The Month of Mary

05-02-2021From Fr. Antony's DeskFr. John Barbella

May is of course the Month of Mary. With that in mind, try to do some little things to honor Mary this month. If you don’t already pray the Rosary daily, this would be a good time to start. If you can’t pray a whole Rosary, why not pray at least a decade of it a day? It is a powerful prayer, one of my favorites, and is recommended by countless saints.

As a parish, we will honor Mary by setting up a special statue of her near the side Altar. It will be left in place throughout the month of May. My hope is that it will inspire us to think of Mary’s good example and strive to follow it in our lives.

In addition to the Rosary, you might consider attending the Novena Mass that is offered on Monday evenings at 7pm in our Church. The Miraculous Medal Novena is prayed following that Mass. For those who may not know, the Miraculous Medal Novena is a prayer asking our Blessed Mother to intercede for us with her Divine Son.

It is connected with an appearance of our Blessed Mother to Saint Catherine Laboure. Our Blessed Mother presented Saint Catherine with an image for a medal. She asked that the medal be reproduced so it could be worn as a reminder of her maternal love for her spiritual children, and of the prayers she offers to Jesus on our behalf.

This medal came to be called the Miraculous Medal because of the number of amazing graces that were granted in answer to the prayers people offered by means of the Novena. I know that I have long prayed this novena, and seen many prayers answered over the years.

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day! It is so appropriate that we honor our own mothers in this month dedicated to the Holy Mother of God. We will include a special prayer for mothers at Mass next weekend.

Additionally, Mother’s Day envelopes have been placed in your packets and in the Church. You can list the names of your mother and grandmothers on them if you like. They will be placed near the Altar for the remainder of May, and the names on them will be included in all the Masses offered. These prayers will be a special spiritual gift to all our mothers and grandmothers, living and deceased!

Our parish is blessed to have several organizations dedicated to our Blessed Mother. One is the Legion of Mary, which is a small but very dedicated group that meets weekly for prayer, spiritual reading, and good works.

Those interested in joining can contact the parish office. We will be happy to put you in touch with them.

I want to congratulate all the children who received their First Holy Communion in our Church over the past two weeks. Their joy and wonder was beautiful and inspiring to see. Thanks to their parents, teachers, and everyone else who prepared the children, and to those who made the Masses so beautiful.

As always, I would ask you to pray for me today and every day. I know many of you take very seriously my request to pray a Hail Mary for me each day, and I thank you. You are all in my daily prayers, especially my Rosary. Let’s also pray for our mothers and for peace.

Have a great week!
Fr. John

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