The feast of the Holy Family is celebrated the first Sunday after Christmas. It is a time to reflect on the love and tenderness Jesus, Mary and Joseph had for one another. How can we improve our own family lives to be more loving?
One way to celebrate the Feast Day of the Holy Family is to make an act of consecration. An act of consecration is a sacred act and should be done in a very prayerful way. It needs to be prayed deeply. and slowly..from the heart.
Consecration to the Holy Family Prayer
O Lord Jesus, you lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. There you grew in age, wisdom and grace as you prepared to fulfill your mission as our Redeemer. We entrust our family to you.
O Blessed Mary, you are the Mother of our Savior. At Nazareth you cared for Jesus and nurtured him in the peace and joy of your home. We entrust our family to you.
O Saint Joseph, you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary, and gave us a model of fatherhood while showing us the dignity of work. We entrust our family to you.
Holy Family, we consecrate ourselves and our family to you. May we be completely united in a love that is lasting, faithful and open to the gift of new life. Help us to grow in virtue, to forgive one another from our hearts, and to live in peace all our days.
Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need.
our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic church where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!
Short Prayer to the Holy Family
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.”
The feast of the Holy Family is celebrated the first Sunday after Christmas. It is a time to reflect on the love and tenderness Jesus, Mary and Joseph had for one another. How can we improve our own family lives to be more loving?
One way to celebrate the Feast Day of the Holy Family is to make an act of consecration. An act of consecration is a sacred act and should be done in a very prayerful way. It needs to be prayed deeply. and slowly..from the heart.
Consecration to the Holy Family Prayer
O Lord Jesus, you lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. There you grew in age, wisdom and grace as you prepared to fulfill your mission as our Redeemer. We entrust our family to you.
O Blessed Mary, you are the Mother of our Savior. At Nazareth you cared for Jesus and nurtured him in the peace and joy of your home. We entrust our family to you.
O Saint Joseph, you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary, and gave us a model of fatherhood while showing us the dignity of work. We entrust our family to you.
Holy Family, we consecrate ourselves and our family to you. May we be completely united in a love that is lasting, faithful and open to the gift of new life. Help us to grow in virtue, to forgive one another from our hearts, and to live in peace all our days.
Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need.
our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic church where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!
Short Prayer to the Holy Family
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.”
The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 16. It is on this day in about 1386 that Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock. She gave him a Brown Scapular saying,
“Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire.”
The scapular symbolizes Mary’s protection and reminds those wearing it of the call to prayer and penance. It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus and imitate Mary as the perfect model of all disciples of Christ.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
A chapel was built near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) which was dedicated to Our Lady. The hermits living there became known as the “Brothers of Mount Carmel”. St. Simon Stock was a leader of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites have a special devotion to Mary. Their saints and theologians have a special devotion to her and the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin). St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Terese of Lisieux are well known Carmelite saints.
Mt. Carmel is located north of Jerusalem along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well known mountainous ridge in Palestine which is covered with caves. Hermits lived in the caves, living a life of solitude and prayer. Mt. Carmel is mentioned in the Old Testament many times.
The history of the Carmelites dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have been founded by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative order. Their spirituality follows the contemplative spirit of Elijah, living a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. One of their goals is to “find God in the silence’. The rule of the Carmelites was written by St. Albert Avogadro in 1214.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock. It is a special feast day for those who have a special devotion to Mary and wear the Brown Scapular. The Apparition of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587.
The feast day of the Our Lady of Lourdes will be celebrated on February 11th by the Catholic Church. Why do Catholics ask Mary to pray for them? What is the meaning of this feast day? What do the saints say about Mary? The early church had great reverence for Mary, the Mother of God. Because she gave birth to Jesus, Mary was full of Grace…literally! Just as Adam and Eve were created without sin, it is believed that Mary also was created without the stain of original sin. Mary’s Heart was Immaculate….free from any stain of sin, both original sin and personal sin. Mary was not God, however. All worship goes to the Trinity…the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Mary was an instrument used by God to bring Jesus into the world. We know Jesus honored and loved His Mother. Are we not called to imitate Jesus? There are many prayers and quotes by the saints for us to learn about the beliefs of the early Church.
Our Lady of Lourdes
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comforter of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you dispense your favors, and where many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. My loving Mother, obtain my request. I will try to imitate your virtues so that I may one day share your company and bless you in eternity. Amen.
Purer than heaven’s purest angels, brighter than its brightest seraph; Mary, after her Creator, God, made her and gave her all, the most perfect of beings, the masterpiece of Infinite Wisdom, Almighty Power and Eternal Love. To such a being we cannot reasonably suppose that a perfection was denied her which had been already gratuitously bestowed on inferior creatures; on the angelic spirits
The Most Holy Virgin places herself between her Son and us. The greater sinners we are, the more tenderness and compassion does she feel for us. The child that has cost its mother the most tears is the dearest to her heart.
Our Lady is rest for those who work, consolation for those who weep medicine for the sick, a harbour for those assailed by tempests, pardon for sinners, sweet relief for the sad, succour for those who implore.
Why should we be astonished if the God who could work marvels in the scripture and through His saints should choose to reveal Himself even more marvelous by means of His Mother?
Most Holy Virgin Mary…Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, Lily of purity, Rose of patience, Paradise of delight, Mirror of chastity, Model if innocence…intercede for this poor banished pilgrim.
Remember, O most loving virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O virgin of virgins, our mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful, O mother of the Word incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is celebrated on New Years Day. We continue to celebrate the joy of the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Mary was given the title Theotokos which means “God-bearer” in Greek during the third or fourth century.
The divinity of Jesus has been argued about throughout the ages. The church has declared that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine…He has two natures. The church also teaches that Jesus was begotten not made. This means that Jesus has always existed in the Trinity. He became Man to redeem us and to give us the gift of salvation.
Because the church teaches that Jesus is the Lord, our God, this means Mary is the mother of God.
The mysteries of our faith are many. This mystery is truly beautiful. Mary, who was born without sin ( like Eve) said yes to the Angel during the Annunciation. Although troubled by the news that she would bear a son, she said;
“Let it be”.
We are all called to imitate Mary who is the first disciple of Jesus. Mary loved Jesus in a way none of us are able. She cared for him and took care of all his needs while he was growing up. There can be no doubt that Jesus also loved and honored Mary.
We are also called to honor Mary, just as Jesus honored His Mother. If Jesus honored and loved his mother, why shouldn’t we do the same?
The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on Dec. 12. She has been named the patron of the Americas.
Our Lady appeared to a peasant near Mexico City named Juan Diego in 1529. She appeared to him as an Aztec Princess, and spoke in his native tongue. She requested he tell the bishop to build a church on the site. Initially the bishop was skeptical, demanding proof of the vision. Juan Diego returned to the site of the vision to find Castillo Roses blooming in the frozen earth. He collected them and returned to the bishop. When he opened his cloak, the flowers fell to the ground and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on his cloak. (The miracle of the roses) His cloak is under glass, on display, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was soon built. Over six million soon converted to the faith because of the apparition.
There have been many apparitions of Mary over time. Not all of them have been approved by the Church. While belief in the apparitions is not a requirement, devotion to the approved apparitions are encouraged. Before an apparition can be approved it is thoroughly investigated by the Vatican.
The church teaches us that Mary always leads us to her Son, Jesus. Jesus is both human and divine; Mary is human only, but the mother of Our Lord. We consider her our spiritual mother, to whom we can always turn to for intercessory prayer. (To Jesus, Thru Mary)
Anyone who is questioning the reverence held for Mary should ask themselves several questions.
Do the commandments require us to honor our father and mother?
Did Jesus honor Mary?
Are we not called to imitate Jesus?
Why then, should we not honor Mary, His mother?
The following prayer to Mary is a sample of intercessory prayer. In this type of prayer, we ask a saint, or another person, to pray for us and with us.
Beautiful Virgin of Guadalupe, I ask you on behalf of all my brothers and sisters of the world that you bless us and protect us. Give us proof of your love and kindness. Oh pure Virgin of Guadalupe, give me through your Son, forgiveness for my sins, blessings for my job, cure for my diseases and needs, and all that you deem necessary. I ask for my family, Oh Mother of God, do not disdain the pleas we present to you in our needs. Amen
The feast day of St. Juan Diego is celebrated on December 9. Juan was born in a ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan. His birth name was Cuauhtlatzin, which means “The talking eagle”. He was a farmer and a weaver. He is the first indigenous American Saint.
After the arrival of the Franciscans, Juan and his wife, Maria Lucia, converted to the Catholic faith in 1524-1525. Juan was baptized by Father Peter da Gand at the age of 50. He and his wife moved closer to Mexico City to be closer to the Franciscan Catholic Mission.
Juan had a special devotion to the Eucharist. In 1529, several years after his conversion, Maria Lucia died. As a widower, he walked 15 miles three times a week to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.
One Saturday, on Dec. 9, as he was walking to Mass, a woman’s voice called out to him as he passed Tepeyac Hill. He heard music and saw a cloud encircled by a rainbow. Our Lady appeared to him dressed as an Aztec princess. She told him she was The Virgin Mary and asked him to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said to him;
“I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help and defense, for I am your most devoted mother….to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings.”
When he told the bishop what had happened, the bishop was kind, but skeptical. He requested proof. Before Juan could return to the site, he learned his uncle was dying. On his way to see his uncle, Our Lady appeared to him again, telling him his uncle had been cured. She told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where she had first appeared. When he did this he was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen earth. He gathered them in his cloak and took them to the bishop. When he opened his cloak, the flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (not native to Mexico). The bishop saw a glowing image of Our Lady imprinted inside Juan’s cloak. This is referred to as The Miracle of the Roses.
Soon after, a church was built at the site. In the seven years following the building of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, six million people converted to the church because of the apparition. Twenty million pilgrims visit the Basilica yearly, second only to St. Peters Basilica in Rome.
An investigation by the Vatican (which included thirty researchers) confirmed that Juan Diego was not a mythical character.
Pope John Paul II praised St. Juan Diego for his simple faith who said to the Virgin Mary,
“I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf”
Pope John Paul II called him a model of humility.
Our Lady of Guadalupe has been declared the patroness of the Americas.
St. Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a hut near the church, caring for both the church and the first pilgrims. St. Juan Diego died on May 30, 1548.
The Cloak of Juan Diego was framed and is on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is still intact, showing no signs of decay after nearly five hundred years.
The Feast day of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8 during the season of Advent. The feast day celebrates the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. It is often misunderstood as the celebration of the conception of Jesus.
Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patron Saint of Brazil and the United States.
The feast day became a celebration for the universal church in the 18th century. Pope Pius IX declare;
“The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”
Mary herself confirmed her title to St. Bernadettesaying to her;
The feast day of St. Catherine Laboure is celebrated on November 28. She is the visionary who began the devotion to the miraculous medal.
Catherine Laboure was born on May 2, 1806 in Paris, France. Her father was a successful farmer. She was the ninth of eleven children. Her mother died when she was only nine years old. After the funeral service, Catherine went to her room and gave a kiss to a statue of Mary, saying;
“Now, dear Lady, you are my mother.”
Catherine was called “Zoe” by those who knew her, because her birthday was on the feast day of St. Zoe.
After having a dream about St. Vincent de Paul, at a young age, she joined the Daughters of Charity founded by him. She is known as a Marian visionary because of the apparitions which she reported of Mary appearing to her.
On July 18, the first apparition occurred. Catherine saw a lady seated in the sanctuary. She approached her and was instructed how she was to act during times of trial, pointing to the altar for consolation. Mary told her,
“”Sorrows will come upon France; the throne will be overthrown.”
A week later the French revolution began in Paris.
On Nov. 27, the lady showed St. Catherine the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the “Miraculous Medal” She gave Catherine the mission of having the medal made and to spread devotion to it.
Catherine reported the visions to her spiritual director, Father Aladal. Forty five years later, she spoke fully to her supervisors about the apparitions.
The miraculous medal which Mary showed to Catherine was oval showing Mary standing on a globe crushing the head of the serpent. (the devil). Around the image of Mary were the words:
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
Mary’s hands were showering a cascade of brilliant rays upon the world.
On the reverse side of the medal was a cross, the symbol of Christ’s redeeming Sacrifice on Mount Calvary for the salvation of the world. The cross was intertwined with the letter “M”.
The “M” stands for both Mary and for Mother and was to be surrounded by twelve stars. The two hearts are the Sacred Heart of Jesus encircled by a crown of thorns and the Immaculate of Mary, pierce by a sword. The Flames symbolize the burning love of Jesus and Mother Mary.
Mary told Catherine,
“All who wear them will receive great graces.”
After two years of investigation Father Aladal went to the archbishop with the request. The request was approved.
St. Catherine served humbly, not wishing to be known as a visionary. It was only after 46 years of service that she informed her Sister Superior that she was the Sister Mary had appeared to. At Catherine’s death, on December 31, 1876, at the age of 70, few people knew of her visions. She preferred a silent life, spending her time caring for the aged and sick.
Stories of many miracles and cures caused the devotion to spread rapidly.
In 1922 the body of St. Catherine was exhumed. It was found to be incorrupt. Her body is encased in glass in the chapel in Paris near where Our Lady appeared to her.
St. Catherine’s feast day is celebrated on Nov. 27, the day of the apparition.
St. Catherine Laboure
Lord, I am here. Tell me what you would have me do.
If He gives me some task I am content and I thank Him.
If he gives me nothing, I still thank Him
Since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that,
and then I tell God everything that is in my heart.
I tell him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen.
If you listen, God will also speak to you.
For with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen.
God always speaks to you when you approach him plainly and simply.
The feast day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is celebrated on November 27.
The miraculous medal was the result of visions which occurred to St. Catherine Laboure’. She was born in 1806 in Paris, France. After having a dream about St. Vincent de Paul, she joined the Daughters of Charity which was founded by him. She is known as a Marian visionary because of the apparitions which she reported appearing to her.
On July 18, the first apparition occurred. Catherine saw a lady seated in the sanctuary. She approached her and was instructed how she was to act during times of trial, pointing to the altar for consolation. Mary told her,
“Sorrows will come upon France; the throne will be overthrown.”
A week later the French revolution began in Paris.
On Nov. 27, the lady showed St. Catherine the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the “Miraculous Medal” . She gave Catherine the mission of having the medal made and to spread devotion to it.
Catherine reported the visions to her spiritual director, Father Aladal. Forty five years later, she spoke fully to her supervisors about the apparitions.
The miraculous medal which Mary showed to Catherine was oval showing Mary standing on a globe crushing the head of the serpent. (the devil). Around the image of Mary were the words
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
Mary’s hands were showering a cascade of brilliant rays upon the world.
On the reverse side of the medal was a cross, the symbol of Christ’s redeeming Sacrifice on Mount Calvary for the salvation of the world. The cross was intertwined with the letter “M”.
The “M” stands for both Mary and for Mother and was to be surrounded by twelve stars. The two hearts are the Sacred Heart of Jesus encircled by a crown of thorns and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by a sword. The Flames symbolize the burning love of Jesus and Mother Mary.
Mary told Catherine,
“All who wear them will receive great graces.”
After two years of investigation Father Aladal went to the archbishop with the request. The request was approved.
At Catherine’s death, on December 31, 1876, at the age of 70, few people knew of her visions. She preferred a silent life, spending her time caring for the aged and sick.
The first two-thousand medals were delivered on June 30, 1832. The spread of the Medal was almost like a miracle in itself. The first supply disappeared quickly. Pope Gregory XVI put one of them at the foot of the crucifix on his desk. By 1836 several million medals had been made. The stories of the cures and wonders of the medal helped to spread its use far and wide.
The Miraculous Medal is considered a sacramental. Sacramentals lead a person to prayer which opens the person to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Sacramentals can be material things such as blessed objects, such as scapulars, rosaries, crucifixes, medals, or Holy Water. It can also be actions such as the Sign of the Cross, genuflection, and prayer.
The following explanation of sacramentals is from the Catholic Catechism.
1667 “Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy.”17
1670 Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. “For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.”176
Most Holy Virgin Mary…
Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,
Lily of purity, Rose of patience,
Paradise of delight, Mirror of chastity,
Model of innocence…intercede
for this poor banished pilgrim.
Quote of St. Peter of Alcantara; Feast Day October 19
The feast day of the Presentation of Mary is celebrated on November 21.
The feast day of the Presentation of Mary originated in Jerusalem in 543. The story appears in the Protoevangelium of James which is an extra biblical document. St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of Mary, in gratitude for having a child after many years of infertility, presented Mary to God at the temple in Jerusalem when she was three years old.
The feast day emphasizes the purity of Mary from the moment her life began. Mary is considered a temple in which God dwells in a special way.
The feast day also remembers all the people who have dedicated themselves to God in a contemplative order.
Through Thee…the faithful have received baptism;
churches have been erected in all parts of the earth.
By Thine assistance the Gentiles have been brought to repentance.
And finally through Thee, the only Son of God, source of light,
Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Feast of the Most Holy Rosary,
Feast Day October 7
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Staute
The Feast Day of the Most Holy Rosary is celebrated on October 7. Originally, it was known as the Feast day of Our Lady of Victory in memory of the naval victory which took place called the Battle of Lepanto in the 16th century. The Christian forces repelled a massive Turkish invasion after Pope St. Pius V urged Europe’s Christians to pray the Rosary. In 1573, St. Pius V established the feast day. It was extended to the universal church in 1716 by Pope Clement XI.
Devotion to the Rosary was begun by St. Dominic. The devotion combines meditation on the life of Christ, with memorized prayer. Tradition tells us that when Dominic became discouraged with the slow progress of his work of preaching against the Abligensianheresy, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him with a beautiful wreath of roses. She asked him to say the Rosaryevery day and to teach the people to say the Rosary. Soon the heresy began to disappear. The devotion of the rosary continues today.
The feast day of the Most Holy Rosary is a day we can take time to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for all the times she has prayed and interceded for us. Our faith teaches us that Mary is our spiritual mother. Praying the rosary is actually a meditation on the life of Jesus. It consists of four sets of mysteries: The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Each set has five events in the life of Jesus to meditate on.
The Joyful Mysteries: 1. Annunciation 2. Visitation 3. Birth of Jesus 4. Presentation in the Temple 5. Finding the Child Jesus
The Luminous Mysteries: 1. Christ’s Baptism I the Jordan 2. Wedding at Cana 3. Proclamation of the Kingdom 4. Transfiguration 5. Institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries: 1. Agony in the Garden 2. Scourging at the Pillar 3. Crowning with Thorns 4. Carrying of the Cross 5. Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries: 1. Resurrection 2. Ascension into Heaven 3. Descent of the Holy Spirit 4. Assumption 5. Crowning of Our Blessed Lady
When we pray the rosary we dedicate the prayer for a certain intention such as healing the sick, guiding someone in need or peace in our family. It is a personal prayer based on the life of Jesus. Thank you Mary for listening to us!
Praying the rosary is not difficult. If you would like to learn how to pray the rosary, this article will lead you through it.
Remember, Jesus loved Mary. If we want to imitate Jesus we should honor His Mother.
“It could be said that each mystery of the rosary, carefully meditated,
