First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 5/6/2017

          

Photos of Holy Relics of Bl. Rolando Rivi

(hair, left) and the Fatima visionaries (coffin

wood, right) flanked my pilgrim statue

of Our Lady of Fatima in the Day Chapel

of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua.

(my notebook of prayer petitions lies

under the relic of the Fatima seers)

Holy children were in the spotlight today at our parish's First Saturday Rosary. For the veneration of the people who attended, I brought with me my ministry's 2nd Class Relics of the Fatima Seers - Bl. Francisco & Bl. Jacinta Marto - and a 1st Class Relic of the child-martyr, Bl. Rolando Rivi. Being that May 2017 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first of Our Lady's six apparitions in Fatima, I thought that having the relics of the child-seers in our Day Chapel, along with my Fatima pilgrim statue, would be meaningful. Plus I wanted to celebrate the canonization of the two visionaries, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 13th - it's about time!

As for Bl. Rolando Rivi, his Memorial is commemorated on May 29th. I felt inspired to share about him because of the overall message his life presented, which I believe is timely for ALL today's Christians. He was a young seminarian who was martyred by anti-clerical Communists because he wore his cassock as a symbol of his personal commitment to Christ. By living the way he did, he provoked the enemies of the Church but inspired others to a stronger faith in Christ (read about Bl. Rolando here).

After narrating the life of our young Martyr, I encouraged our parishioners to imitate his brave example. Taking a cue from him, we should take pride in our wonderful faith and not be afraid or embarrassed to profess it through our words, our deeds... and even through what we wear. Of course we probably don't dress in cassocks, but we do have our crucifix pendants and devotional medals; our scapulars; and our rosaries to express ourselves. Anti-religious sentiments are just as rampant today, if not worse than, Bl. Rolando's time and place. By imitating him, we show the world who exactly we belong to (God!)... and, at the same time, may just inspire someone to live a better life.

The next First Saturday Rosary for Peace will be offered on Saturday, June 3rd, beginning at 4:25pm. All are welcome to find grace and inspiration through the intercession of Our Lady and the Saints.