First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony's Church, 2/4/2012

A visitor from Mililani
paying her respects to
Mary & the Relics

St. Anthony's Parish monthly Rosary for Peace was again well-attended yesterday afternoon. New friends who participated with us in January all the way from distant Kapolei, returned this month to pray with us again, and it was a joy to fellowship with them... as well as our own familiar parishioners who we hadn't seen in a while. As the popular saying goes, "The more, the merrier", so I hope that the increased number of people joining us in this special rosary has brought a measure of joy to our Blessed Mother's maternal heart.

This year, prior to praying the Rosary, I've made it a point to regularly share about the life and the relic of a Saint (or Blessed) of the month, and the people appear to be very receptive about it.  So this month, I had the privilege of briefly sharing the lives of the 7 Holy Founders of the Servite Order and 1st Class Relics from their bones. In 1233, these holy men from Florence (Italy) experienced a vision of Mary (see below) that lead them to come together as hermits on a nearby mountain where they eventually became the founders of the Servants of Mary (a.k.a. the "Servite Order"). Their lives are a great example for all Christians on how saying "yes" to Our Lady's invitation to live with devotion and prayer can bring about abundant blessings in one's life.

The next Rosary for Peace will be celebrated next month on March 3rd in St. Anthony's Day Chapel at 4:30pm. Since Lenten observances will be in full swing, rather than displaying the usual relic of the Blessed Mother's Dress during our prayer time, I will be bringing a rare, authenticated relic of the Lord's Passion - a small fragment of stone from the Scourging Pillar - to be a fitting focal point for our meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.  All are welcome to pray with us!

Ad Jesum, per Mariam (To Jesus, through Mary)!