a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

Today, July 6, marks the anniversary of the first message delivered to Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa by Our Lady of Akita, Japan. (For more on Sister Agnes and the prelude to the messages of Akita, click here). Previously, in June of 1973, Sister Agnes had witnessed a heavenly glow emanating from the tabernacle in the convent chapel, and had witnesses a “multitude of angels surrounding the alter in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.”


Following her vision, Sister Agnes continued praying, but was interrupted by a sudden scratching sensation, followed by pain, upon the palm of her left hand. She gazed upon her skin, where two red scratches in the form of a cross had appeared. The pain increased over the next several days, until she received both a visitation from her guardian angel and a message from Our Blessed Mother on July 6. Following the visit, the appearance of the cross-shaped stigmata continued to appear every week, with Sister Agnes feeling pain on Thursdays, and experiencing the scratches on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sister Agnes, deaf in both ears, reported three messages from the Blessed Virgin during 1973, beginning today. The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary- carved from a single block of Katsura wood from a tree, and approximately three feet tall-- continued to weep thereafter for some years. On July 6, 1973, Sister Agnes reported that she first heard the statue calling her, and then the first message began.

The message from Our Blessed Mother, delivered to Sister Agnes was as follows:

"My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed me well in abandoning all to follow me. Is the infirmity of your ears painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure. Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer? Pray in reparation for the sins of men. Each person in this community is my irreplaceable daughter. Do you say well the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist? Then, let us pray it together.

‘Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father pleading for the coming of His Kingdom.


Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls.


Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen.’

When the prayer was finished, the “most beautiful voice” of Our Blessed Mother instructed: "Pray very much for the Pope, Bishops, and Priests. Since your Baptism you have always prayed faithfully for them. Continue to pray very much...very much. Tell your superior all that passed today and obey him in everything that he will tell you. He has asked that you pray with fervor."

Later in the day, several other sisters of the convent noticed that the hand of the wooden statue had drops of blood flowing from it.


In total, Sister Agnes would receive three messages from Our Lady of Akita, similar to those delivered by Our Lady of Fatima. Additional miracles would occur, including several miraculous cures. As with her other appearances on earth, Our Blessed Mother urges us to pray the Rosary daily, to lift our lives to the Lord in reparation for not only our own sins, but the sins of mankind. She promises to intercede for us, if we only ask her to: Our Blessed Mother, our constant advocate, our mediatrix of all graces! Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child.

Inspired by the origins and spiritual history of the Holy Rosary, we continue our meditation on the psalms, one each day, in order, for 150 days.
Today’s Psalm: Psalm 72: The King of Glory


1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 He will judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.
5 He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
8 He will rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 The desert tribes will bow before him
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
will bring tribute to him;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him gifts.
11 All kings will bow down to him
and all nations will serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 Let grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon;
let it thrive like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
All nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
18 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.


Day 187 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Reparation of the sins of the world.
Requested Intentions: Employment; Discernment of God’s will (A); Healing of illness (P); Small business assistance, blessings on jobs, financial aid for college student (M); Financial assistance (F); For a recovery and sanctification (X); For a daughter struggling with disease and illness (T); For all lost children (I); Prosperity, health, healing, and conversion for a family (M); Health and healing of a mother (A); Healing of heart and mind (T); Healing of a new relationship before marriage (K); Healing of a relationship (T); Eternal rest for the dearly departed, end to financial struggles, successful sale of home, ability to travel on pilgrimage (L); For healing of a stomach illness (L); For the repose of the soul of a sister (C); Vocational security for family, Financial security for daughter beginning college (M); Vocational guidance, courage and strength (I); Health for an ailing nephew (A); Those suffering from depression (J); Successful adoption (S); Healing of a father battling cancer (S).
Psalm: Psalm 72: The King of Glory