November 1, 2025

The Church dedicates the month of November to praying for and assisting the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us about the state of purification called purgatory. Nothing evil is allowed in Heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice is all transforming, not just a “cover-up.” What I mean by this is that we believe that Christ’s sacrifice is not just making us appear to be pure, but when we really accept Him wholly, we are transformed. We just need to receive Him.

As imperfect, fallen humans, we might likely not enter into eternal life completely spotless, and that is why His love continues to purify us in the state of purgatory. What’s left of sin is taken away. Traditionally, people ask for 40 Masses to be said for a person who has passed. Forty biblically represents a long time, so people aimed to help someone even if that person was said to be in Purgatory for a long time.

The afterlife doesn’t necessarily have a sense of time, so when someone speaks in manners of time, it’s just us finite humans attempting to understand the afterlife. We should prepare ourselves to be rid of all sin as soon as possible through prayer, the sacraments given by God, and constant conversion. That way, we can enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven where we all belong “sooner”—so to speak.

Until then, it is our duty of brotherhood that we shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

January 4, 2025

In 1208 St. Dominic was laboring without success to convert souls back to the Faith, our Lady gave him a powerful weapon, that consisted of the Angelic Salutation, a pattern of “mysteries” and how they should be prayed. Her intention for the the Angelic Salutation combined with meditations on the mysteries was that it should be used as a prayer and catechism to teach the true Christian faith. Today, we call this our Rosary.

On December 10, 1925, as the world was turning to dictators and communism, Our Blessed Mother appeared Sister Lucia in Spain. By Our Blessed Mother’s side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested one of Her hands on Lucia’s shoulder and showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which She held in Her other hand. Our Lady said:

“Look My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, try to console Me by announcing in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company in prayer for fifteen minutes.”

We call our Rosary and devotions, like the one we are about to start “Marian” in nature. We Catholics say we are devoting ourselves to our Blessed Mother. Are we? Or is She devoting Herself to us?

When we pray the Rosary it is in the name of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Angelic Salutation gives us a way to call on our Blessed Mother for support when we speak to Our Heavenly Father. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee,” is a respectful greeting to to woman in Mary’s time. “Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.” Again, this is a respectful greeting to Mary from Elizabeth because Elizabeth knows about Mary’s pregnancy. “Holy Mary Mother of God,” References to Mary as the “Mother of God” are found throughout the New Testament, not in those words, but the meaning is there. “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” When you put it all together, we are using respectful greetings from God and man to ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us – 54 times in our Rosary. In essence, by praying the Rosary and fulfilling Her request of 5 First Saturdays, we are asking Her to devote Herself to us in prayer, now and at the hour of our death.

As we begin our First Saturday devotion, let’s think about our Blessed Mother who through Her devotion to Her Son’s last act on the cross, brings us together with Her in prayer. That last act was when Jesus looked at his Mother and said: “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to His disciple John, “Behold your mother."

Throughout the Church's history, great theologians, mystics, popes and saints have all viewed John as representing you and me. The last gift Jesus gave humanity before giving every drop of His Sacred Blood was His mother.

We will pray our Rosary, followed by a short lead-in prayer to 15 minutes of silent prayer with our Blessed Mother. I will end our session with a short prayer. Confession begins at 3:30 in the Sanctuary and Mass begins at 5:00pm.

 

September 6, 2025

As August was the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, September follows as the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows. This month we are drawn into the spiritual martyrdom that our Blessed Mother experienced during the physical martyrdom of Jesus. “The purpose of the Devotion of the Seven Sorrows is to promote our union with the sufferings of Christ through union with the special suffering that Our Lady endured because she was the Mother of God. By uniting ourselves with both the Passion of Christ and His holy Mother, we enter into Jesus’ Heart and honor Him greatly.

The Seven Sorrows are taken from Scripture events.

The First Sorrow: Simeon announces the suffering destiny of Jesus (Luke 2:34-35

The Second Sorrow: Mary escapes into Egypt with Jesus and Joseph (Matt 2:13-15)

The Third Sorrow: Mary seeks Jesus lost in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-51)

The Fourth Sorrow: Mary meets Jesus as He carries His Cross to Calvary (cf. Luke 23:26-31)

The Fifth Sorrow: Mary stands near the Cross of her Son Jesus (John 19:25-27)

The Sixth Sorrow: Mary receives into her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the Cross (cf. John 19:38)

The Seventh Sorrow: Mary helps place the body of Jesus in the tomb (cf. John 19:39-42)

This devotion goes back to the Middle Ages but has gained new popularity following the Church-approved Marian apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda in the 1980s. In her apparitions, Our Lady of Kibeho recommended that people pray the Chaplet (or Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows to obtain the favor of repentance.

Father Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, who is in charge of the Marian mission in Rwanda, interviewed Nathalie, one of the visionaries of Kibeho and asked her to summarize the messages of Mary. Here is Nathalie's response:

"The Holy Virgin insisted on the need for prayer. She said that the world is bad. It is necessary to pray, to pray, to pray a lot for this world that is bad, to pray for sinners, to pray for their conversion. She also asked us to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary and to recite it every day. She also taught us the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. She asked us to pray it every Tuesday and Friday. She asked us to obey the Church, to love God in truth, and to love our neighbor in humility and simplicity. She spoke of the need a spirit of penitence and sacrifice. She also spoke of the need for suffering, to bear our sufferings every day. She said that no one enters heaven without suffering. She also told us that acts of charity for the poor make us beautiful flowers that God likes.”

As for the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, it reminds us that Mary plays a key role in our Redemption and that she suffered along with her Son Jesus to save us. It is prayed using a special rosary comprised of seven "decades" containing seven beads each.

If you haven’t prayed the Seven Sorrows chaplet, you might want to consider exploring this devotion. You will find it on my “First Saturday” blog under Related Devotions (right side index) along with more about it’s connection to the Rosary, it’s history, and meaning. (URL is in the bulletin or email me and I can send you the URL to click on)

August 3, 2025

The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated, not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is. This is because the expression ‘Mary’s Heart’ is to be understood in a biblical sense: That is, it denotes the human person of the Blessed Virgin herself, her intimate and unique being (born without sin). Mary’s Heart is the center and source of her internal experiences, thoughts, feelings, and reflections that she has as an individual. It also denotes her mind, memory, her will and love; and the single-mindedness with which she loved God and the disciples and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the work of her Son.

This devotion has received renewed emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima. In Lucy’s visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses committed against her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. This practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The roots of this devotion to Mary’s Heart are in Scripture, where on two occasions reference is made to Mary’s heart by St. Luke, in Luke 2:19 “Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart,” and Luke 2:51 “His mother (Mary) meanwhile kept all these things in memory, meaning in her heart.”

The most beautiful biblical text about Mary’s heart is the Magnificat (taken from Luke’s Gospel (1:46-55)) because it reveals to us the wondrous riches of Mary’s humble and regal heart. Her heart sings a song of praise and salvation for all God’s people.

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

the Magnificat is more than a prayer of praise. It also reminds us about the essential link between humility and holiness. Just as God has “regarded the lowliness of his handmaid (Mary’s answer to Gabriel)” and “has done great things” for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too “he has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has exalted the lowly.”

In our devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart there is no more effective prayer than the Rosary which is about the mysteries of her Son’s life and hers. There is no better way to obtain through Mary’s intercession the help we desperately need to learn how to be loving and selfless.

We hear all the time about praying the Rosary, in fact our Blessed Mother has asked us to pray it many times. But let us not forget the prayers and hymns of praise that bring joy not just to God but to ourselves also. Praise of God enhances our relationship with Him and brings joy to both Him and us, as it reflects our gratitude and appreciation for all He has done.

Many times we find ourselves praying for; a lost loved one, someone who is sick or hurt, trouble in a loved one’s life or in our own or we get caught up in worldly situations and circumstances and forget that God wants our praise along with our problems.

In this month of honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us do what She asks, pray the Rosary daily and do what She does, pray and sing praised to the Lord.

 

July 5, 2025

The month of July is dedicated to The Precious Blood of Jesus. The entire month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

The feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord was instituted in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.

"The Precious Blood which we worship is the Blood which the Savior shed for us on Calvary and re-assumed at His glorious Resurrection; it is the Blood which courses through the veins of His risen, glorified, living body at the right hand of God the Father in heaven; it is the Blood made present on our altars by the words of Consecration; it is the Blood which merited sanctifying grace for us and through it washes and beautifies our soul and inaugurates the beginning of eternal life in it."

Devotion to the Precious Blood is not a spiritual option, it is a spiritual obligation, not only for priests, but for every follower of Christ. To understand the meaning of the Precious Blood we must get some comprehension of the gravity of sin, of the awfulness of offending God, because it required the Blood of the Son of God to forgive that sin.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, You became Man in order by your Passion and Death and the draining of your Blood on the Cross, might prove to us how much You, our God, love us. Protect us, dear Jesus, from ever running away from the sight of blood. Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not only not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time we might live with You in Eternity. Amen

Maech 1, 2025

Each month in the Catholic Church, is dedicated to a specific devotion, often linked to feast days or significant themes. The month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph, an example of faith, fatherhood, and the model of a just and righteous man.

I never thought of St. Joseph as having a part in the First Saturday Devotion or the Rosary. But, my latest research has shown me that a Devotion to St. Joseph is an essential part of Christ’s message to all men, the Fatima message and in bringing peace to the world.

This was made clear in the vision seen by the three children at Fatima on October 13, 1917. In the first of three visions representing the mysteries of the Rosary, Sister Lucia described this blessed appearance in her memoirs saying:

“After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands.” - Memoirs, 183.

That vision reminds us, that through the Joyful Mysteries a devotion to St. Joseph is contained in the Rosary and therefore in the First Saturday devotion. The better we understand the role of St. Joseph, the better we will be able to meditate on the Rosary, especially the Joyful Mysteries. The better we are able to meditate on the Rosary, the better we will be able to practice the First Saturday and many other Devotions. While St. Joseph may not be explicitly mentioned in the conditions for practicing the First Saturday Devotion, nevertheless, a devotion to him greatly enhances our practice of the First Saturday Devotion and many others.

In addition, we could say that St. Joseph is a model of devotion to Jesus and His Mother. When St. Joseph heard Simeon say that a sword would pierce the soul of Our Lady so that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed, this also revealed Joseph’s heart. For St. Joseph loved Mary greatly and wished to console her for the suffering she would endure because of the sins of the world. As a just man and a good Jew, St. Joseph knew that reparation must be made for sin. So St. Joseph knew that he could console Our Lady by trying to make reparation for the sins which pierced her Heart. We learn from this example of St. Joseph that with the help of His intercession we can console Our Lady more fervently.

In the Western Church, the feast of St. Joseph wasn’t fixed until the 15th century. According to tradition, March 19 was the day of Joseph’s death. Although the circumstances of Joseph's death are not known, it is likely that he died before Jesus's ministry began, and it is implied in John 19:26-27, that he was dead before the Crucifixion. In 1621 Pope Gregory the 15th extended the feast of St. Joseph to the entire Church, and it was elevated even more when Pope Pius the 9th declared Joseph the “Patron of the Universal Church” in 1870.

We forget St. Joseph too often. Fatima is a reminder to call on him frequently, daily, in fact. After all, he is the foster father of Jesus, the head of the Holy Family. His name appears in the Canon of the Mass, and, after our Blessed Mother, he is the greatest of all saints and angels.

St. Paul said in Ephesians 3:14-15, "I bow my knees to the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ of whom all paternity in Heaven and earth is named." The fatherhood of St. Joseph, as with all human fathers, is a reflection in a human creature of the fatherhood of God the Father. - Saint Joseph, though he doesn’t speak a word in Sacred Scripture, stands as a model for all men to be in essence, the human face of God the Father.

May 3, 2025

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

Written by Paul McCartney this became one of The Beatles' most iconic and remembered ballads, “Let It Be”. It presents an uplifting and comforting message that reflects a desire for peace and acceptance in the face of life’s challenges.

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and spiritual mother of all. Mary's life and role in the history of salvation is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, while the events of her life are recorded in the New Testament. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is more than just the mother of Christ; she is a symbol of faith, love, and total trust in God's will. Her "yes" to God, through the archangel Gabriel, changed the course of history. Through her humble consent, God entered the world, and redemption began.

Mary is not just a figure from the past; she is alive in heaven, constantly praying for us. we often ask for her intercession, trusting that as a loving mother, she brings our prayers to Jesus. When we pray the Hail Mary, we are asking her to pray for us "now and at the hour of our death."

In her life, Mary embodies all that it means to be a follower of Christ: humility, faith, courage, and above all, love. She points us toward her Son and reminds us that no matter how difficult life may become, God's grace is always with us. Mary's powerful example teaches us to trust God fully and to embrace His will, knowing that His love never fails.

I didn’t know Mary until I was 40ish; I grew up in a home where Mary was mentioned only once or twice at Christmas. It wasn’t until I became Catholic that I began to understand Mary, motherhood and Jesus. Mary is more than a mythical or symbolical creature written about only in the Bible. Mary was a real human being. Just as Jesus was. For the first 9 months of his life, Mary’s body nourished Jesus, while Her blood coursed through Jesus’s veins giving him life. Sounds kinda like the Eucharist, Jesus body nourishing us and his blood giving us everlasting life.

In just over a week we will be celebrating Mothers Day. Through all the celebrations, parties and special dinners, let us not forget our Blessed Mother. Remember Her uplifting and comforting message that reflects a desire for peace and acceptance in the face of life’s challenges; and pray the Rosary. 

April 5, 2025

The month of April is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist. I was born and raised in a Baptist family. Baptists have a different understanding of the Eucharist. As I remember, the Eucharist was a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection.

I was over 30 before I started on my journey to the Catholic Church. One of the hardest things for me to grasp was that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ. Transubstantiation, is the belief that during the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ while retaining their outward appearances. For a long time I saw only their outward appearance.

Christ surely has the power to change things. He changed water into wine, calmed storms, healed sick and drove out demons. Why could I not see his body and blood?

References to “Body and Blood” go back to the time of the Israelites while they were still in the land of Egypt. They were to eat an unblemished lamb and spread the blood over their doorframe. The lamb blood to save them from a plague of first born child death. Later, during the forty years between the time the Israelites left Egypt and entered the Promised Land, they faced harsh conditions, including a scarcity of food. To alleviate this problem, God miraculously provided the Israelites with “bread from heaven,” called “manna.” The manna appeared each morning, and the Israelites were given specific instructions on gathering it.

Manna is a foreshadowing, of Jesus. After Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000, they wanted Him to “give us this bread always”.

Jesus tried to get their attention off of physical bread and onto the true “bread of life.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . . . I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:32-35).

Even after studying the Eucharist, and references to it going all the way back to Abraham, I still only saw the wafer. Then one day as I was walking down the isle, my mind went back to our wedding Mass and the last phrase from the Priest “I pronounce you husband and wife, one in the image of God.”

God created us in his image, that puts us in him. By knowing him and following his will for us, we can put God in us.

Look at the image of Father Michael McGivney. What do you see? Probably not much, because you don’t know him.

When I first met my wife Lolita, I saw a beautiful young woman. After the first few dates, an image started to form in my mind, I saw in her a career woman, and someone who wanted to investigate the world.

Later that image began to change as I saw someone who cared, shared and loved God to the point that I could see Him in her.

Before we can truly see the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we must first know Christ. That takes meditating on the scriptures and prayer. Our Blessed Mother helps us with meditation and prayer through the Rosary.

February 1, 2025

In ancient Israelite culture, betrothal was a well-defined period that often lasted a year or more before the actual marriage ceremony. Understanding the cultural backdrop of betrothal helps us appreciate the significance of Mary’s answer to Gabriel.

Betrothal established a marriage covenant. In Jesus' time a covenant would be established as the result of the prospective bridegroom traveling from his father's house to the home of the prospective bride. There he would negotiate with the father of the young woman to determine the price that he must pay to purchase his bride.

Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was thereby established, and the young man and woman were regarded to be husband and wife.

From that moment on the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified, set apart exclusively for her bridegroom.

As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride would drink from a cup of wine over which a betrothal benediction had been pronounced.

After the marriage covenant had been established, the groom would leave the home of the bride and return to his father's house. There he would remain separate from his bride for a period of twelve months.

This period of separation afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and to prepare for married life.

The groom occupied himself with the preparation of living accommodations in his father's house to which he could bring his bride.

At the end of the period of separation the groom would come to take his bride to live with him.

But what would happen if the Betrothed Bride was found to be with child during this period? As Mary would become … We find the answer in Deuteronomy 22:20 - If a man marries a girl who is claimed to be a virgin, and then finds that she is not, “they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her father’s house and there her townsmen shall stone her to death”

Mary, unwed and pregnant, knew the punishment she faced - stoning. She had nothing but the story of an angel to tell her parents and Joseph, the man she had promised to marry. Joseph would have been well within his rights, even within his duty—to expose her sin and witness her execution.

It was only with the intervention of an angel and Joseph’s own faith-filled acceptance of the angel’s message, that saved both Mary’s life and the life of her unborn baby, the Incarnation of God.

Mary knew exactly what she would face in her home and community after she said her faith-filled “Let it be done to me according to your word” to the visiting angel. And still, she said yes. She trusted that God would take care of her, and he did, through her husband Joseph.

As we spend time in prayer with our Blessed Mother this afternoon, let us remember her undaunted faith and trust in God, to the point that she could say yes to him though it might cause her a shame filled slow and painful death.

 

First Five Saturday Devotion

Lolita and I will be hosting a First Saturday Devotion at Saint Peter Catholic Church. It will start at 2:30pm in room 204 of the Spiritual Life Center (SLC), on every First Saturday of every month. We will pray 5 decades of the Rosary and have 15 minutes of silent reflection with our Blessed Mother. By adding confession which starts at 3:30pm in the sanctuary and Mass at 5:00pm you can complete the First Saturday Devotion requested by our Blessed Mother. Everyone is welcome to join us.

 

We will pray our Rosary, followed by a short lead-in prayer to 15 minutes of silent prayer with our Blessed Mother. The session will end with a short prayer.

 

Confession begins at 3:30pm in the Sanctuary and Mass begins at 5:00pm. 

 

Our Lady promised to assist all those who will practice the devotion of the first Saturday for five consecutive months with the graces necessary for salvation at the hour of their death.

 

In 1208 St. Dominic was laboring without success to convert souls back to the Faith, our Lady gave him a powerful weapon, that consisted of the Angelic Salutation, a pattern of “mysteries” and how they should be prayed. Her intention for the the Angelic Salutation combined with meditations on the mysteries was that it should be used as a prayer and catechism to teach the true Christian faith. Today, we call this our Rosary. 

 

On December 10, 1925, as the world was turning to dictators and communism, Our Blessed Mother appeared to Sister Lucia in Spain. By Our Blessed Mother’s side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested one of Her hands on Lucia’s shoulder and showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which She held in Her other hand. Our Lady said:

“Look My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, try to console Me by announcing in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company in prayer for fifteen minutes."

We call our Rosary and devotions, like the one we are about to start “Marian” in nature. We Catholics say we are devoting ourselves to our Blessed Mother. Are we? Or is She devoting Herself to us?

When we pray the Rosary it is in the name of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Angelic Salutation gives us a way to call on our Blessed Mother for support when we speak to Our Heavenly Father. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee,” is a respectful greeting to to woman in Mary’s time. “Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.” Again, this is a respectful greeting to Mary from Elizabeth because Elizabeth knows about Mary’s pregnancy. “Holy Mary Mother of God,” References to Mary as the “Mother of God” are found throughout the New Testament, not in those words, but the meaning is there. “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” When you put it all together, we are using respectful greetings from both God and man to ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us – 54 times in our Rosary. In essence, by praying the Rosary and fulfilling Her request of 5 First Saturdays, we are asking Her to devote Herself to us in prayer, now and at the hour of our death.

When you begin your First Saturday devotion, think about our Blessed Mother who through Her devotion to Her Son’s last act on the cross, brings us together with Her in prayer. That last act was when Jesus looked at his Mother and said: “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to His disciple John, “Behold your mother."

Throughout the Church's history, great theologians, mystics, popes and saints have all viewed John as representing you and me. The last gift Jesus gave humanity before giving every drop of His Sacred Blood for all our sins was His mother, to all believers.

 For questions about the Rosary and reflection please contact Ken Harbit – pogi.rosary@gmail.com or 252-321-7245.

 

September 6, 2025

As August was the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, September follows as the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows. This month we are drawn into the spiritual martyrdom that our Blessed Mother experienced during the physical martyrdom of Jesus. “The purpose of the Devotion of the Seven Sorrows is to promote our union with the sufferings of Christ through union with the special suffering that Our Lady endured because she was the Mother of God. By uniting ourselves with both the Passion of Christ and His holy Mother, we enter into Jesus’ Heart and honor Him greatly.

The Seven Sorrows are taken from Scripture events.

The First Sorrow: Simeon announces the suffering destiny of Jesus (Luke 2:34-35

The Second Sorrow: Mary escapes into Egypt with Jesus and Joseph (Matt 2:13-15)

The Third Sorrow: Mary seeks Jesus lost in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-51) 

The Fourth Sorrow: Mary meets Jesus as He carries His Cross to Calvary (cf. Luke 23:26-31) 

The Fifth Sorrow: Mary stands near the Cross of her Son Jesus (John 19:25-27) 

The Sixth Sorrow: Mary receives into her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the Cross (cf. John 19:38) 

The Seventh Sorrow: Mary helps place the body of Jesus in the tomb (cf. John 19:39-42)

This devotion goes back to the Middle Ages but has gained new popularity following the Church-approved Marian apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda in the 1980s. In her apparitions, Our Lady of Kibeho recommended that people pray the Chaplet (or Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows to obtain the favor of repentance.

Father Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, who is in charge of the Marian mission in Rwanda, interviewed Nathalie, one of the visionaries of Kibeho and asked her to summarize the messages of Mary. Here is Nathalie's response:

"The Holy Virgin insisted on the need for prayer. She said that the world is bad. It is necessary to pray, to pray, to pray a lot for this world that is bad, to pray for sinners, to pray for their conversion. She insisted a lot on the need for conversion: Convert to God! Convert to God! Convert to God! While saying that people don't respect God's commands, that people have a hard heart, she also asked us to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary and to recite it every day. She also taught us the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. She asked us to pray it every Tuesday and Friday. She asked us to obey the Church, to love God in truth, and to love our neighbor in humility and simplicity. She spoke of the need for mortification, a spirit of penitence and sacrifice. She also spoke of the need for suffering, to bear our sufferings every day. She said that no one enters heaven without suffering. She also told us that acts of charity for the poor make us beautiful flowers that God likes.”

As for the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, it reminds us that Mary plays a key role in our Redemption and that she suffered along with her Son Jesus to save us. It is prayed using a special rosary comprised of seven "decades" containing seven beads each.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are special to me for a slightly different reason. My wife’s name Lolita is a of Spanish origin and a variant of Lola, meaning ‘pain’ or ‘sorrows’ in Spanish. It is also the Spanish nickname for Dolores, used for Mary, the mother of Lord Jesus, in association with the sorrows in life. Lolita is a popular religious theme and a Christian devotion under the names of Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Dolours, Mother of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours. 

If you haven’t prayed the Seven Sorrows chaplet, you might want to consider exploring this devotion. You will find it on my “First Five Saturday” blog in the index along the right side under Related Devotions (the URL is in the bulletin or you can email me and I can send you the URL to click on) along with more about it’s connection to the Rosary, it’s history, and meaning.

 

First Saturday Rosary

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

The First Joyful Mystery - THE ANNUNCIATION

The angel Gabriel announces to Marry that she has been chosen to become the Mother of God. This child, Jesus would be the fulfillment of the promise made to King David, ruling forever and for all nations.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

The Second Joyful Mystery - THE VISITATION

Upon hearing the message of Gabriel, Mary “proceeded in haste” to see Elizabeth.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

The Third Joyful Mystery - THE BIRTH OF JESUS

Mary and Joseph arrive in David’s city and their child, the Word made flesh, is born in a cave.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

The Fourth Joyful Mystery - THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE.

Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the temple, fulfilling the prophecy that the glory of Yahew would return to the temple.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

The Fifth Joyful Mystery - THE FINDING IN THE TEMPLE

After 5 days of searching for him, Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple. Jesus says “Did you not know that I must return to my Father’s house?”

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us oh Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of God.

O God, whose only begotten Son,by His life, death, and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit