WELCOME; This page contains art and poetry meditations, More will be added all the time.. If you meditate upon an account or event in the life of Jesus Christ and that of His blessed Mother you will participate in those helps and graces attached to the contemplation of those events: You will begin to see the wonderful and mysterious power of Her who is Queen of Angels and Mediatrix of all graces. When we think upon the things of God to kindle our love, that is called meditating. We can ask for help in our meditations by praying to the Holy Spirit, "Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and kindle in them the fire of love". Mary is our Great Queen, In all who approach Her, She causes divine effects not easily explained; She fills the heart with heavenly influences and divine operations, tending toward the Divinity. *************************************************** This is that blessed Mary, pre-elect God's Virgin. Gone is a great while, and she Dwelt young in Nazareth of Galilee. Unto God's will she brought devout respect, Profound simplicity of intellect, And supreme patience.from her mother's knee Faithful and hopeful; wise in charity; Strong,in, grave peace; in pity circumspect. So held she through her girlhood; as it, were An angel-watered lily, that near God Grows and is quiet. Till, one dawn at home She woke in her white bed, and had no fear At all, - yet wept till sunshine, and felt awed: Because the fullness of the time was come. D.G. ROSSETTI ***************************************************   I often wandered forth, more child than maiden, Among the midnight hills of Galilee Whose summits looked heaven-laden, Listening to silence, as it seemed to be God's voice, so soft yet strong, so fain to press Upon my heart, as heaven did on the height, And waken up its shadows by a light, And show its vileness by a holiness. Then, I knelt down most silent like the night, Too self-renounced for fears, Raising my small face to the boundless blue Whose stars did mix and tremble in my tears: God heard them falling after, with his dew. Ah, King; ah, Christ; ah, Son: Sleep, steep, my kingly One. ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING *************************************************** Full of joy His beauteous Mother Stood beside our new-born Brother, Who was cradled in the hay; And her spirit's exultation Thrilled her frame with sweet elation, To behold Him where He lay. Oh! what deep, ecstatic feeling, O'er the stainless Mother stealing, Marked the Sole-Begotten's birth How her soul's own silent laughter Filled her gaze the moment after She first saw His face on earth. Whose the eyes that would not measure Wonder-wide, that Mother's pleasure, Like to which no bliss hath been His in sooth were utmost rapture Who one glimpse of her could capture, At her mother-play serene. JACOPONE DA TODI *************************************************** Lowliest of Women, and most glorified: In thy still beauty, sitting calm and lone: A brightness round thee grew; and by thy side, Kindling the air, a Form ethereal shone, Solemn, yet breathing gladness. From her throne A Queen had risen with more imperial eye; A stately Prophetess of victory From her proud lyre had struck a tempest's tone. For such high tidings as to thee were brought, Chosen of heaven, that hour, but thou, 0 thou, E'en as a flower with gracious rains o'erfraught, Thy Virgin-head beneath its crown didst bow, And take to thy meek breast the All-holy Word, And own thyself the Handmaid of the Lord. FELICIA D. HEMANS Mary sings: the ravished heavens Hush the music of their spheres; Soft her voice, her beauty fairer Than the glancing stars appears: While to Jesus, slumbering nigh, Thus she sings her lullaby: "Sleep, my Babe, my God, my Treasure, Gently sleep: but ah, the sight With its beauty so transports me, I am dying of delight: Thou canst not thy Mother see, Yet thou breathest flames to me. "If within your lids unfolded, Slumbering eyes, you seem so fair; When upon my gaze you open, How shall I your beauty bear? Ah, I tremble when you wake, Lest my heart with love should break..." St Alphonsus

THE ROSARY Eastern Christian monks started the Christian practice in the third century. The modern Roman Catholic rosary's origin is most often associated with St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican order in the early 13th century. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "it reached its definitive form in the 15th century through the preaching of the Dominican Alan de la Roche and his associates, who organized Rosary Confraternities at Douai in France and at Cologne. In 1520 Pope Leo X gave the rosary official approbation." In October of 2002 Pope John Paul II added an optional group of mysteries (Mysteries of the Light) to the Rosary The entire Rosary is composed of fifteen decades. Each is recited in honor of a mystery of the life of Our Lord and his Blessed Mother, beginning with the Annunciation of the Incarnation and ending with Mary's triumphal Coronation in heaven. A decade consists of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be to the Father. Our Lady of Fatima asked the Fatima children to add after each decade: the Decade Prayer. Ordinary rosary beads contain five decades. It is customary to recite five decades at a time while meditating on one set of mysteries. How to Say the Rosary visual example, click here 1. Kiss the Cross Make the Sign of the Cross Say the Apostles Creed' 2. Recite the Our Father 3. Say three Hail Mary 4.then, Glory be to the Father... 0 MY Jesus forgive us Our sins ... Announce first Mystery Annunciation or Agony or Resurrection 5. Recite the Our Father 6. Say 10 Hail Marys 7. Glory be to the Father ... 0 MY Jesus forgive us, our sins ... Announce-second Mystery Visitation or Scourging or Ascension 8. Recite the Our Father 9. Say 10 Hail Marys 10. Glory be to the Father... 0 my Jesus forgive us our sins . . . Announce third Mystery Nativity or Crowning With Thorns or Descent of Holy Ghost 11. Recite the Our Father 12. Say 10 Hail Marys 13. Glory be to the Father... O my Jesus forgive us our sins... Announce fourth Mystery Presentation or Carrying Cross or Assumption 14. Recite the Our Father 15. Say 10 Hail Marys 16. Glory be to the Father 0 my Jesus forgive us our sins... Announce fifth Mystery Finding in Temple or Crucifixion or Coronation. 17. Recite the Our Father 18 Say 10 Hail Marys 19. Glory be to the Father... 0 MY Jesus forgive us our sins ... Mysteries above are listed in order of Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious. With the Glory Be after the last decade, the Rosary is concluded. The Sign of the Cross may then be made to close the devotion. Catholics, however, customarily add the Hail, Holy Queen to close the devotion: Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious -Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, 0 clement, 0 loving, 0 sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God, that we may he worthy of the promises of Christ. Let Us Pray: 0 God, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. As a general rule, the joyful mysteries are prayed on Monday and Thursday-, the sorrowful mysteries on Tuesday and Friday-, the glorious mysteries on Wednesday and Saturday. Depending on the season, each of the mysteries is recommended for Sunday. For example: From Advent until Lent, the joyful mysteries; during Lent, the sorrowful mysteries-, from Easter until Advent, the glorious mysteries. ************************************************** How to Meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary THE MYSTERIES (Meditate on each of these themes for a decade of the Rosary.) Joyful (Monday, Thursday, Sundays of Advent-through Epiphany) Annunciation Visitation Nativity Presentation Finding in the Temple Sorrowful (Tuesday, Friday, Sundays of Lent) The Garden Scourging Crowning with Thorns Carrying the Cross Crucifixion Glorious (Wednesday, Saturday, Sundays after Easter) Resurrection Ascension Descent of the Holy Spirit Assumption Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven Creed (prayed while viewing the crucifix) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was con­ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from hence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy (Catholic means Universal)Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The Our Father (prayed on the larger beads) Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. The Hail Mary (prayed on small beads) Hail Mary, full of gracel The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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