NEW NOVENA, June 29, Monday Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Today, Monday June 29 is the Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul, and is the beginning of our 54 Day Novena of Rosaries to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the intention of the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Holy Father and the Catholic bishops of the World, as requested by Our Lady at Fatima Portugal.  The Novena ends on August 21, Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Therefore, we place our pleadings under the powerful patronage of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, defenders of Holy Mother Church, and place ourselves under the mantle of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and make reparation to her Immaculate Heart. There are several things you should know if you are considering joining the group, and making the Novena.

• This Novena IS a lot of work. However, it is efficacious, and the amount of labor involved in it is so worth it. What is anything we do in time, compared to the eternal benefits we receive from it.? I have found that the easiest way for me to remain faithful to the Novena is to resolve to pray a full 15 decades of the Rosary daily.  Then I simply pray five of the decades for the intention in the novena, the Consecration of Russia, which Our Lady asked us to pray for.
• The 54 Day Rosary Novena is composed of SIX individual novenas of nine days. Three of PETITION, and three of THANKSGIVING.  IF, for some reason, you are not able to do 54 Days, please consider making one novena with us, and keeping the intention of the novena in your daily prayers.

• If you miss a day, keep going.  Some people find the 54 days a daunting task. If you do not complete the 54 days, then 53 days of Rosaries are powerful before God.  Even ONE Rosary said for this intention will hasten the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Please consider joining us and doing what you can.
• The Rosary Novena here is said exactly as Our Lady gave it to Fortuna Agrelli, as recounted below. Thus, we do not use the Luminous Mysteries, nor do we follow the normal plan of Joyful on Monday and Wednesday, Sorrowful on Tuesdays and Friday, and Glorious on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.  We pray the Mysteries on consecutive days: Joyful on Day One, Sorrowful on Day Two, Glorious on Day Three, repeating with Joyful on Day Four and so on.  We do not wish to tell people how to pray it, we merely follow Our Lady’s plan as she gave it. Feel free to use your own judgment.

In addition to praying for the Consecration of Russia this time, we wish to unite with the Fatima Center this time in praying for the following intentions:

o   The repose of the soul of Fr. Nicholas Gruner, the “Fatima Priest” who died late last April; and

o   The successful founder of a new chaplain for the Fatima Center, a priest after Our Lady’s own heart who will continue Fr. Gruner’s good work in spreading her message.

•  Feel free to add your own intentions to your novena.

The following account of the 54 Day Rosary Novena from Fatima.org should help with any questions you may have, though you may feel free with contacting me on Facebook or through a comment below.

God bless you, and may Our Lady keep you close to her Immaculate Heart, now and forever!

54-Day Rosary Novena

"For 13 months Fortuna Agrelli, the daughter of Commander Agrelli, had endured dreadful sufferings and torturous cramps; she had been given up by the most celebrated physicians. On February 16, 1884, the afflicted girl and her relatives commenced a novena of Rosaries. At Naples, in the Commander’s house, the Queen of the Holy Rosary favored her with an apparition on March 3. The Blessed Virgin Mary, sitting upon the high throne, surrounded by luminous figures, held the Divine Child on Her lap, and in Her hand a Rosary.

"Mary looked upon the sufferer with maternal tenderness, and the patient saluted Her with the words: ‘Queen of the Holy Rosary, be gracious to me, restore me to health! I have already prayed to Thee in a novena, O Mary, but have not yet experienced Thy aid. I am so anxious to be cured!’

"‘Child,’ responded the Blessed Virgin, ‘you have invoked Me by various titles and have always obtained favors from Me. Now, since you have called Me by that title so pleasing to Me, ‘Queen of the Holy Rosary’, I can no longer refuse the favor you petition; for this name is most precious and dear to Me. Make three novenas, and you shall obtain all.’

"Once more the Queen of the Holy Rosary appeared to her and said, ‘Whoever desires to obtain favors from Me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving.’

"This miracle of the Rosary made a very deep impression on Pope Leo XIII, and greatly contributed to the fact that in so many Encyclicals he urged all Christians to love the Rosary and say it fervently."

The Novena consists of 5 decades of the Rosary each day for 27 days in petition; then immediately 5 decades each day for 27 days in thanksgiving, whether or not the request has been granted. 1st day meditate on the Joyful Mysteries; 2nd day the Sorrowful Mysteries; 3rd day the Glorious Mysteries; 4th day meditate again on the Joyful Mysteries; and so on.

J: Joyful Mysteries are recited on this day of your novena.

S: Sorrowful Mysteries are recited on this day.

G: Glorious Mysteries are recited on this day.

A laborious Novena, but a Novena of Love. You who are sincere will not find it too difficult, if you really wish to obtain your request.

Should you not obtain the favor you seek, be assured that the Rosary Queen, who knows what each one stands most in need of, has heard your prayer. You will not have prayed in vain. No prayer ever went unheard. And Our Blessed Lady has never been known to fail. Look upon each Hail Mary as a rare and beautiful rose which you lay at Mary’s feet.