First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 6/3/2017

St. Juliana Falconieri,
the Handmaid of the Eucharist

It was nice to see this month's First Saturday Rosary event exceptionally well-attended... and there were many new people who came, which is always a welcomed sight! I always feel the more people praying, the better... and I particularly enjoy seeing what the "newbies" look like when they first arrive, compared to their appearance when they leave the chapel after. Most look relieved; lighter and brighter.  I'm not making it up.

So before beginning our Rosary for Peace, I first introduced our June Saint (and accompanying relic) - St. Juliana Falconieri - to our parishioners. I shared that, in a nutshell, Juliana is best remembered for the Eucharistic Miracle that happened at the very end of her life. Unable to receive Viaticum because of constant vomiting, the Host was instead laid on a corporal that was spread over her chest. St. Juliana died peacefully soon after but the Eucharist went missing... only to be found mysteriously "imprinted" onto the skin over her heart! It was then evident that Christ had satisfied the Saint's desire for Holy Communion at a time when she really needed His comforting presence; just in manner that was unconventional and obviously miraculous.

So what was the moral of the story? A. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist... and B. He'll always pull through when we need Him the most; we just have to have faith. That was the dual-message I wanted to illustrate through the life of St. Juliana Falconieri and I think the parishioners were encouraged by it.

After the Rosary Prayer ended several people went up to the display altar to view and venerate my Fatima pilgrim statue and the 1st Class (bone) Relic from St. Juliana that I had brought to the meeting. As I might have mentioned in a previous posting, I can always gauge how much a Saint or Blessed's life had impressed the attendants by the number of people who stay to venerate a relic before leaving to attend the Mass next door. More people than usual lined up to view St. Juliana's relic; say a short prayer; take pictures; etc...

 

Our Lady and the Saints have a way

of touching people's hearts before, during,

and after our monthly Rosaries.

Our next First Saturday Rosary for Peace will be offered on Saturday, July 1st, beginning at 4:25pm in the Day Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua. I actually ran into one of the newbies after and she testified that she had never experienced the Rosary like how she did at today's meeting. She felt that special aura of peace that fills the chapel during our prayer and she'll be coming back next month - Praise the Lord! Come and experience the same peace.  All are welcome!