jaricot: a relic of the blood of her heart! He told us that until now NO ONE had ever received her relic. We understood what he was saying to us; this was Pauline’s work as it existed nowhere else in the world. It was then that we used the title “Universal Living Rosary!”

The name of this Rosary Association carries an awesome meaning. Many thought that we would send them “a living rosary!” Through doing the work of Pauline, we learned that the heart of this labor is the Breath of the Holy Ghost. Fifteen souls unite with one another and take up their Daily Decade. Each soul contributes his Decade to the other fourteen and this union of charity completes the full Rosary. This gift is the Breath of Charity, the very Heart beat of the Holy Ghost. This is what constitutes the “Living” Rosary; it is the Breath of the Holy Ghost gracing each member and multiplying their Decade so that, now, each receives the graces and merits of one complete 15 Decade Rosary. But more, united with 16 million members throughout the world, each member receives the graces and merits of 16 million Rosaries every day. This is the power of Association!

When the members sign up, they receive information on the devotion, a newsletter and recent news from our missionary members. It is so important to help them realize that they are part of the Universal Church and, now, united to the whole Church through this Daily Decade. Each one must become a missionary, through prayer, apostolic work, their donation and spreading the news of the Living Rosary to those who do not yet know about its work. It is never demanded of any member to send a specific donation. In Pauline’s day, she collected a sou from each member, giving him the dignity of being a benefactor and apostle. Today, we suggest $1.00 each month. If one cannot donate, we ask for prayers for our needs and for the members in Third World Countries. Each member prays the decade he is assigned, at any time of the day or night and in any place. Thus, the devotion is possible for everyone, no matter what their state in life and condition of prosperity or poverty. The members in mission countries cannot donate, but they pray for us! Miracles are wrought through their prayers. When a member passes away, we reassign his Decade to a new member.

We have been doing this work for 29 years now and, in the beginning, it was not easy to help people understand the need there is to reach out to the world and teach them the Faith, help them to possess the sacramentals of Our Lady and teach them how to use and treasure them. It is a delicate balance between zeal for sacramentals and to keep grounded in the fact that the gold of the Living Rosary is the DAILY DECADE, the prayer! One by one, we developed a Miraculous Medal stringing team and one that sews Our Lady’s Brown Scapular. Many donate Rosaries for the missions. All come to us and we distribute everything from the Universal Center so that there is equal distribution and concentration of our efforts in countries hard hit by religious persecution. Alone, little can be done, but united and working together as the Army of the Queen of Heaven, nothing is impossible! Postage is sky high and with increased persecution, in some countries sacramental mailings are blocked. We follow every parcel box and airlift carefully, making sure they arrive safely or re-route things if necessary. Through the years, a grand network of souls has been developed.

We have enrolled over 30 Bishops, several Cardinals, thousands of Priests and Sisters, and most of our Centers are under the local Bishop. His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, is supportive of our work. Father Ivan Kolodij is our representative in Ukraine. He enrolled as a seminarian and has excelled in promoting the devotion in the East, publishing a newsletter, translating all our materials into Ukrainian, working closely with his Bishop and developing a Mass Center in order to help our members to arrange Masses for their sick, suffering, dying and departed.

Many and singular are the graces obtained by our members through prayer to St. Philomena, Ven. Pauline Jaricot, the Rosary and Brown Scapular. One that is significant to me because I am a registered nurse and know it to be very accurate is a case in Kenya, Africa, where a young girl, 13 year old was very sick. She lay on her mat in the cold sweat of death. The family gathered around her and prayed the Rosary. The sick child let out a grunt, defecated and died. At that very time, there was a vial of the Holy Oil we had mailed the family that was on their oratory; as they prayed, it fell over, the lid opened and the oil began oozing out. The mother noticed this, went forward to grasp the oil vial, and ran to her daughter to apply the holy oil to her forehead and tongue. The family continued the Rosary prayers. The child coughed and woke up, and fully recovered.

In another instance, a priest wrote to ask me for money so he could make a trip to the Holy Land. I explained to Father that we do not send money, but asked him to pray to St. Philomena. The next time, I heard from him, he was writing from the Holy Land. Miraculously, the money was given to him. The list goes on and on. In all these 29 years, I have never heard that anyone was left wanting after they had prayed to St. Philomena. If she does not obtain for them exactly what they request, she will obtain for them something so much better.

If you wish to take an active part in stringing Miraculous Medals, handing out good Catholic literature or sewing Brown Scapulars, let us hear from you. If anyone would like to join us for a Decade of the Living Rosary, please write to:

The Universal Living Rosary Association,
P.O. Box 1303,
Dickinson, Texas 77539, USA
FAX: 281-337-3722 / 281-309-9821
E-Mail: FILOMENA@PHILOMENA.ORG Website: PHILOMENA.ORG

Now is the time for Apostolic Action, Prayer and Reparation. Tomorrow will be too late!

God love you all!

PATTI MELVIN, ULRA Director

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

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!

*****

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

Visit our devotional items page to order these and many other items online

******

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!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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, USA

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

In Moshi, on the 2nd Saturday of each month, we normally have a Diocesan meeting for chief leaders of each Parish and Chapel.

We have enrolled 45 students of the Uparo Secondary School in the Living Rosary on November 7. A Special Mass was held for enrollment of new members. Thanks for sending Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot’s Relics. Each member has received one.

During the meeting, we discuss (1) How to reach new Parishes, Chapels, Secondary Schools and Colleges for promoting the Living Rosary (2) Financial support for the National ULRA meeting which is scheduled on November 28 and 29, 2015 and (3) the challenges facing the growth of the Living Rosary at Parish and Chapel levels and sharing the blessings obtained.

God bless you!

Stephen Tarimo
MOSHI – TANZANIA

Click 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

This picture was taken on the feast of the Assumption on 15th August when we had the First Holy Communion Day in St. Agnes Parish. Fr. Leonard Che is standing directly behind the two girls with pictures in their hands and one of my volunteers, Nelly, is on the extreme right.

I am happy to inform you of the posting of French speaking Rev. Father to our Parish and another to St. Agnes parish (a neighbouring Parish). These two priests will assist the French speaking in other parishes in Kumba. Their presence has increased our congregation as many Francophones have started attending Masses and taking part in other church activities, apostolic groups, etc.

You will now see why I have to ask for double of what I requested in my last letter. Please include French language pamphlets, letters, books, etc. You may have to double the parcel you promised in your last letter – Sacramentals, Decade cards, St. Philomena oil/cord and very large St. Philomena images. You know what we need.

Please don’t forget to extend my special greetings to your little staff, to your mother and those taking care of her in your absence.

OBASI CLETUS
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA PARISH
KUMBA
CAMEROON

Pauline never identified herself with anyone of her works. Her vocation is not limited. She never intended to simply “get something done” but she placed herself on a totally different plane. Putting her hand in the Hand of God, she reached out beyond self and sacrificed her whole being that all might be animated and illumined by the Divine Light of Christ. Pauline joined the magnificent vision of St. Paul for the Church: “You will represent my Church; therefore, I will unite with you by the same union I have united with the Virgin Mary, your unique Mother and Mother of the Church. While devoted to the salvation of all, you will endure everything that the Church will suffer from the impious, and they will exhaust upon you their hate against Her.”

Pauline’s mission inserts itself in the missionary vocation of Lyon and France. Since the first century, Lyon was the cradle of Christianity in the West. The church of St. Nizier where Pauline spent so many hours in prayer, and vowed herself to God and is buried, is connected to the memory of the first forty-eight martyrs of Lyon and Gaul, executed in 177, among them were St. Pothinus, St. Blandina and St. Irenaeus. Pauline has been chosen by God to keep alive this tradition. France was going to lose forever the price of the blood of her martyrs. God chose Pauline as the vase, which would receive and preserve their precious merits.

Pauline-Marie Jarocot is the glory of Lyon! Pauline is the glory of France! (Cardinal Tomko). This great contemplative is the mother of the missions. She was God’s instrument to give the Church the admirable works, which today procure the extension of His reign to the ends of the earth. By her life, we are reminded that intimacy with Christ is the source of all apostolic fertilization. Her profound interior allowed her to carry her heavy cross with love. Pauline confirmed with joy that the ardors of fire which consumed her, the torments which assaulted her, the serious sickness that overwhelmed her for many years, were to prepare her for the sorrows that would befall her one after the other, almost without interruption, from her 40th year to her death. All were nothing compared to the pleasures and glory given to her as God’s servant. Death by Love for all men ~ Holiness, the Triumph of Love!

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
But the Master gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait! You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your arm shortened or have You not heard?
By faith, I have asked and am claiming Your Word.

My future and all to which I relate hangs in the balance
And You tell me to wait!
I am needing a ‘YES’, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a ‘NO’ to which I will resign.

And Lord, You promised that, if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I have been asking … I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”
So I slumped in my chair, grieved in my gut,
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting for what?”

He seemed then to kneel, and His Eyes met with mine …
And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.”

“All you seek, I could give and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want, but you would not know Me.
You would not know the depth of My Love for each Saint;
You would not know the joy of resting in Me,
When darkness and silence were all you could see.”

“You would never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You would know that I live and I save for a start,
But you would not know the depth or the beat of My Heart.”

“The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith I give you to walk without sight.
The depth beyond getting just what you ask
Of an infinite God Who will make it last.”

“You would never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My Grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, oh the loss! If you lost what I’m doing in you!”

So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though My answers oft may seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still … WAIT!

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

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

“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!.

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

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

Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article

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!

*****

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

******

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!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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