“The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth. In the prayer we repeat many times the words that the Virgin Mary heard from the Archangel, and from her kinswoman Elizabeth.”
—Pope John Paul II
—Pope John Paul II
“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God.”
—Pope Saint Pius X
Let’s start with Mary. As the Most Blessed Mother, she most assuredly understands our heart for our children. She understands our desire to have them accepted and included in their faith community. Her patience, her overwhelming love and her undying devotion serve as guides for us when things get murky, confusing or discouraging. Praying the rosary is meditative, calming and can truly change hearts and minds. Here is a simple graphic should you want some guidance. And here is what Pope John Paul II had to say about the rosary:
Prayer from Sir Francis
Drake — a Pirate:
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
Drake — a Pirate:
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ
“Our defense of life and rejection of the culture of death require that we acknowledge the dignity and positive contributions of our brothers and sisters with disabilities. Defense of the right to life implies the defense of all other rights that enable individuals with disabilities to achieve the fullest measure of personal development of which they are capable. These include the rights to equal opportunity in education, employment, in housing and health care.”
— Excerpt from a statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops
— Excerpt from a statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops
