October 8, 2023
I wasn’t always the best-behaved child in Church. Once, in the few minutes before Mass began, I thought it would be “fun” to jump on and off the kneeler before my Mom could catch me; I ended-up busting my lip on the pew in front of me and cried to beat the band.Another time, as the priest was reciting the prayers at the altar, I escaped from my pew and ran right up into the sanctuary during the consecration, mortifying my dear mother who had to come retrieve me. (Looks like God got the last laugh on that one!)
The one thing that did seem to fascinate me while at Church, however, was my Mom’s clear-cut glass Rosary beads. Depending on the way I held them, they captured the light in such a way that prisms of color would appear and seemingly emanate from the beads themselves. It was almost magical.
Over the years, of course, I have come to see the Holy Rosary as much more than a distraction of magical colorfor a restless child in Church. It has often been my go-to when I have special intentions, when others ask me to pray for them, or when I simply need to quiet a restless mind and heart. Ultimately, it connects me to Our Blessed Mother, who brings everything we offer her to her Son, the Light of the world.
In this month of the Most Holy Rosary, we have a few opportunities this coming week to come together to pray this beautiful and powerful devotion as a parish family. Join us Wednesday evening October 11th at 6:30pm at Immaculate Conception as we pray the Rosary during a Holy Hour for an increase in religious and priestly vocations. Then, on Saturday, October 14th at noon, a Rosary Rally will be held outside of Immaculate Conception Church (inside if it rains). There is also an on-line prayer group in the parish that prays the Rosary together often; please consider joining them in prayer.
Hollywood priest Fr. Patrick Peyton always used to say: “If our families give Our Lady fifteen minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes and neighborhood will become, by God’s grace, peaceful places.”