Why pray the Rosary every day for a year?
Each time the Blessed Virgin has appeared-- whether it be to Saint Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes; to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco at Fatima; or to Mariette Beco at Banneux-- she has asserted the importance, saving grace, and power of praying the Holy Rosary on a daily basis. Based upon her words, the Rosary is penance and conversion for sinners, a pathway to peace, an end to war, and a powerful act of faith in Jesus Christ. Pope Paul VI presented the Rosary as a powerful means to reach Christ "not merely with Mary but indeed, insofar as this is possible to us, in the same way as Mary, who is certainly the one who thought about Him more than anyone else has ever done."
To show us how this is done, perhaps no one has been more eloquent than the great Cardinal Newman, who wrote: "The great power of the Rosary consists in the fact that it translates the Creed into Prayer. Of course, the Creed is already in a certain sense a prayer and a great act of homage towards God, but the Rosary brings us to meditate again on the great truth of His life and death, and brings this truth close to our hearts. Even Christians, although they know God, usually fear rather than love Him. The strength of the Rosary lies in the particular manner in which it considers these mysteries, since all our thinking about Christ is intertwined with the thought of His Mother, in the relations between Mother and Son; the Holy Family is presented to us, the home in which God lived His infinite love."
As Mary said at Fatima, "Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."
This week, we reached an exciting milestone in our Rosary Construction mission: 2,000 Holy Rosaries constructed. As you know, spiritual aids are distributed to those in need around the world, as well as military personnel stationed overseas.
These Rosaries (picture above, in progress) are for military personnel. All black, and constructed of soft plastic and cord, they are able to be taken into the field without worry of injury or difficulty.
We pray for all military personnel, regardless of nationality, that these Rosaries bring hope, peace, encouragement, and safe returns home to loved ones.
Thank you to all of you who have contributed to our mission through your continued prayers and financial donations. We couldn't do it without you! With your help, we will reach 3000!
In the peace of Christ-
jacob @ 365Rosaries
What a beautiful blog you have, with a welcoming photo of Our Lady of Lourdes. She is dear to my heart because I used to volunteer there, did it four years in a row! I had some wonderful experiences there and had met great people. Listening to the Marian procession hymns and bells brings back memories that will last forever. If you have not volunteered there, I strongly suggest that you do. When you go as a pilgrim, you receive graces, but as a volunteer, you not only receive but also become a bringer of grace to all the sick ones that you help. May Our Lady of Lourdes continue to smile on you and bring you close to her Son.