The most beautiful hymn ever voiced by a woman is the Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour… for He that is mighty has done great things to me; and holy is His Name.” In these sublime words inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Virgin Mary expresses her deep gratitude to God, and the yearnings of her noble soul to glorify Him: “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”
How exquisitely beautiful is this Woman! A Woman above all women, “Our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” And it was Divine Grace that made her beautiful in the eyes of God. In amazement does one of the brightest Angels from Heaven address her: “Hail Mary, full of grace!”
A child’s delight is to grow like her mother. We grow in resemblance to Mary, our heavenly mother, through sanctifying grace. Our happiness in Heaven will be measured by the grace adorning our soul. Grace blossoms into glory.
Naturally, a loving mother wants her child to be like her. No one save God Himself has greater desires for our holiness than Mary. We may expect then, as long as the world lasts, our Blessed Mother will always be planning new ways for our sanctification. Lourdes was one of her most eloquent appeals. Fatima, in Portugal, is another. These shrines, hallowed and blessed by countless cures, have been paved by the uninterrupted rosaries that pilgrims have fervently offered there.
But the shrine Mary loves best of all is the Shrine of the Home. To sanctify the Home, Mary has given us her Rosary. It is the precious bequest beyond words. The family recitation of the Rosary can revolutionize the world with God’s love. If mankind is to be saved, it will be saved by prayer. “Two hands raised to God, do more work upon earth than all the elaborate machinery of war,” says the non-Catholic poet, Victor Hugo.
Too long has God been forgotten in the Home. Family prayer, once the great prop of Christianity, has in modern times been ignored. Individualism characterizes our devotions today, yet our Blessed Lord has expressly said: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Let us restore to Mary her rightful place as Queen of the Home.
Holy Queen, inspire all who read these lines, to adopt the practice of honoring you daily by the family recitation of your Rosary.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1ST – Saint Joseph the Worker, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted Son. Teach us to seek and work for union with God in all things.
THURSDAY, MAY 2ND – Saint Athanasius. Feastday of Sr. Mary Athanasius, MICM.
FRIDAY, MAY 3RD – Finding of the True Cross. In the year 326, Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, discovered the cross on which the Saviour died. The miraculous cure of a woman of Jerusalem authenticated the sacred tree of our salvation.
SATURDAY, MAY 4TH – Saint Monica. First Saturday. First Holy Communion Day. Mass at 9:00 a.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 5TH – 5TH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. Pope Saint Pius V. Perhaps the most famous success of the papacy of Pius V was the miraculous victory of the Christian fleet in the battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The island of Malta was attacked by the Turkish fleet, and nearly every man defending the fortress was killed in battle. The pope sent out a fleet to meet the enemy, requesting that each man on board pray the Rosary and receive Communion. Meanwhile, he called on all of Europe to recite the Rosary and ordered a 40 hour devotion in Rome during which time the battle took place. The Christian fleet, vastly outnumbered by the Turks, inflicted an impossible defeat on the Turkish navy, demolishing the entire fleet. In memory of the triumph he declared the day the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary because of her intercession in answering the mass recitation of the Rosary and obtaining the victory. He has also been called ‘the Pope of the Rosary’ for this reason.
MONDAY, MAY 6TH – Saint John before the Latin Gate. ROGATION DAY.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH – Our Lady of Pompei. Miracles and favors have taken place through the intercession of Our Lady of Pompei (a rendition of which hangs above IHM altar.) The Blessed Mother, seated upon a throne, is depicted holding the Child Jesus on her knee. He hands a Rosary to Saint Dominic, and the Blessed Virgin places a Rosary into the hand of Saint Catherine of Siena.
THURSDAY, MAY 9TH – THE ASCENSION. The meaning and the fullness of Christ’s Resurrection is given in the Ascension. Having completed His mission in this world as the Saviour, He returned to the Father in Heaven Who sent Him into the world. In ascending to the Father, He raises earth to Heaven with Him! Holy Day of Obligation. Mass at 8:30 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 10TH – Saint Damien of Molokai, spent 16 years of his life serving those exiled to its infamous leper colony. Let us pray to him for the courage to make such great sacrifices in order that souls may be saved!
SUNDAY, MAY 12TH – SUNDAY AFTER THE ASCENSION. Blessed Imelda. Feastday of Sister Mary Imelda, Novice. Today is also Mothers’ Day. Remember to honor your earthly and heavenly mother today!
MONDAY, MAY 13TH – Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady’s message that men “must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins,” and that they “offend the Lord God no more, for He is already much offended,” is meant for all of us. All people can, by praying the daily Rosary, offering up prayers and sacrifices demanded by their daily duty, restore the temporal order in Christ.
THURSDAY, MAY 16TH – Saint Simon Stock received the Brown Scapular from Our Lady. Her words to him were: “Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection.” Have you been enrolled in the Brown Scapular?
SUNDAY, MAY 19TH – PENTECOST SUNDAY. On Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, they were granted the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which helped them fulfill their mission to preach the Gospel to all nations. For us, too, those Gifts–granted when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God in our souls–help us to live a truly Catholic life. Join us today for the May Procession!The procession will begin after 10:30 a.m. Mass. Five statues will be crowned along the route, each followed by a decade of the Rosary, and the procession will end with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on the front lawn of the convent. Bring your favorite dish or dessert for the picnic following! (School children should attend early Mass at 7:30 AM.) No 11:00 a.m. Mass!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22ND – Saint Rita of Cascia is the patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. This is because she has been involved in so many stages of life – wife, mother, widow, and nun; she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled – and never lost her faith in God, or her desire to be with Him. EMBER DAY.
FRIDAY, MAY 24TH – Our Lady Help of Christians. Pius V inserted this invocation into the Litany of Loreto after the Battle of Lepanto. It has attained special celebrity since Saint Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian Congregation, dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians, the mother church of his congregation at Turin. EMBER DAY.
SATURDAY, MAY 25TH – Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. EMBER DAY.
SUNDAY, MAY 26TH – TRINITY SUNDAY. Saint Philip Neri was known to be spontaneous and unpredictable, charming and humorous; his life proves to us that our Faith is happy and joyful.
MONDAY, MAY 27TH – Saint Bede the Venerable. Memorial Day.
THURSDAY, MAY 30TH – Saint Joan of Arc. CORPUS CHRISTI is not named for the divinity of Christ, nor for the soul of Christ, for those are not of this earth. Our Lord chose to name it for His Body, for It is of earth, to show us how closely He is united to us. He has abased and annihilated Himself in assuming this Body, by uniting Himself so closely to us. So we in turn, will strive to live continually in annihilation of ourselves, that He may give life to all our actions. Mass & Procession of the Blessed Sacrament at 8:30 a.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 31ST – Queenship of Mary. In his encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.
Rogation Days:
The primary purpose of Rogation Days (May 6, 7 & 8) is to ask God to bless the fields and the parish (the geographic area) that they fall in. By praying for good weather and a fruitful harvest, the Rogation Days remind us that the Church’s liturgical calendar is tied to the changing seasons.
School Applicants:
Now accepting applicants for Grades 1-12 to Immaculate Heart of Mary School for the 2013–2014 school year. Please find more information at the IHM School website.
Ave Maria!
We are presented to Christ by His Mother. She presents our needs and petitions to Him; She is the instrument of His mercy and of the disposition of the “Treasury of Grace” won by Him for us on Calvary; She consoles our hearts and through Her maternal care, imparts to Her children whatever peace or happiness we can know in this vale of tears – nothing less than the peace of Christ. We may struggle to maintain this peace in our bruised and weary hearts, but Our Lady is always ready and eager to share it with us again and again. Yes, the name of Mary, this brief, simple name, speaks volumes to us. “There is hidden in that Divine name [of Mary] a spell so potent,” wrote Abbé Orsini, “and of such marvelous sweetness, that merely to pronounce it softens the heart, merely to write it beautifies the style.” Saint Bonaventure declared that the name of Mary “cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly.” Ave! Ave! Ave Maria!
