First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 10/5/2013

   

 My Rosa Mystics statue returned to the

Day Chapel after taking a break last month.

The statue is joined on the display altar by

holy relics of St. Anna Schaffer (l) and

Our Lady's veil (r).

 

Our monthly Rosary for Peace marked its 3rd Anniversary with today's meeting!  I hadn't realized the significance of it until a couple of hours before we started... and although some of our regular participants were off-island on trips, the meeting was still well-attended with several guests from other parishes participating in our prayer.  I always enjoy welcoming these "pilgrims", as my hope is that our group's deep love for Our Lady, the Holy Rosary, and the Saints (and their respective Relics) will follow them back to their own parishes, as well as spread the word about this special Rosary Prayer that we're doing in our own parish.

 

The featured Saint of the Month was St. Anna Schaffer (d. 1925), whose Feast Day it also happened to be today, October 5th.  Another thing I particularly enjoy doing at the Rosary for Peace is introducing the attendees to little-known Saints/Blesseds... and based on the feedback I often receive after, I know the audience enjoys it, too.

 

So Anna Schaffer (left photo) - an obscure Stigmatic - is a good example of a Saint, who only recently has started to become better known outside of her home-country of Germany.  Several people were truly interested in learning more about her remarkable life and asked me questions about her after the meeting.  That's how I knew Anna had sparked some interest with our parishioners.

 

Anyhow, the prayer meeting was, as always... serenely beautiful.  The powerful sense of peace that pervades our Day Chapel for the 30 minutes, or so, that we're engaged in reflection and prayer is always a welcomed respite from the outside world's hustle and bustle.  It's truly refreshing.

 

Parishioners and guests to our Kailua

parish begin to gather before the start of

the Rosary for Peace in our Day Chapel.

 

The next Rosary for Peace at St. Anthony of Padua Church will be prayed on Saturday, November 2nd - the Feast of All Souls!  Our prayer will not only be offered for World Peace, but we will be praying for our dearly departed, too.  All are welcome to participate!