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Thank you for Making the Great Pilgrimage a Success!
Come, Worship the King of Kings!
Dear Friends,
Last Saturday, October 8, we experienced the fruits of our labor at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Thank you for your prayers and support, and a special thank you to Bishop Loverde and the Diocese of Arlington.
This was an enormous evangelization effort that required listening to multitudes of inspirations of the Holy Spirit. I am grateful to my entire Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade team, who performed tasks too numerous to mention.
My thanks also goes to the pastors and parochial vicars who diligently promoted the daily family rosary, as well as parish team captains who distributed, collected and counted the pledges, arranged buses, and got prayer petitions from the children.
My gratitude extends to the pilgrims who left home at 5:30 a.m. that morning to take the nearest parish bus to the Shrine, and all those who took part in the Global Living Rosary. The music that filled the basilica on Saturday was absolutely glorious and was in and of itself a heavenly gift.
We now have a renewed sense of the universality of the Church, and the memory of the heartfelt words of Bishop Loverde, as he expressed his love for the diocese and his priests.
Nearly 10,000 commitments to pray the daily family rosary were made, and 4,700 hours of weekly Eucharistic Adoration have been offered for Our Lady.
We came and received abundant blessings!
Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT
on behalf of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade
Blessed John Paul II, a patron of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade, wrote the following prayer for the World Day of Peace in 2002, in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Since we pray our daily family rosaries for peace in our families, our nation,and our world, we can reflect upon John Paul II’s inspiration as we continue our collective journey in prayer.
"Salve, Madre santa!" Virgin Daughter of Zion, how deeply must your Mother's heart suffer for this bloodshed!
The child you embrace has a name that is dear to the peoples of biblical religion: "Jesus," which means "God saves." So the Archangel named him before he was conceived in your womb (cf. Lk 2,21). In the face of the newborn Messiah, we recognize the face of all your children, who suffer from being despised and exploited. We recognize especially the faces of your children, to whatever race, nation or culture they may belong.
For them, O Mary, for their future, we ask you to move hearts hardened by hatred so that they may open to love and so that revenge may finally give way to forgiveness.
Obtain for us, O Mother, that the truth of this affirmation--No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness--be engraved on every heart. Thus the human family will be able to find the true peace that flows from the union of justice and mercy.
Holy Mother, Mother of the Prince of Peace, help us!
Mother of Humanity and Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Prayed at the conclusion of the homily during the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and World Day of Peace, St. Peter's Basilica.
This translation: L'Osservatore Romano, January 9, 2002, p. 3.
Join Us Tomorrow for the Great Pilgrimage in Washington, D.C.!
Come, Worship the King of Kings!
Dear Friends,
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the eve of the pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted by Pope St. Pius V in thanksgiving for the great Naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto. The miraculous victory was attributed to thousands of believers across Europe praying the Rosary, and reminds us that Our Lady is a powerful intercessor in Heaven. It is also the day that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta founded her order, the Missionaries Sisters of Charity, in 1950.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a patroness of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade, instructed her sisters to pray their rosary before every apostolic activity, and devote themselves to one hour of Eucharistic Adoration each day. She said, "Mary, mother of Jesus, give us your heart, so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate, so full of love and humility, that we may be able to receive Jesus in the bread of life, love Him as you love Him, and serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poor."
Our Lady, Ark of the Covenant, pray for us.
Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT
on behalf of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade
Join us!
Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.
In 2003, then Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa. He called her "one of the greatest missionaries of the 20th century." He expressed that the depth of her prayer gave her the ability to radiate peace to all that she met, and in the midst of every type of human suffering.
In 2002, Blessed John Paul II issued his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginia Mariae, in which he gave us the Luminous Mysteries and declared 2003 the Year of the Rosary. He called the rosary, "Simple yet profound," and a "prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness." He described the rosary as a truly Christ centered prayer allowing us to contemplate with Mary the entire essence of the Gospel.
Both Blessed John Paul II and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta are patrons of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade. They both had a tremendous devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They recognized the rosary as one of the strongest weapons against atheistic regimes, and both were instrumental in the breakdown of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe through continual praying of the Holy Rosary.
Join us!
Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.
The Great Pilgrimage is Just Days Away: Join us this Saturday, October 8th
Come, Worship the King of Kings!
Dear Friends,
The Great Pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is this Saturday, October 8!
The Diocese of Arlington family rosary pledges continue to arrive, and we are nearing 7,000 daily rosaries for peace in our families, our nation and our world. And on top of that, nearly 3,500 people have also committed to one hour of weekly Eucharistic Adoration through our campaign.
As we pray, let us give thanks to God for sending His Holy Spirit to inspire so many to embark on the prayerful journey of Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary. We continue to ask for the intercession of the five patrons of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade: Blessed John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Philomena, St. Dominic and St. Padre Pio.
Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT
on behalf of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade
Join us! Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.
Join us this Saturday, October 8, 2011
Bring your family to pray for peace
Brought to you by:
The Diocese of Arlington
AND
The Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade
Event Basics
Saturday October 8, 2011
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Washington, D.C.
8:00 AM to 2:30 PM
| 8:00 AM | Doors Open Usher-assisted open seating. |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | Praise & Worship |
| 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Adoration & Global Living Rosary *Live on ETWN* |
| 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM | Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Principal Celebrant Bishop Paul S. Loverde |
Join us! Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.
Tips for Praying the Rosary with Children
Come, Worship the King of Kings!
Dear Friends,
It is October, the month of the Most Holy Rosary, and in just five days the Great Pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. will be occurring.
I am reminded of Pope Benedict XVI's words, "...the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime. Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary."
This new Springtime is evident in the Philippines, where the Family Rosary Crusade has begun a "Million Roses for the World" campaign. Their goal is 1 million rosaries over 200 days for global peace and each day, Filipinos are being asked to pray a rosary for a different country of the world.
In the Arlington Diocese, this new Springtime is revealing itself with commitments of 6,000 rosaries a day, and this commitment is growing. If done over 200 days, this is 1.2 million rosaries!
Let us unite ourselves spiritually with Family Rosary Crusade of the Philippines out of love for Our Lady and the Church established by the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.
Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT
on behalf of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade
Join us! Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.
How to Start, and Perservere, with the Habit of Praying the Rosary with Children
First, remember why we say the rosary. When praying the rosary, we relive the most poignant moments in salvation history because it centers on the entire life of Jesus Christ; His passion, death, resurrection and glory. Yet it also honors his Mother, Mary, who bore the Son of the Most High.
The habit of the daily family rosary can be challenging since every family has its own unique habits and is filled with its own personalities. Some families also have a wide age range of children, and very young children have a difficult time sitting still for too long. Take heart that over time, the prayers and mysteries will become second nature to even youngest and most mischievous of children!
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Gather the whole family at a set time each day. If you have young children, just do one decade and mystery a day together, so that their attention span is not challenged. When you have completed one decade, let the young children quietly go off and play, or if you need to put them to bed do so, and come back together to complete the rest of your rosary. As you feel comfortable, move up to completing the entire rosary together.
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Let the children know this is a prayful time, and have a statue of the Blessed Virgin as a focal point, along with a candle. An older child could light the candle, and when finished, a younger child could blow it out.
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To help set the tone, you could begin the rosary with a hymn or the daily Gospel reading that could be read by one of the children. Don't be surprised if your children start to ask a lot of questions about the Gospel, and what it means. Isn't THAT going to be wonderful?
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Include pictures of the mysteries of the rosary, which will help the whole family understand what they could be meditating on for each mystery. You could create a book with classic images of each mystery and keep it in a prominent spot for viewing throughout the day. An excellent resource is Under Her Starry Mantle, which has magnificent prints available for you to download, like the one shown on the Annunciation.
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Take a step further and springboard each mystery into teaching about virtues, such as humility with the Annunciation, and patience with carrying the cross.
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Younger children love the large wooden rosary beads, like the ones shown. Having a rosary of their own will really help them to feel special. This could springboard into getting the children engaged in making rosaries, which in turn helps them to develop concentration skills, and fine motor skills. They will also be proud that they are using something they made themselves, plus they have learned how to make something they could give to others.
Our Lady has so much beauty in mind for your family through the rosary!
Join us! Saturday, October 8 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., with LIVE EWTN coverage.