ROSARY IS A WONDERFUL WAY TO PRAY
The rosary is a wonderful way to reflect on and savor the saving grace
of Christ in His mysteries...
In the First
Reading from Acts we read. They entered the city, they went into the upper room
where they were staying, the Apostles and together with some women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, and they devoted themselves with one
accord to prayer.
Today the Church
celebrates our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary is a wonderful way to reflect on
and savor the saving grace of Christ in His mysteries, as long as we never make
the mistake of thinking that our rituals will somehow convince God to save us.
As Paul would agree, our rituals testify to what our heavenly Father has
already done for us His children.
Each year we gather
around the Rosary Garden at our retreat center and cemetery and recite the
Living Rosary. We renew our Diocese Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary and Crown Our Lady of Fatima. Representatives of our parishes, schools,
civil servants, clergy and religious all join together to pray with our Bishop.
I would like to share with you the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
that we pray today.
O Mary/ sovereign Queen of heaven and earth/ and dearest Mother/ joyfully
we kneel at your feet / to consecrate our diocese/ to your Immaculate Heart.
Proudly we proclaim you to be our Queen. Proudly we profess/ your complete
dominion over us. We are your subjects. Hail, Queen of the universe,/ Queen of
all creatures,/ of all kings. / and even of the Seraphim./ Queen before whom/ the
very heavens bow. Oh Mother,/ most loving and most lovable,/ we know that you
love us/ with a love more tender,/ more ardent,/ more full,/ than any other
human love in this world. Because you are completely our Queen and our Mother,/
we wish to give ourselves to you/ and all that we have.
We consecrate to you/ our diocese/ and place it in your hands. Its
laymen/ and laywomen,/ its religious,/ its deacons,/ its priests,/ its bishop.
We give also our parochial schools,/ our high schools,/ our college,/ our
university,/ our seminaries,/ our hospitals and charitable institutions/ and
our retreat house. Into your hands/ we place our parishes,/ our religious
communities,/ and our diocese.
Gladly we acknowledge/ that we belong to you. Gladly we consecrate
ourselves and our diocese/ and everything in it/ to your service/ to your
glory/ and through you/ to your Divine Son.
We acknowledge that every blessing/ and all good things/ come to us
through your hands. All growth in the diocese/ all good comes through your
intercession/ and your help. We place under your protection/ our entire future/
our hope,/ our difficulties,/ our problems. If failure should be your wish,/ we
gladly accept them. Yet, we know that God wishes to manifest/ His power through
you. He wishes to bless us/ through you and by you. We are confident of your
mercy. We beg abundant graces,/ bountiful assistance/ and loving protection,/
not through our merits,/ but through the loving goodness/ of your Motherly
heart. Amen.
Points to Pray and Ponder: Today on the Gospel Acclamation: Hail Mary, full
of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. With our minds and
lips occupied, the heart is free to dwell on Jesus Christ life, death, and
glory. Pray the rosary in union with us at the retreat center today and tap
into eternity.