Bead up, good people. October is Rosary Month!
Some people say that it is a struggle for them to pray the rosary. They lament that, soon after they begin, their minds get filled with distractions. Maybe that’s why the beads on many rosaries are made of shiny objects – so that when some “shiny object” distracts us from our prayer, we have even shinier objects to draw us back.
There is another technique that helps me to stay focused when I pray the rosary. I invite a saint to pray with me. I imagine myself, for example, praying with the shepherd children at Fatima. Or, if I am doing some chore or driving to visit the sick, I imagine I am praying with Mother Teresa as she goes about her duties and ministers to the sick and poor.
We also can pray together with souls in purgatory or with loved ones we believe are in heaven. What a nice way to spend time with people we miss who have died. On the anniversary of my grandmother’s death, for example, I can share a rosary with her. The rosary draws us into deeper communion with Jesus through Mary. It can also draw us into deeper communion with the saints and all of God’s people.
You might find that praying the rosary is some of the best quality time that you can spend. You’ll look forward to it as you would to spending time with a best friend. Grace to you – and blessed emotional and spiritual consolation praying through the decades to come.
Fr. Dennis Zehren
Pastor
For more information and to register, click here.
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and The Saint Paul Seminary have teamed up to present a special version of their monthly Cor Jesu Eucharistic Adoration Event. All are welcome to attend on Friday, October 6 at 8:00pm at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, to have the opportunity for adoration, confession, worship and music before the Blessed Sacrament. First- class relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, will be on hand for veneration as well. Over 1,200 Catholics from around the Archdiocese and state attended last year' s expanded Cor Jesu event at the Cathedral and they hope to welcome even more this year. More Information
The Catechism in a Year podcast will be available starting January 1st. This 365 day podcast will explain all the teachings of the Catholic Church, in a prayerful, engaging, and approachable way with Fr. Mike Schmitz. Learn more here.