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 Greetings!
On October 7, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the yearly feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Known for several centuries by the alternate title of "Our Lady of Victory," the feast day takes place in honor of a 16th century naval victory which secured Europe against Turkish invasion. Pope St. Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was invoked on the day of the battle through a campaign to pray the Rosary throughout Europe.
Pope Leo XIII was particularly devoted to Our Lady of the Rosary, producing 11 Encyclicals on the subject of this feast and its importance in the course of his long pontificate.
"This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven," Pope Leo continued, "has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy ... or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies."
Foremost among such "attacks" was the battle of Lepanto, a perilous and decisive moment in European and world history.
Three Catholic powers on the continent - Genoa, Spain, and the Papal States - formed an alliance called the Holy League, to defend their Christian civilization against Turkish invasion. Its fleets sailed to confront the Turks near the west coast of Greece on October 7, 1571.
Crew members on more than 200 ships prayed the Rosary in preparation for the battle - as did Christians throughout Europe, encouraged by the Pope to gather in their churches to invoke the Virgin Mary against the daunting Turkish forces.
Some accounts say that Pope Pius V was granted a miraculous vision of the Holy League's stunning victory. Without a doubt, the Pope understood the significance of the day's events, when he was eventually informed that all but 13 of the nearly 300 Turkish ships had been captured or sunk. He was moved to institute the feast now celebrated universally as Our Lady of the Rosary.
"Turkish victory at Lepanto would have been a catastrophe of the first magnitude for Christendom," wrote military historian John F. Guilmartin, Jr., "and Europe would have followed a historical trajectory strikingly different from that which obtained."
Article 8 of our Constitutions states: "We believe that Mary is present among us and continues her "mission as Mother of the Church and Help of Christians." We entrust ourselves to her, the humble servant in whom the Lord has done great things that we may become witnesses to the young of her Son's boundless love."
Let us continue to encourage this habit of the recitation of the Rosary passed on to us by Don Bosco and continue to inculcate this devotion asking Mother Mary to bless all our works and endeavors.
God Bless you.
In Mary Help of Christians,
I remain,
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
Director
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Walk a Mile in their shoes
Our nation's is not the first immigration crisis in history. Consider the Israelites suffering in Egypt before their grand exodus. God reminds them of their own past: "You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves." The influx of people seeking a better life in the United States is problematic on many levels, but whatever solution is worked out, it must be just, and our attitude as Christians should never disdain immigrants-"legal" or not. God's attitude is clear: "If ever you wrong [the widow or orphan] and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry." Even as we work for the rule of law we may never "wrong" any person in the process. Our compassion must mirror God's.
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 The Story Collector
An excerpt from *Gifts by the Side of the Road by John Wayne "Jack" Schlatter
"You look like you could use a friend."
The young man didn't even look up as he replied, "Is it that evident?" "I don't mean to pry, but I thought that maybe you'd like to talk about it." This sentence caused the young man to look and see that his new acquaintance was a plain looking elderly gentleman with a kind smile and a twinkle in his eyes that invited trust. "Maybe it would help to tell someone. Please sit down. Sir, you are looking at one of the greatest, most colossal failures of all time, a three-time loser and more. I've just been fired for the third time in 18 months. Pretty soon, the way things are going, it's going to get out that this is one accountant of no account. And when I arrived home this afternoon, there was a note from my wife. She said she couldn't stand my depressed attitude anymore and had gone up north to be with her sister." The elderly gentleman leaned forward and asked what reason the company gave for letting him go.
"Oh, they said I'm too talkative in the office and that I upset other people's concentration. But you see, Bill Page's wife had presented him with their first child after two miscarriages, and I had thrown a surprise celebration."
"Well, that doesn't sound like such a crime..."
"Yes, but two days before that, I had returned from lunch an hour and a half late, and the previous week I had engaged the office manager in a two hour argument over the possibility of creating a new staff policy of having secret pals, where each week everyone would receive a surprise present from an unknown giver, so people would have something special to look forward to."
"Why were you late returning from lunch?" the elderly gentleman asked.
"The girl at the candy counter in the lobby of my office told me her son had gotten sick at school, and she couldn't go get him because she didn't have a replacement. So I got a note from her for the school nurse and drove over to the school and took the little fella over to his grandmothers. I just lost track of the time." "Did your wife give any specific reason why she left you?"
"She said tht I was no longer the man she fell in love with. You see, we met in college, and I was student body president and she was in charge of one of the charity drives we organized. She said that when she was with me, she felt like a hostess to the whole world."
"It seems to me that you're more gifted with people than you are with numbers," the old gentleman observed.
"Yeah, whatever. Hey, thanks for listening pal. I hope I didn't depress you. It was kind of you to care." With that, the young man got up and walked away.
Watching him, the old man sighed, "I'm sorry God. Once again I've failed. Since I retired, I asked you to show me a way to serve others, and you have led me to many people who need help, and each time I have been useless.
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 Laughter the Best Medicine
Cat Sale
A famous art collector is walking through the city when he notices a mangy cat lapping milk from a saucer in the doorway of a store and he does a double take. He knows that the saucer is extremely old and very valuable, so he walks casually into the store and offers to buy the cat for two dollars.
The store owner replies "I'm sorry, but the cat isn't for sale.
The collector says "Please, I need a hungry cat around the house to catch mice. I'll pay you twenty dollars for that cat."
And the owner says "Sold," and hands over the cat.
The collector continues, "Hey, for the twenty bucks I wonder if you could throw in that old saucer. The cat's used to it and it'll save me from having to get a dish."
And the owner says, "Sorry buddy, but that's my lucky saucer.
So far this week I've sold sixty-eight cats."
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS:*
Police in Oakland , CA spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting,'Please come out and give yourself up.'
*WHAT WAS PLAN B?*An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts. | |
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 The Devotion of the Three Hail Marys
The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS is a very simple yet most efficacious devotion.
Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding the invocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me from mortal sin." Many people recite the Three Hail Marys as part of their morning and night prayers. To practice this devotion in time of danger, stress, special need or temptation, is a sure means to obtain Our Lady's help.
Dear Mother Mary and Don Bosco my sincere thanks for a safe delivery and the gift of a baby boy - Johann. Mr. & Mrs. Marcell & Judith, NY
Thank you dear Jesus, Mother Mary, Don Bosco and Dominic Savio for the many graces and favors received and for healing me of severe nerve pain and headaches. Carol, IL
Our sincere thanks to Mother Mary for protecting us in all our troubles and for many blessings and favors received through the recitation of the three Hail Marys. Mother Mary please continue to intercede for my family. George Fanny, DC |
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In Closing
Dear devotees of Our Lady and Don Bosco,
If you have received a miracle through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, we would like to hear from you. Email us at MaryShrine@aol.com.
Bookstore hours: Monday - Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays: 12 - 4 pm
Weekday Masses: 12 noon. Confessions on weekdays begin at 11.30 am.
Sunday Masses: 11 am and 12.30 pm
Other activities: Day Retreats, Weekend retreats, Don Bosco Summer Camp, Eucharistic Adoration, Friday night Lenten Dinners, 50/50 raffle, 350 club, Rosary Madonna Statue. Rent Lomagno Hall, Rent our Banquet Hall.
MEMORIES
Remember a Loved One: Engrave plaques on Wall of Memories, adopt a Tree, Engrave blocks on Walk of Honor, All Souls, All year Candle lighting, Holiday (Christmas and Easter), Flowers, Schedule a Mass, Bell Chimes.
MASS INTENTIONS
To offer a mass intention, please write to
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
174 Filors Lane,
Stony Point, NY 10980
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Marian Shrine
174 Filors Lane, Stony Point, NY 10980
(845) 947-2200
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