|
|
Hand crafted rosaries. Shared Stories. A Journey of Faith.
|
Our Newsletter is here to share more about our mission, faith and the story behind what we do and what we make. We hope you join us each week to learn more about how this mission impacts our lives and those we serve.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moments of Grace
|
|
|
The mysteries of the rosary are the key to unlocking the power of this beautiful way of praying.
|
|
|
|
Rosary Reflection
|
|
|
We are going to switch things up this week and highlight our clothing and merch.
|
|
|
|
A Thought to Carry with You
|
Something to ponder or journal on
|
|
|
|
A Prayer for Your Week
|
|
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. John Eudes, fill our hearts with a burning love for the Sacred Heart of Your Son. Through the wisdom of St. Bernard, teach us to love You without measure. Through the gentle pastoral heart of St. Pius X, draw us closer to the gift of the Holy Eucharist. And under the queenship of Our Lady, protect our families and keep us steadfast in faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
|
|
|
Saints of the Week
|
A short reflection on the Saints of this week.
|
|
- Wednesday - St. John Eudes
- Thursday - St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Friday - Pope St. Pius X
- Saturday - The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
|
|
|
Along the Way
|
|
"Perhaps surrender isn't something I accomplish once and for all. Perhaps it is something Jesus patiently teaches me over and over again along the way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moments of Grace
|
|
A common misconception of praying the rosary is that it is all about repetition. It's just saying a bunch of Hail Marys and Our Fathers. But this could not be further from the truth and I have to admit that it took me many years to even begin to understand the true power of the rosary.
|
|
When I first started my faith journey back as a teenager I knew that praying the rosary was important but I did not know why. I knew my grandparents prayed it everyday and heard many talk of the power of the rosary. So when a good friend was asked to be the Rector of a Teen Encounter (this is the teenage version of Cursillo, we talked a lot about Cursillo in the last newsletter), the Rector is the one who leads the team that runs the weekend, I decided that I would pray the rosary everyday for a year as palanca (a prayer or sacrifice offered to lift up someone else). Because the rector is called to lead the Teen Encounter about a year before the weekend I decided to pray the rosary daily during this preparation time for my friend. This was the first time I had prayed the rosary on my own and I had to use one of those pamphlets on how to pray it.
|
|
|
|
|
If I had an ounce of humility, I would have asked someone to explain to me how to pray it but I had my pamphlet and thought that I could figure it out on my own.
|
|
I'm happy to say that I was able to keep up my daily commitment for the year and the daily discipline did bear some fruit. I now did not need the pamphlet since I had memorized all the prayers and mysteries. But this is all I learned about the rosary so praying it felt more like a chore than the powerful prayer it was supposed to be. I continued to pray the rosary occasionally but was never really drawn to it. I have always had a devotion to Our Lady. I was born on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I knew that praying the rosary was a way of honoring her but beyond that I did not get much out of it myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm not sure when it happened exactly, I think it happened during the Covid lockdowns when we ran a weekly rosary Zoom call. I just remember becoming aware that while I was praying the rosary, my mind was wandering. I had prayed the rosary so many times by now that it was like my body was on auto-pilot and my mind was free to go anywhere. I wish I could say that it went to contemplating the mystery I was supposed to be meditating on, but like the times in adoration, I would find my mind wandering all over. But there were times when it was like dreaming. During the lockdowns was the year of Saint Joseph and this is when we did the Consecration to Saint Joseph and I had read a few books on him. So with Saint Joseph on my brain and praying the Joyful Mysteries, I started thinking about what Saint Joseph was doing for the year or two that they spent in Bethlehem before they were told to go to Egypt. Learning that carpenters at the time mostly worked construction and knowing the compassion of this great saint, I imagined that he would not want anyone else to suffer the fate of not have a place to stay when the next census was done. So I thought of him helping to construct an Inn for the next weary travelers to have a place to rest. It felt so right and it was so easy to imagine Saint Joseph working hard to help others. All this while my lips were reciting the prayers of the rosary. It reminded me of the book, "The way of the Pilgrim" and the desire to learn how to pray without ceasing. In the book the pilgrim is taught the Jesus Prayer and prays it so many times that it becomes like breathing. Not having to think about it allowed him to pray it while doing other things. This also helped me to understand how Saint Padre Pio was able to pray the rosary thirty times a day. When I was first told about this I could not understand how this was possible. It takes me about twenty minutes to pray the rosary. So doing the math, it would take ten hours to pray the rosary thirty times. Who has that kind of free time? But, if one were able to pray the rosary while doing other things, you might be able to pray it many times a day.
|
|
So I thought I had unlocked the secret to the rosary until I heard a short video on praying the rosary. In the video it asked, "Do you know what the Angel Gabriel's voice sounds like? Do you know what the wine at Cana tastes like? What does the Blessed Mother's crown look like?" These questions hit me like a knife to my chest. The implication was clear. Had I been truly meditating on the mysteries of the rosary for all these many years, I would have been able to easily answer these questions. But I could not. I had been missing the true blessing of praying the rosary. And it even says it in one of the prayers often said at the end of the rosary, "while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise". The message could not be clearer that in order to imitate and obtain, I must meditate on them.
|
|
Meditation is hard. Mostly because it does not always lead to a revelation. It was once described to me as putting yourself at the gates of heaven. While you are able to put yourself there, only God can open the veil and show you what's inside. The hardest part of meditation is that it might be months before the veil is drawn, could be longer. You never know when it will happen, but one thing is certain, it will never happen if you are not standing at the Gates. So let's go there often and wait to catch a glimpse of heaven.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Weekly Saints | Mid August Reflections
|
Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Saint. As we move through the middle of August, the Church’s liturgical calendar offers us an inspiring group of witnesses. These holy men and women remind us that Christ’s love equips us to serve our neighbors with compassion, defend the faith with intellectual clarity, and maintain a quiet, constant heart of prayer in our everyday lives.
|
Here are the feast days and saints guiding our reflections for the week
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, August 19: St. John Eudes (1601–1680)
Devotion to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
We begin our mid-week reflection with a remarkable French priest who spent his life renewing the clergy and spreading deep, heart-centered devotion across France. Living in a century marked by Jansenism—a cold heresy that portrayed God as distant and harsh—John Eudes preached passionately about the overflowing love and divine mercy of God.
|
He founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists) to train parish priests and was a pioneer in establishing liturgical feasts dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pure Heart of Mary.
|
- Patronage: Missionaries, priests, and devotional societies.
- Takeaway for the week: When life feels overwhelming or cold, turn your thoughts toward the divine love of Christ's Heart. A brief prayer like "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You" can anchor your mind during a busy workday.
|
|
|
Thursday, August 20: St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)
The Honey-Sweet Doctor of the Church
|
On Thursday, the Church honors one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the Middle Ages. Bernard was a young Burgundian nobleman who entered the strict Cistercian monastery of Cîteaux, bringing thirty of his relatives—including brothers and friends—along with him!
|
He went on to establish the famous monastery of Clairvaux and authored profound spiritual treatises on the love of God, humility, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. His preaching was so eloquent and persuasive that he was given the title Doctor Mellifluus (the "Honey-Sweet Doctor").
|
- Patronage: Bee keepers, candlemakers, Gibraltar, and queens.
- Takeaway for the week: Bernard showed that deep intellectual study and heartfelt prayer are not opposites—they feed each other. Dedicate a little time this week to reading a spiritual book or Scripture passage alongside your daily prayers.
|
|
|
Friday, August 21: Pope St. Pius X (1835–1914)
Restoring All Things in Christ
|
On Friday, we celebrate Giuseppe Sarto, who rose from humble, poor roots in a northern Italian village to become Pope Pius X. Guided by his papal motto, Instaurare omnia in Christo ("To restore all things in Christ"), he focused on making the sacraments more accessible to everyday Catholics.
|
Pius X is famously remembered for lowering the age for receiving First Holy Communion from early adolescence down to the "age of reason" (around age seven), encouraging children to receive Christ early. He also urged all Catholics to receive Holy Communion frequently—even daily—rather than just once a year.
|
|
[ Early Communion ] <===> [ Daily Grace ]
|
Faith in Childhood Eucharistic Strength
|
- Patronage: Pilgrims, first communicants, and the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
- Takeaway for the week: St. Pius X viewed the Eucharist not as a reward for being perfect, but as medicine for the weak. Whenever you attend Mass, approach the altar with simple, childlike trust in God’s nourishing grace.
|
|
|
Saturday, August 22: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A Mother’s Loving Protection
|
We close our week with a joyful feast day that directly echoes the Solemnity of the Assumption. Established by Pope Pius XII in 1954, this feast honors Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth, standing beside her Son, the King of Kings.
|
In ancient kingdom traditions (such as the Davidic monarchy), the queen was not the king's wife, but his mother—the Gebirah or "Queen Mother." Her primary role was to hear the petitions of the people and bring them directly to the king's throne.
|
- Takeaway for the week: Mary's queenship is defined by maternal care, not worldly power. You can bring your intentions, family worries, and daily work to her, trusting that she presents them with love to her Son.
|
|
|
|
|
A Prayer for Your Week
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. John Eudes, fill our hearts with a burning love for the Sacred Heart of Your Son. Through the wisdom of St. Bernard, teach us to love You without measure. Through the gentle pastoral heart of St. Pius X, draw us closer to the gift of the Holy Eucharist. And under the queenship of Our Lady, protect our families and keep us steadfast in faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
|
Have a blessed and beautiful week of prayer!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Let's Take A Closer Look At Our Clothing and Merch
|
|
|
|
We feel blessed to be promoting our Hearts Prayer that honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Most Chaste Heart of Joseph. This prayer is at the heart (pun intended) of our business and it's why we are called Hearts Rosary Company. So in an effort to promote it we looked into how we could get it on a t-shirt. We first looked into what it would take to make them ourselves but the overhead on that option had us looking elsewhere. We quickly came upon what is called the "Print on demand" business model. This is where you get to create the design you want and the item you want it printed on. This concept has been around for a while now and you may have used one to get t-shirts for a family reunion or other special event. We found that some now have options to create your own "store" and sell your own designs. For a small business like ours this felt like the best way to get started with selling our branded products.
|
|
|
|
|
We were excited to find that the options did not stop at t-shirts. We could put our Hearts Prayer and/or Hearts Logo on just about anything! From golf balls to pillows, candles to coffee mugs, hats, mouse pads, you name it!
|
|
We decided to partner with Zazzle for our merch as they had the best variety of products and Printful for Clothing as they were more well suited for businesses looking to sell products.
|
|
It was fun coming up with new options to put our logo on plus we now had a way to buy branded clothing and products for the business. It was a real win-win.
|
|
We also had some fun with it after the pilgrimage that took us to Fatima, Lourdes and Medjugorje all in the same trip. It was amazing being able to experience all three of those amazing sites where our Lady has appeared. We would recommend visiting any of those places but not sure if we could recommend doing them all in the same trip. It was quite the whirlwind tour. Flying from Boston to Portugal, then from Portugal to France, from France to Croatia and then back to Boston felt like quite the word tour. Linda decided that we needed a t-shirt for our world tour. But it felt incomplete without adding all the other locations that Our Lady has appeared. So she designed the Our Lady's World Tour t-shirt and maybe one day we will make it to a few more of her stops!
|
|
|
|
|
So please take some time to check out all the cool merch and clothing options we have. Grab something for yourself or a loved one, they make a great gift too! We will include links at the end of the newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Grace to Surrender Again
|
|
|
One of my favorite novenas is the Surrender Novena. I have been praying the Novena and the surrender prayer on repeat for many years, more than I can remember.
|
The words to the Surrender Novena were given by Jesus to Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo. A priest in Naples, Italy known for his profound spiritual insights.
|
Like all novenas, the Surrender Novena is a nine-day prayer. After reading and reflecting on the prayer for the day of the novena, I pray the Surrender Prayer ten times “ O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything” then I pray Fr. Ruotolo’s prayer to Our Blessed Mother “Mother, I am yours now and forever. Through you and with you, I always want to belong completely to Jesus” and I finish with the sign of the cross. And often, depending on available time, I may journal.
|
During the day when challenges come up, I often lift a prayer saying Jesus you take care of it, I surrender it to you. Or some version of that. I surrender something to Jesus – and then sometimes, I go back and pick it up again. By His grace I can often remind myself to let it go, but too often I take it back and try to figure it out myself, I worry, I might get anxious, I might find myself being distracted by whatever it is that I just surrendered and let go of. I find that this happens most when I am not spending enough quality time in prayer, when I am doing the basics, praying my prayers by rote and not spending enough time in contemplation and quiet just being with Jesus.
|
It’s like St. Peter walking on the stormy sea to Jesus; he is walking on water looking at Jesus but the second he takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the tumultuous sea below him he starts to sink. The storm didn’t cause Peter to sink. He began to sink when his attention moved from Jesus to the storm.
|
I recognize myself in Peter. The circumstances around me don’t have to change for me to lose my peace. Sometimes all it takes is allowing my attention to move from Jesus to the storm.
|
A lot is going on, I am in chronic pain, we have a month full of doctor’s appointments and things are swirling around that are far beyond my control and I can feel the pull of distraction trying to pull my focus from trusting and surrendering it all to Jesus. And while I know he is with us and my hope fully rests in Jesus, I can recognize those moments when my surrender begins to slip and, little by little, my peace goes with it. And when I recognize it happening, I know where I need to turn.
|
And God’s timing is always perfect because today I am back again at the Day 1 of the Surrender Novena “Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful……”
|
Journaling often helps me organize my thoughts and provides me with the opportunity to get feelings and emotions out of my heart and head, see things more clearly and put things in perspective. Sometimes it is helpful to go back to journal entries from the past to learn about myself, any growth or if I am still stuck in an old pattern and need to adjust so I can move forward.
|
This morning I went back in my surrender journal to a December 2024 entry on Day 1 and read what I wrote then “Oh dear Jesus, it says it right here, you tell me “Surrender all to you” let go and give it to you. Why then do I keep taking it back, worry, anxiety and trying to figure it out, no matter what it is. This my Lord is not true, blind and complete surrender. I know I can do nothing without you. I need your strength, your courage, your spirit within me day by day, moment by moment do what you are calling me to do. I know I don’t draw a breath without you, you alone are my maker, my creator and give me life. And you have given me so very many blessings over and over again. I am thankful and grateful and while my lips proclaim trust and faith in you and surrender to you, my actions don’t always match up. I keep going back, questioning, asking, taking it up again, not fully surrendering to you. Help me Jesus, nudge me, remind me to surrender all to you and let go, over and over let my heart say “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. I love you Jesus.”
|
|
Perhaps surrender isn’t something I accomplish once and for all.
|
|
Perhaps it is something Jesus patiently teaches me over and over again along the way. I surrender. I take it back. He gently reminds me. And I surrender again.
|
|
This morning, I received the nudge I asked for long ago.
|
When my eyes – and the eyes of my heart – are focused on Jesus, peace is restored and all is well with my soul.
|
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Thought to Carry with You
|
Recall a time when God revealed something to you while meditating on a mystery of the Rosary or what revelation would you like God to reveal to you while meditating on the mysteries of the rosary?
|
|
|
|
Until Next Week
|
Wherever this newsletter finds you today, whether your heart is full of joy or carrying a burden known only to you, know that you are remembered in our prayers. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus fill you with His peace, the Immaculate Heart of Mary wrap you in her loving mantle, and the humble and chaste Heart of St. Joseph guide and protect you this week. Until we meet again, may God bless you and those you love.
|
|
|
|
Links for this weeks Newsletter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
