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Everyday Rosary Newsletter -- Finding Your Focus
February 21, 2011

Everyday Rosary Newsletter, Volume 3 Issue #1 -- Finding Your Focus In February

February 21, 2011


Greetings!


The monthly Everyday Rosary Newsletter is brought to you from the How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com website. In each issue you will find Rosary inspirations, new meditations, feature articles and ideas that support your prayer life, a calendar of upcoming Rosary Feast Days, and how to incorporate your faith in other holidays. Plus stories on how the Rosary has affected the lives of others and what people are doing to promote the Rosary. It will also keep you up-to-date on information added to the site. It is your monthly dose of Rosary inspiration!

Table of Contents

A Note From The Editor:

Finding your focus in February takes a dedicated and steadfast heart. This time of year, all of nature is asleep. The joys and warm feelings of Christmas are gone and you're left with the dreary thought of several more weeks of winter. It is a time of year when reevaluating your spiritual life will do much good. For this reason, Lent usually begins during this month. This year however, Ash Wednesday is late, appearing during the first week of March. But, why not start today. Find your focus, namely, Jesus Christ. Find Him today.

If you have let your daily Rosary slip, it is time to resolve to begin again. Everyone needs inspiration from time to time. All the inspiration you need can be found here. Check out the numerous meditations, add your own and comment on meditation others have submitted. Don't be intimidated, if you are inspired by a beautiful thought during the Rosary, please share it. Likely that inspiration came from God. Our job while on earth is to help one another get to heaven. Sharing your meditations will help others attain that goal.

Read on to find more ways to find your focus this February!

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Articles

An Authentic Apparition in the United States?
Our Lady of Good Help - Champion, Wisconsin

Many American Catholics are unaware of the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in the United States only one year after she appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, France in the late 1800s. These American apparitions took place in Wisconsin to a woman named Adele Brise.

Why bring it up now, over 150 years later? Well, The Most Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay recently announced a decree on the authenticity of these apparitions.

In 1859 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Adele Brise. During the apparitions Mary identified herself as the Queen of Heaven. Mary's message to Adele was to pray for the conversion of sinners and to teach the Catholic faith to her fellow citizens especially to children. Mary spoke these words, "Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation...Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you."

The descriptions of Our Lady given by mystics are always intriguing. Besides the image Our Lady gave us at Guadalupe, we are not sure what she looks like. It is difficult to visualize her glorious appearance. You can use these descriptions combined with the image on St. Juan Diego's tilma to get a picture of her in your mind's eye.

At Lourdes, St. Bernadette describes the Blessed Mother as a woman dressed in a white gown with a blue sash. She was holding a rosary made of luminous white pearls and a golden cross. On each of her feet was a golden rose.

She was described at Fatima dressed in white and holding a rosary. During the final apparition, Mary appeared gloriously crowned as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

In Wisconsin, Adele Brise said she "saw a lady clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist and a crown of stars around her head, standing between two trees."

It seems Our Lady of Good Help's message was a prefigure to the message of Fatima, namely to pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray for the conversion of poor sinners. The Church approved apparitions all have the same message. These apparitions and Our Lady's fluid message began in 1830 when the she appeared to St. Catherine Laboure. The most recent approved Marian apparition occurred in Akita, Japan in the 1970's.

Unapproved Marian apparitions should be approached with great caution. The Rosary Team only supports apparitions that are officially approved by the Catholic Church. The decree on Our Lady of Good Help Wisconsin energizes our Rosary Community in the fact that Mary's message was to pray for the conversion of sinners and to teach the faith.

Spread devotion to the Rosary and you will be fulfilling both her requests.

New Meditation on The Wedding of Cana

"In (Mary) we find a loving mother, who is ever willing to intercede for us, so that we may be drawn into a deeper love and union with her Son. For instance, at the wedding of Cana she did not hesitate to intercede for this newly married couple at their wedding feast. Whatever be the circumstances of your life, come to the Shrine to pray, seek Mary’s intercession, and strive to follow the will of her Son, Jesus. It is my hope and prayer that your pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help brings you a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ, through the intercession of his Mother."

-Bishop David L. Ricken Taken from his message at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, Champion, Wisconsin December 8, 2010

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Top Picks

Mary's Messages

Compiled here is a list of approved Marian apparitions, the place of the apparition, followed by the year, the title Our Lady appeared under along with her message are as follows...

  • La Salette, France, 1846, Our Lady of La Salette. Pray and do penance. Keep holy the Lord's day and do not take His name in vain. Follow the Commandments. Peace will only come to the world when sinners are converted.

  • Paris, France, 1830, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Grace. If you wear the Miraculous Medal you will receive great graces. Recite the following prayer daily, "O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee." The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the ultimate source of consolation during times of trial.

  • Lourdes, France, 1858, The Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes. Do not become willfully distracted while you pray. Pray the Rosary and pray especially for sinners. By watching St. Bernadette's example you can learn to accept great suffering and do all things for the greater glory of God.

  • Fatima, Portugal, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima. Pray for the conversion of sinners. Pray the Rosary everyday to attain peace in the world. Offer sacrifices for sinners. Make Communions of reparation to sins committed against the Immaculate Heart.

  • Akita, Japan, 1973, Our Lady of Akita. As proclaimed by the Bishop of Niigata, Japan, Bishop John Shojiro Ito, "The message of Akita is the message of Fatima." Pray to repair for the indifference and sins of mankind. Make reparation by offering your sufferings and poverty for poor sinners. Prayer, penance, sacrifice! Pray the Rosary every day offering it especially for the Pope, the bishops and priests.


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How To Checklist

How To Keep Your Focus

Whenever you are striving to grow spiritually, the first step is always...

  • Confession - Graces are received each time you receive the sacrament of Penance. These graces will enable you to focus your life on Jesus Christ. Go to confession monthly or even better twice a month. You need not have mortal sins to confess. You can confess venial sins or already forgiven sins as well in order to receive graces.

  • Holy Hour - In imitation of Our Lord's request in the Garden of Olives, wait one hour with Him. This done once weekly will definitely help you focus on Him. It is best to do this at church when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, or in the church before the tabernacle. If you are unable to make it to the church to do this once per week then spend an hour keeping Him company in your own home.

  • Commit/resolve to praying the Rosary everyday

  • Spiritual reading - Provides great food for thought and inspiration to keep you focus.

  • Good works - Perform good works for you own family, friends and neighbors. Be cheerful even when you feel grumpy. Help with another's chores or duties without being asked. Help a neighbor who has been ill. Take a meal to a new mom. Share some groceries with a family who is out of work. Do these acts for the love of God, and offer up any inconvenience they present for the conversion of sinners.


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Calendar Of Upcoming Feast Days

Ash Wednesday - March 9th

1st Sunday of Lent - March 13th

Saint Joseph's Feast Day - March 19th

Solemnity of the Annunciation - March 25th

Palm Sunday - April 17th

Holy Thursday - April 21st

Good Friday - April 22nd

Holy Saturday, Vigil of the Solemnity of Easter - April 23rd

Solemnity of Easter - April 24th


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Resources

Rosary Gift Resources

Books And Spiritual Reading

  • The Pieta Prayer Book - This booklet contains the fifteen St. Bridget prayers revealed by Our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden, the Prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus by St. Therese of Lisieux, the Stations of the Cross, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and various other traditional Catholic prayers. Publisher: Miraculous Lady of RosesFormat: 80 pages, paperback

CD's

DVD's

  • Faith, Hope, and Love with Fulton J. Sheen - Bishop Sheen is eloquence at its very best. This collection of timeless messages from the powerful preacher offers inspiring guidance, encouragement, peace of mind and spiritual comfort that will touch the heart. This boxed set includes four 55-minute DVDs, each with two programs. In color and B W. Vol. 1 - Love Is Faith : 147 Ages of Man 148 and 147 Temptation 148 Vol. 2 - Love Is Hope : 147 Hope for a Wounded World 148 and 147 False Compassion 148 Vol. 3 - Love Is Truth : 147 Love Is a Garden 148 and 147 Are We More Neurotic Today? 148 Vol. 4 - Love Is Eternal : 147 The Touch of Your Hand 148 and 147 Intimacies of Love 148 Run Time: 220 minutes Format: 4 discs, DVD Publisher: Ignatius Press

Miscellaneous

  • Brown Scapular Our Lady of Fatima - Made from 100% wool, with embroidered pictures and strong cords. Includes a Blessed Crucifix, St. Benedict Medal, and enrollment forms.

Important Links

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Testimonials

We love to hear from our visitors. Here is what a recent visitor had to say about How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com

"Thank you for your website letting me know the rosary is for all Christians." -Lori


Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter!

Who: Travelrosary.com owner, Wayne Kneeskern

Because so many people pray the Rosary while traveling, Wayne created the Travel Rosary which has rosary beads attached to a steering wheel cover. This way you can follow the beads with your thumbs or fingers while driving “without” taking your eyes off the road. It eliminates holding a Rosary in your hand while driving and having the possibility that the beads get intertwined in the steering wheel. Each Travel Rosary is custom designed and handcrafted in Richland, Iowa. The first 5% of all sales is donated to various Catholic charities.

How did you come up with the idea for Travel Rosary?

One Sunday afternoon about seven years ago I was watching EWTN and saw the Chaplet of Divine Mercy being prayed. It was very inspirational to me so I bought the CD and started singing along with it on my commute to and from work. I had trouble keeping track of the prayers and asked some Catholic friends how they prayed the Rosary while driving. Some held their Rosary in their hand, some tried to keep track with their fingers pressing the steering wheel, and some had a fellow passenger lead the prayers.

This gave me the idea to put the beads on a steering wheel cover. I found this to work great for me and it became my dream project. I then started thinking about ways to improve it and also let others benefit from using one.

You refer to it as a "dream project". What inspired you to make it real?

I spent a lot of time thinking of ways to make the Travel Rosary into something of value for others and keep me busy making them when I retired. I have always enjoyed trying to create things and this seemed like the perfect project for me. Plus I hoped it would be something that would inspire others to spend more time praying the Rosary. There are so many times when people are driving that they could spend some of that time in prayer. I came up with the company name “Travel Rosary” and motto “Pray as you go” to reflect this.

What custom design options do you offer?

To make the Travel Rosary unique I decided to custom design each one to the customer’s individual specifications. There are many choices for the covers, crucifix, centerpiece, and beads.

Bead combinations on the Travel Rosary have gone from all one color, each decade being a different color, and all colors in succession throughout the 61 beads. The options are limitless and I have found it very interesting to see how everyone has their own preferences. This made me feel good about deciding to custom design each one individually for my customers.

What other items do you sell?

When someone buys a Travel Rosary they also receive a free Prayer CD and Travel Rosary Kan Koozie. These items are also available to be purchase separately on our Web site.

When you are driving alone it is nice to have a prayer partner. The CD has the prayers for the five decades of each of the four mysteries being prayed with soft piano background music.

There was another idea I had a few years ago. When I was diagnosed with diabetes I always kept a bottle of water with me. The Travel Rosary Kan Koozie not only kept the water cooler but also kept my hand dry. It works the same for a can of pop or beer. I thought what a neat idea it would be to have a decade of beads around the top of it to remind me to pray the Rosary while enjoying my favorite beverage.

For those that prefer a good cup of coffee now and then, I also made up the Travel Rosary Coffee Wrap. This will keep your coffee hot and your hand cool while drinking it. Many coffee shops now give out a cardboard wrap to use. But the Travel Rosary Coffee Wrap has one-decade of Rosary beads around the top as a reminder to pray the Rosary while enjoying your coffee break.

Do you have any other ideas in production?

After a busy holiday season of making Travel Rosaries things have quieted down some in 2011. My son and I are in the process of creating a Travel Rosary Illustrated Prayer Book. It will offer several new ways to pray the Rosary. Hopefully it will be available this Spring.

In what way is prayer, and more particularly the Rosary, an important part of living the Catholic faith?

Everyone has their own way of living their faith, but one constant is prayer. The Rosary is one of the most important and inspirational prayers for Catholics.

Whether at work, at home, or at play, people sometimes forget the importance of communication in their lives. But even more than this, the communication with God is of even greater importance through prayer. The Rosary offers the perfect prayers along with the opportunity to meditate on the sacred mysteries. The stories of Mary and Jesus as presented in the 20 mysteries of the Rosary offer a person the opportunity to enrich their daily life through meditation and prayer.

How has the Rosary shaped and influenced your life?

The Rosary has had a great influence on my life for various reasons. Being a non-Catholic when we married 44 years ago, I watched and observed my wife living a very devout Catholic faith which included praying the Rosary. I have now been a Catholic for over half my life.

Living close to our daughter and her family has also been a great influence on me as they live out their Catholic faith in so many ways. It has only been recently that I finally sat down and read about and studied what the Rosary was all about. Hopefully my Travel Rosary dream projects, shaped and influenced by faith, have led me closer to God.

Could you quickly introduce us to your support staff, The Travel Rosary Team?

TravelRosary.com has gone from dream project to reality through the efforts of some very special people in my life. It is one thing to have ideas, but quite another to carry them out.

I worked with Sambit Bhattarai for over 8 years. He came to the company I was working for as an intern and I became his mentor. This led to a great working relationship as well as friendship to the point where I call him my unofficial adopted son from Nepal. He was my sounding board all during those years of creating my business plan. Sambit also took on the task of developing our Web site and handling all the Webmaster work that is needed.

My son, Scott, is the Creative Director for Travel Rosary. He comes up with the creative solutions for promoting and selling Travel Rosaries to our customers using a combination of graphic design, web design, and illustration. Collaborating with him on this project has added another level to our father-son relationship.

Igor Nesterov is an accomplished Russian concert pianist from the Republic of Georgia. I met him while he was living in the United States and we became good friends during that time. His music has always been very inspirational to me, especially while working on this project. He was kind enough to record the background music for the Prayer CD.

Check out Wayne's ingenious steering wheel cover rosary plus other unique and handy rosary products at www.travelrosary.com


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Q&A

This question was taken from our Ask A Rosary Question Section at How-to-pray-the-Rosary-everyday.com

I lead a young adult group at my parish. Our next discussion topic is the Rosary. Could you suggest some questions that will stimulate group discussion on this important topic? Thank you.

Some great questions to get a Rosary discussion going are as follows...

  • What is prayer?
  • Why do we pray?
  • What are the two forms of prayer?
  • What is vocal prayer?
  • What is mental prayer?
  • How does the Rosary combine these two forms of prayer?
  • How do the 20 mysteries of the Rosary teach us about the life of Jesus and His Mother?
  • What fruits will we develop if we make a lifelong commitment to praying the daily Rosary? (each Rosary Mystery has a related fruit. i.e. The Annunciation, humility)
  • How does the Rosary draw us closer to Jesus and teach us His teachings?
  • Why has Mary asked that we pray the Rosary daily?

And on and on it goes. This is just a brief synopsis that will get them thinking and interested. Notice the areas of interest then come back and post a comment to your original comment and maybe we can continue exploring particular areas of interest.

Please visit the Ask A Rosary Question Section on the website and ask your questions. You are encouraged to answer questions that have been posted there as well.


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What's New

A Glimpse Into Next Month's Newsletter

Next month's Newsletter - Queen Of The May

New On The Site

FREE Printable Pocket Rosary Booklets!

Thank You!

Thank you for reading! Keep visiting www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and remember we love hearing from you. Please use the "contact us" page to leave any and all suggestions or comments.

I pray you are filled with peace and blessings from God during these days leading up to Lent.

St. Joseph, Pray for us!

To Jesus through Mary,

Kathleen Bowen and The Rosary Team

P.S. If you like this newsletter and are looking for an easy way to promote the Rosary, please "email it forward" to someone you know who might appreciate it. If a friend did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe now!

As our site and community grows, I hope that you drop me a line and tell me how the Rosary is working in your life! Did a personal transformation take place in your life that was inspired by something on our site? Share it with the rest of us! Often, having a support community really keeps you going.

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