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Hand crafted rosaries. Shared Stories. A Journey of Faith.
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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.
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Moments of Grace
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Ran across this Litany on social media this week and instantly fell in love with it.
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Rosary Reflection
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This week we take a look at our Job's Tears Rosary
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A Thought to Carry with You
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Something to ponder or journal on
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A Prayer for Your Week
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Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, grant us steadfast faith and renewed hope in desperate times. Through the humble service of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, help us to see and serve Your Son in every neighbor we meet. Through the zeal of St. Wolfgang, grant us hearts dedicated to reform and charity. And as we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, draw our hearts ever closer to the joy of heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Saints of the Week
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A short reflection on the Saints of this week.
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- Wednesday - SS. Simon and Jude
- Friday - St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
- Saturday - St. Wolfgang of Regensburg
- Sunday - Solemnity of All Saints
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Along the Way
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Jesus, You Take Care of Everything
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I was first introduced to praying a Litany when I was in Teen Encounter. Father Martin was a big fan of the Sacred Heart of Jesus so we prayed the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus often. Right now in my daily prayers I pray the litany of humility. So when I ran across the Litany of Lasts I was immediately intrigued. Probably because I had never heard of it and also to find out what it was all about. The name itself made me curious enough to start reading it.
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I think I got to the second or third phrase before I stopped and told my beloved that she needed to hear this too. She was standing right there and I knew she would love it too. After I read the whole thing out loud we were both very touched by it. Linda always loves to pray for those especially who have no one to pray for them, so I knew she would like this prayer too. When praying this prayer I find it very easy to imagine that soul making it to heaven, being healed, or meeting Jesus for the first time. Amazing!
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I did a little research on it and found that it is not an official Litany recognized by the Catholic Church but it is perfectly ok to pray it privately.
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Here is the full text of the Litany, I hope you enjoy it too.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from salvation…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from holiness…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from peace…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from heaven…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from healing…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from finding hope…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from seeing the truth…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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embracing their vocation…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from accepting
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from Sainthood…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from rejecting sin…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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For all the souls that are
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one prayer away from finding You…
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…Let this be that prayer.
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Lord, God of all that is good,
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God of order and completion, God
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of love and mercy, I beg you, for the
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Sake of Your Son’s Sorrowful Passion,
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Let this prayer, my prayer, in this
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moment, be that prayer. Amen.
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The Weekly Saint | Reflections for October 26 – November 1
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Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Saint. As we transition from October into November, our Church calendar leads us to the doorstep of a powerful liturgical season: the celebration of All Saints and the Remembrance of the Faithful Departed. The holy lives featured this week invite us to reflect on the communion of saints—our brothers and sisters in Christ who show us that sanctity is attainable through everyday fidelity, pastoral devotion, and unwavering trust in God's mercy.
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Here are the feast days and saints guiding our reflections for this week
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Wednesday, October 28: Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Unwavering Apostleship and Hope for the Hopeless
We open our mid-week reflection honoring two of the original Twelve Apostles chosen by Our Lord:
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- St. Simon the Zealot: Known for his fierce devotion to the Jewish law before meeting Jesus, Simon surrendered his earthly political passions to become a passionate herald of the Gospel, preaching in Egypt and Persia.
- St. Jude Thaddeus: Brother of St. James the Less and author of the New Testament Epistle of Jude. Because his name was similar to Judas Iscariot, he was largely overlooked by medieval pilgrims for centuries—leading to his beautiful modern title as the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations.
- Patronage: St. Simon (tanners, curriers); St. Jude (desperate causes, lost causes, hospitals).
- Takeaway for the week: When you face a situation in your life, family, or work that feels humanly impossible or overwhelming, turn to St. Jude in prayer, remembering that no intention is ever beyond the reach of God's grace.
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Friday, October 30: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (1532–1617)
Holiness in the Doorway of Daily Duty
On Friday, the Church celebrates a humble Jesuit lay brother whose life shows that profound sanctity does not require public fame or high office. Born in Segovia, Spain, Alphonsus was a wool merchant who suffered immense personal tragedy, losing his wife and children to illness before his business collapsed.
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Turning completely to God in his grief, he entered the Society of Jesus at age 38 and was assigned as the doorkeeper (hall porter) for the Jesuit college in Majorca—a post he held faithfully for 46 years. Alphonsus treated every visitor, student, and beggar who knocked on the door as if they were Christ Himself. Among those he mentored was a young Jesuit student, St. Peter Claver, whom Alphonsus inspired to go as a missionary to South America.
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- Patronage: Doorkeepers, hall porters, and major business loss.
- Takeaway for the week: St. Alphonsus famously said, "In the morning, when I wake up, I see Jesus in every person who comes." Try adopting this mindset in your own home or workplace this week—greeting each family member, coworker, or visitor with genuine warmth and patience.
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Saturday, October 31: St. Wolfgang of Regensburg (c. 924–994)
Reform, Education, and Pastoral Care
On Saturday, we honor a 10th-century Benedictine monk and Bishop of Regensburg who played a vital role in renewing the spiritual life of central Europe. Known for his intellectual brilliance and deep humility, Wolfgang abandoned positions of prestige in imperial courts to live as a humble monk in Swabia before being sent as a missionary to Hungary.
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Appointed Bishop of Regensburg, he reformed local monasteries, promoted education, and personally distributed food and relief during famines, earning the deep love of his flock.
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- Patronage: Regensburg (Germany), woodworkers, carpenters, and paralysis.
- Takeaway for the week: True leadership begins with self-discipline and quiet service. Take time this weekend to evaluate how you can bring order and charity to your daily environment.
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Sunday, November 1: Solemnity of All Saints
The Universal Call to Holiness
We close our week with one of the greatest Holy Days of the Church year: All Saints' Day. This solemn feast celebrates the entire cloud of witnesses—not only the canonized saints on our calendars, but the vast, unnumbered multitude of holy men and women from every nation, race, and tongue who now behold the face of God in heaven.
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It reminds us that sanctity is not reserved for a select few, but is the universal calling of every baptized Christian.
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- Takeaway for the week: You are made for heaven. As we honor the saints this Sunday, ask your favorite patron saint to intercede for your family, guiding your daily steps toward eternal life.
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A Prayer for Your Week
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, grant us steadfast faith and renewed hope in desperate times. Through the humble service of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, help us to see and serve Your Son in every neighbor we meet. Through the zeal of St. Wolfgang, grant us hearts dedicated to reform and charity. And as we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, draw our hearts ever closer to the joy of heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Have a blessed and beautiful week of prayer!
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Let's Take A Look At Our Job's Tears Rosary
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To be honest I cannot remember how we got started making rosaries with Job's tears beads. I think that it was by request as I was not familiar with them until I started making them.
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Since then I have learned that they are a tear-shaped, hard-shelled seeds from a tropical grass plant that naturally grow with a pre-existing central hole, making them ideal for stringing. They were known to grow wild in the ditches of India. And they were made more well known because of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Her personal rosary was one made with these beads as they reflected the simplicity and humility that she became famous for.
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I have developed a love-hate relationship with them. I too love the simple and humble beauty they have but they can be somewhat difficult to work with. Because they are natural and not man-made, they can be a bit inconsistent in size and the size of the hole that goes through them. So it makes it harder than regular beads to string them. So they are not my favorite beads to work with but their beauty makes up for the trouble they cause. I'd like to think that is also the way Jesus see us, beautiful enough in His eye to put up with all the trouble we give Him!
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Jesus, You Take Care of Everything
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In this season of my life, I am learning to make adjustments. Things I once did without a second thought now require a little more planning, a little more patience, and sometimes a change of plans altogether.
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For years, it was easy enough to wait in line for Saturday afternoon confessions and then attend the 4:00 p.m. Mass. These days, however, that can be a bit too much for me physically. So this weekend, John and I decided to attend confession on Friday evening, leaving Saturday a little easier for me so we could attend Mass together, where he would be serving as lector.
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But when we arrived at the church on Friday, we learned that someone in their parish community had passed away and the church was closed that day.
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So, we made another plan.
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On Saturday morning, we went to our parish chapel, where there is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and confessions following the 9:00 a.m. Mass. We arrived in time to pray a rosary before confessions began and were home by 10:00 a.m., grateful for the opportunity to rest before returning for the afternoon Mass.
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But later that night, or rather, in the very early hours of the morning, I was reminded of something I know so well and yet, when I needed it most, had somehow forgotten.
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I woke around 2:30 a.m., sobbing.
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The moment my eyes opened, I felt the profound loss of my beloved spiritual father, who had recently gone home to the Lord. The grief was overwhelming. I began to pray, but before long, a flood of other thoughts came tumbling in. Concerns about medical issues and ongoing treatments, insurance, finances, work, and the uncertainties that seem to have become part of our daily lives.
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One thought followed another until I felt buried beneath the weight of them all.
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My head hurt, my sinuses were acting up, and the anxiety made it difficult to catch my breath. My sweet beloved woke and tried to comfort me. I used the essential oils that usually help my sinuses, and while they brought some relief there, the heaviness in my heart remained.
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I began to pray the rosary, but I realized I was simply moving through the familiar prayers. My lips knew the words, but my heart was still struggling beneath the weight of everything I was carrying.
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Then John asked me a simple question.
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“What are the words to the Surrender Prayer?”
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For a moment, I couldn't remember.
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Imagine that! I pray this prayer every single day. I know it so well I could probably say it in my sleep. Yet there I was, in the middle of the night, searching for the words.
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Finally, I said them aloud:
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“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”
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And something extraordinary happened.
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The moment I said those words, truly meaning them, I felt the heaviness begin to lift. The anxiety that had gripped me seemed to release its hold, and a deep sense of peace came over me. The change was not only in my heart; I could feel it physically.
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I began to cry again, but these tears were different.
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John asked me, “Do the words mean anything?”
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“Yes,” I told him through my tears. “They do.”
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And I thanked him for reminding me to surrender.
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What struck me so deeply was that I had been praying all along. I had called upon the Lord, prayed the rosary, and tried to quiet my thoughts. But somewhere in the midst of my grief and worry, I was still holding tightly to everything that troubled me.
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I was asking Jesus for help while continuing to carry the weight myself. And then, with one simple prayer, I finally let go.
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“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”
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Not just some things. Not just the things I could no longer manage on my own.
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The grief, the uncertainty, the worries about tomorrow, the things beyond my control, and even the things I thought I needed to figure out before I could rest.
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All of it, placed into His loving hands.
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As I lay there, I thought about my guardian angel standing faithfully beside me, watching over me even in those restless hours. And I thought about the gift of the man sleeping beside me, whose gentle question had brought me back to the prayer I needed most.
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I did not fall asleep immediately, and the rest of the night was not without its interruptions. But something had changed. The worries were no longer mine to carry alone.
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I know that surrender does not mean our difficulties disappear. Grief does not vanish, questions are not always answered, and tomorrow may still bring its share of challenges.
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But surrender changes how we face them.
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It reminds us that we do not have to know how everything will work out. We do not have to find every answer before we can have peace. We only have to trust the One who already knows.
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Perhaps that is why the Surrender Prayer is so beautiful in its simplicity. There is nothing complicated about it, and yet there is so much asked of us in those few words.
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To place everything in His hands.
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If you find yourself awake in the quiet hours, burdened by grief, worry, or uncertainty, perhaps these simple words will bring you the peace they brought me:
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“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”
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And then, as difficult as it may be, allow yourself to let go.
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Because the hands into which we surrender our burdens are the very hands that were stretched out upon the Cross for love of us. And there is no safer place for them to be.
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A Thought to Carry with You
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Surrender is not asking Jesus to carry our burdens while we continue holding on to them. It is trusting Him enough to place them in His hands and let go.
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“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”
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Do you trust Jesus enough to place whatever you might be holding on to into His hands and let go?
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Until Next Week
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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.
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Links for this week's Newsletter
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