Prayer to St. Lucy for Healing of Eye Problems

By Aleteia St Lucy, you preferred to let your eyes be torn out instead of denying the faith and defiling your soul; and God, through an extraordinary miracle, replaced them with another pair of sound and perfect eyes to reward your virtue and faith, appointing you as the protector against eye diseases. I come to you for you to protect my eyesight and to heal the illness in my eyes. O St Lucy, preserve the light of my eyes so that I may see the beauties of creation, the glow of the sun, the colour of the flowers and the smile of children. Preserve also the eyes of my soul, the faith, through which I can know my God, understand His teachings, recognise His love for me and never miss the road that leads me to where you, St Lucy, can be found in the company of the angels and saints. St Lucy, protect my eyes and preserve my faith. Amen.

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Our Lady of the Turning Eyes, Rottweil, Germany

In 1643 the City of Rottweil was under siege by French troops during the Thirty Years’ War. As cited in the original Dominican document, 300 citizens of the Town ceaselessly prayed the Rosary at a Statue of the Madonna and Child at the Dominican church. On 10 November 1643 witnesses saw the Statue turn pale and raise its eyes toward heaven then back to the City. Some claimed to have heard it speak. Both Catholics and non-Catholics witnessed the event. Fifteen days later, the Statue’s face turned reddish and the eyes moved again while shedding tears. At the same time, the French and Saxe-Weimar troops were defeated by Bavarian troops in the Battle of Tuttlingen. The victory was attributed to the intercession of Mary. The Statue remained in the Church until 1802 following the secularisation of Germany, when the Monastery was dissolved and the Church was seized by the Kingdom of Württemberg. At this time the Statue was transferred to the City’s main Church, the Holy Cross Münster. A solemn procession was held to relocate the Statue on 29 December of that year. The Dominican Church later became the Town’s Protestant church, the Predigerkirche. Read more…

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Prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor

Our Lady of Prompt Succor,ever Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God,you are most powerful against the enemy of our salvation. The divine promise of a Redeemer was announced right after the sin of our first parents; and you, through your Divine Son, crushed the serpent’s head. Hasten, then, to our help and deliver us from the deceits of Satan. Intercede for us with Jesus that we may always accept God’s graces and be found faithful to Him in our particular states of life. As you once saved our beloved city from ravaging flames and our country from an invading army, have pity on us and obtain for us protection from hurricanes and all other disasters. (Silent pause for individual petitions.) Assist us in the many trials which beset our path through life. Watch over the Church and the Pope as they uphold with total fidelity the purity of faith and morals against unremitting opposition. Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death, that we may gain everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us! Amen.

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Prayer to Our Lady of Montserrat

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

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

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

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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Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of Hope

‘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

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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