December 15, 2024

August 2023

Prayer to Our Lady of Montserrat

Mother & Refuge02 mins

In 880, the story goes, shepherd children near Montserrat saw a light come from the sky accompanied by a beautiful song. This continued for a number of weeks then the image of the Blessed Mother was found in a cave. The wood carving still exists today though the fading varnish has turned the color of the hands and faces of Mary and Jesus a dark black. PRAYER “Oh merciful Mother, heart of love, heart of compassion, who always listens and comforts us, attends to our prayers. As your children, we implore your mediation before your son Jesus. He receives with mercy and compassion (make the request). What a joy to know that your heart is always ready for those who pray to you! We yield to your pious care and mediation our loved ones and all who feel sick, lonely or hurt. Help us, loving Mother, to carry our burdens in this life until we reach a share in eternal glory and peace with God. Amen”.

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Our Lady of Madhu, Sri Lanka

Mother & Refuge02 mins

SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF MADHU The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is considered the holiest Catholic shrine in Sri Lanka, possessing a history that goes back for more than 400 years. Situated in the Mannar district, this Roman Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary is a major centre of worship and pilgrimage for the country’s Tamil and Sinhalese Catholic population. The image of Our Lady of Madhu was granted a canonical coronation by Pope Pius XI in 1924. Story Behind the Sacred Shrine After the Dutch invasion of Sri Lanka, the persecution of the Catholic Church in 1670 forced a number of Catholic families to flee from their homes in the coastal town of Manthai; despite their haste to escape, they carried the statue of Mary from their local church with them. Meanwhile, around 700 Catholics migrated south from Jaffna into the Vanni forests. The two communities came across each other in Madhu, where they decided to build a new shrine using the statue of Mary that the Catholic families had rescued. Present-day Shrine Once the persecution of the Catholics had ended, the small community at Madhu discovered that their shrine was attracting pilgrims from all around the island. The church that stands with the shrine today was built in 1872, to include a spacious presbytery, a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

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Prayer to the Immaculate Mother of Mercy

Mother & Refuge21 mins

Immaculate Mother of Mercy, we fly to Your patronage asking that You remain always with us as our Mother and that You form our hearts after Your own. We, Your daughters, desire to serve You faithfully and in all that we are and do, in humility and forgetfulness of self to the end of our lives. Therefore, O Mother, inflame our hearts with fervent love for Your Son and for souls redeemed by His Blood. May we never hesitate to offer ourselves in sacrifice for Holy Mother Church, the Holy Father, our country and for the souls entrusted to our care. Mother of Mercy, give our Congregation numerous and holy vocations that we may forever proclaim trust in the inexhaustible mercy of God over the world and in your motherly mercy, in which we hope to find support in life and at the hour of death. Amen.

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5 Ways to Bring Mary Into Your Life

Mother & Refuge04 mins

01) The Seven Sorrows of Mary Seven graces were promised through St. Bridget for the Seven Sorrows of Mary devotion. Reflect on each Christ-centered sorrow and say a Hail Mary for each one. The prophecy of Simeon The flight into Egypt The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross The Crucifixion The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross The burial of Jesus 02)  First Five Saturdays Our Lady told Sr. Lucia, one of the visionaries from Fatima, that she would assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who make the first Saturdays for five consecutive months by going to Confession within the month, receiving Holy Communion, reciting five decades of the Rosary, and keeping her company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation for sins. 03) Daily Rosary In numerous apparitions, including at Lourdes and Fatima, the Blessed Mother asked us to pray the Rosary daily. Many saints and Catholic leaders have impressed upon us the power of the Rosary. It is centered on the life of Jesus in union with his Blessed Mother. Through St. Dominic, the Blessed Mother also made 15 promises to those who pray it daily, including “special protection and the greatest graces.” 04) Marian Consecration You can use this prayer and consider doing the Total Consecration as imparted to us through St. Louis de Montfort. Consecration to the Blessed Mother means that you trust her with your life and pledge a desire to do everything in union with her. You can also use 33 Days to Morning Glory to prepare. Since Mary is our mother, she knows our needs better than we; and since she is Queen of Heaven, she has immediate access to the infinite treasury of graces in the Kingdom of her Divine Son. Pope Pius XII said that the consecration “tends essentially to union with Jesus, under the guidance of Mary.” 05) Brown Scapular The Brown Scapular given to St. Simon Stock from Our Blessed Mother offers divine protection “from the fire of hell.” Source: NC Register

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Powerful Prayer for The Black Madonna of Poland – Our Lady of Czestochowa

Mother & Refuge32 mins

The Black Madonna is a painting of the Madonna and Christ Child which legend states was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is believed to have used a tabletop from a table built by the carpenter Jesus. It was while Luke was painting Mary that she told him about the events in the life of Jesus that he eventually used in his gospel. This same legend states that that when St. Helen went to Jerusalem to search for the true cross in 326 AD, she happened upon this portrait of Our Lady. She gave it to her son, Constantine, who had a shrine built to house it. In a critical battle with the Saracens, the portrait was displayed from the walls of Constantinople and the Saracens were subsequently routed. The portrait was credited with saving the city. The painting was eventually owned by Charlemagne who subsequently presented the painting to Prince Leo of Ruthenia (northwest Hungary).It remained at the royal palace in Ruthenia until an invasion occurred in the eleventh century. The king prayed to Our Lady to aid his small army and as a result of this prayer a darkness overcame the enemy troops who, in their confusion, began attacking one another. Ruthenia was saved as a result of this intervention by Our Lady. In the fourteenth century, it was transferred to the Mount of Light (Jasna Gora) in Poland in response to a request made in a dream of Prince Ladislaus of Opola.

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Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of Hope

Mother & Refuge02 mins

‘O Mary, my Mother, I kneel before you with heavy heart. The burden of my sins oppresses me. The knowledge of my weakness discourages me. I am beset by fear and temptation of every sort. Yet I am so attached to the things of this world that instead of longing for Heaven I am filled with dread at the thought of death.  O Mother of Mercy, have pity on me in my distress. You are all-powerful with your Divine Son. He can refuse no request of your Immaculate Heart. Show yourself a true Mother to me by being my advocate before His throne. O Refuge of Sinners and Hope of Hopeless, to whom shall I turn if not you?  Obtain for me, then, O Mother of Hope, the grace of true sorrow for my sins, the gift of perfect resignation to God’s Holy Will, and the courage to take up my cross and follow Jesus.  But above all I pray, O dearest Mother, that through your most powerful intercession, my heart may be filled with Holy Hope, so that in life’s darkest hour I may never fail to trust in God my Saviour, but by walking in the way of His commandments I may merit to be united with Him, and with you in the eternal joys of Heaven. Amen.’

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Comforting Our Sorrowful Mother| Prayer in Honour of the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mother & Refuge02 mins

Most holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, you stood beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of your dying son. Look with a mother’s tenderness and pity on me, who kneel before you. I venerate your sorrows and I place my requests with filial confidence in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.Present them, I beseech you, on my behalf to Jesus Christ, through the merits of His own most sacred passion and death, together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross. Through the united efficacy of both obtain the granting of my petition. To whom shall I have recourse in my wants and miseries if not to you, Mother of Mercy? You have drunk so deeply of the chalice of your Son, you can compassionate our sorrows.Holy Mary, your soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of your divine Son. Intercede for me and obtain for me from Jesus (mention the desired favour) if it be for His honour and glory and for my good. Amen

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Infallible Prayer to St. Joseph

Mother & Refuge01 mins

“Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him close in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen.”

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