The Rosary has been an integral part of my life since early childhood. I grew up with parents who were devout Catholics so much so that the Rosary was a daily evening prayer. My mother who was of the old school felt that we all pray on our knees, a practice that we automatically adhered to through the years.
Nowadays, my daily prayer of the Rosary takes me, spiritually, around the world to the various shrines of our Blessed Mother that I have been privileged to visit. My closed eyes while praying open my heart and mind to the experience of being right before the shrine, completely immersed with the ambiance of the place. Would you like to pray the Rosary with me ?
I Believe in God..... Jerusalem, Israel, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before the altar where below it lies the hole on which the cross with our crucified Jesus stood. Then I am inside the sepulchre kneeling and touching the cement block that protects the rock upon which the body of Jesus was lain and from which He resurrected during the first Easter
Our Father ..... Prague, Czeschoslovakia ..... inside the Church Of Our Lady Victorious , in front of the Miraculous Image of the Infant Jesus which appeared to Fr. Cyril. This side altar is so beautifully decorated befitting a "King.
Hail Mary ..... Manila, Philippines, Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran which remain open 24 hours a day. The hourly novena every Wednesday from 7 AM to 8 PM draw thousands from all walks of life - an indication of the love and devotion to our Blessed Mother.
Hail Mary..... Rome, Italy, St. Alfonsus Liguori Church where the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is enshrined.
Hail Mary ..... Caracas, Venezuela, Chapel of Our Mother of Perpetual Succor where the icon of our Lady sheds tears of of oil.
Glory Be To The Father ..... Vatican City, Italy, infront of the high altar of the Basilica of St. Peter focusing on the huge illumined Holy Spirit symbol of a Dove. The elegant majesty of the Holy Spirit evokes awe of the penultlimate kind! Right under it lies the chair of St. Peter wrapped and embellished with precious metals.
FIRST DECADE
Our Father .... Manila, Philippines, inside the Quiapo Church before the image of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno ( Black Nazarene ) which has been attested by so many devotees as "miraculous." My mother regularly visited the shrine on Fridays for years and years as do thousands of Filipinos, both Manilenos and otherwise .
Ist to 3rd Bead ..... Meditation on the Mystery (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries depending on the day.)
4th Bead ..... Puebla, Mexico where the image of Our Lady of the Rosary is in a most spectacular setting in the Cathedral of Puebla. Her shrine is so big it is like another church attached to the Cathedral.
5th Bead ..... Lourdes, France, before Our Lady of Lourdes in the Grotto of Massebielle where She appeared to St. Bernadette. On the right side of the grotto is the well of "healing waters" which pours out thousands of gallons a day for the seven million pilgrims who visit annually.
6th Bead..... Fatima, Portugal, where Our Lady of Fatima appeared to Blessed Jacinta, Blessed Francisco and Lucia in the Cova de Iria which is now the Chapel of Apparitions. Seventy thousand people witnessed the "The Miracle of the Sun" on October 13, 1917.
7th Bead..... Manila, Philippines, where Our Lady of the Abandoned in Sta. Ana is venerated. Many miracles have been attributed to Her especially during World War II when the church was saved from being a Japanese Army Headquarters by the appearance of hundreds of snakes and the District of Sta. Ana was the only one saved from the city-wide conflagration caused by the retreating Japanese during the 1945 Liberation of Manila. She is special to me because She is the Patron Saint of my birthplace!
8th Bead..... Carmel, Israel, Chapel of Stella Maris in the Carmelite Monastery where Our Lady of Mount Carmel is enshrined. She sits with Baby Jesus holding the Brown Scapular. Elijah's Cave is within the chapel and just outside it lies the place where the prophet encountered and defeated the men of Baal in a story recorded in the Bible.
9th Bead..... Mexico City, Mexico, before the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was incredibly imprinted on the tilma of St. Juan Diego in the 1500's. She is venerated in the huge round new basilica where millions visit especially on Her feast day- December 12th.
10th Bead..... Antipolo, Philippines, inside the circular church of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. Thousands of pilgrims trek up this mountain shrine especially during the month of May. The image of the Black Madonna accompanied the perilous voyages of the Acapulco Galleon Trade between Mexico and the Philippines then.
Glory Be To The Father ..... Kalwaria, Poland, before the 16th Century Crucifix in the Chapter Room of the Monastery. The wood-carved crucifix is so impressively awesome and leaves an indelible imprint in one's mind.
Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls into Heaven, especially those who are in need of Thy mercy.
SECOND DECADE
Our Father ..... Burgos, Spain, in the Cathedral of Burgos at the special shrine of the Miraculous Crucifix of our Lord uniquely depicted in His "tortured" body. It is unlike the crucifixes in our churches here and in other parts of the globe where Jesus hangs on the cross with a "sanitized" body. During my first visit in 1998, it was 800 years old.
1st to 3rd Beads ...... Meditation on the Mystery
4th Bead ..... Paris, France, in the Chapel of Apparitions of the Convent of the Daughters of Charity on 140 Rue de Bac. High on the main altar is the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal who appeared to St. Catherine Laboure. Mother Mary gave instructions about the medal with the prayer She herself composed, " O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee."
5th Bead..... Manila, Philippines, at the St.Vincent de Paul Church where I exchanged marriage vows with my husband, Rey. The image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal adorns the high altar. The vivid memory of the "young" bride and groom and the flower-strewn church setting plus family, relations and friends come rushing back to me!
6th Bead .....Czestochowa, Poland ..... before the image of the Miraculous Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa , which has traditionally been known to have been painted by St. Luke on the dinner table of the Holy Family. The shrine is on a summit called "Jasna Gora" or Bright Mountain. During the Middle Ages, pilgrims went up the mountain walking on their "knees." Such has been the devotion to the Mother of God in Poland which to this day is still 95 % Catholic.
7th Bead ..... Montserrat, Spain, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Montserrat, who with Our Lady of Czestochowa are the two Miraculous Black Madonnas in the world. The monastery sits near the summit of a very high uniquely "serrated" mountain. The image was found in one of the caves in the 1500's and since then has been the object of pilgrimages.
8th Bead ..... Cairo, Egypt, in front of the icon of our Blessed Virgin Mary as She appeared on the roof of the Coptic Church where thousands saw Her not for only a few minutes but for hours. Even highly educated Muslims as doctors testified seeing Her to international media.
9th Bead . ... Ocotlan, Mexico, where the image of Our Lady of Ocotlan is venerated. In the 1500's, an epidemic in Mexico caused so many deaths. Natives saw a burning tree in the forest and discovered the life-size statue of Our Lady inside the tree. They found a stream nearby with healing waters. The Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlan is exquisitely lovely with ornate gold bas-relief in both ceiling and walls and the "camarin" is jaw-dropping in beauty.
10th Bead ..... San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, before the icon of Our Lady of Grace in the church where St. Padre Pio, the priest stigmatist who had the gifts of healing and divination spent most of his life and also died there. I mentally picture Our Lady and St. Padre Pio as I saw his incorrupt body in 2009, having been exhumed 40 years after his death.
Glory Be To The Father ..... Madrid, Spain, before the Crucifix of San Lorenzo de Escorial, the largest monastery built by the King of Spain after the victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.The sculptor did a magnificent job in the facial expression and hair strands of our Lord in this famous crucifix.
Oh, my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls into Heaven especially those who are in need of Thy mercy.
THIRD DECADE
Our Father ..... Assisi, Italy before the Crucifix that "spoke" to St. Francis about repairing the Church of San Damiano which was in ruins then. Little did St. Francis knew, then, that the Lord meant the whole "Roman Catholic Church" in its precepts and mission.
1st to 3rd Bead ..... Meditation on the Mystery
4th Bead ..... Manila, Philippines, inside the Malate Church , before the image of Our Lady of Remedies or Nuestra Senora de los Remedios as She is known among the locals. The ministry for the sick is an important feature in the community services of the church which is located fronting the Manila Bay.
5th Bead ..... Cholula, Mexico, before the shrine of Our Lady of Remedies. The church sits on "top" of a pyramid built centuries ago. Veneration of our Blessed Mother as "Healer" has been an ongoing devotion among Mexicans and pilgrims from all over the world.
6th Bead .... Vatican City, Italy, inside the Basilica of St. Peter in front of the image of "The Pieta" made by Michaelangelo when he was only 24 years old. Among the many works of art by Michaelangelo, this is the only one wherein he signed his name. I also imagine myself in Portland, Oregon at the Shrine of the Sorrowful Mother.
7th Bead ..... San Francisco, California, before the image of Our Lady Help of Christians at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church and also at her shrine at the Notre Dame les Victoires. The image of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, one of my favorite saints, is also at the Notre Dame.
8th Bead ..... Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, at the Hill of Apparitions where the Madonna apppeared to five children/youth in 1981. I remember my experience there when I climbed the hill alone before dawn with a mysterious lady whom God sent to accompany me.
9th Bead ..... Caracas, Venezuela, before the image of Our Lady of Betania who appeared to a wealthy grandmother near a waterfall and made Her presence known by a unique blue butterfly. Testimonies of thanksgiving inscribed in marble plaques line a long wall in the grounds.
10th Bead ..... Nazareth, Israel, infront of the high altar of the Church of the Holy Family erected on the spot where tradition claim is the site of the house of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. Then I am infront of the Holy Crypt, in the Basilica of Nativity in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
Glory Be To The Father ... Krakow, Poland ..... before the huge Black Crucifix at the Church of St. Wenzeslaus where St. Hillary and St. Wenzeslaus used to pray.
Oh, my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls into Heaven especially those who are in need of Thy mercy.
FOURTH DECADE
Our Father .....Paray-le-Monial, France, in the Chapel of Apparitions of the Monastery of the Sisters of the Visitation where Our Most Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alaquoue. The incorrupt body of the saint lies inside the chapel.
1st to 3rd Beads - Meditation on the Mystery
4th Bead ..... Zaragoza, Spain, at the shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar where our Blessed Mother appeared to St. James to encourage him to continue evangelizing the pagans. Mary appeared on a pillar which has never been moved from its spot despite the building and rebuilding of the church through the centuries. This is the first recorded apparition of our Lady in church history.
5th Bead .....Makati City, Philippines, at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church, our parish then, before the image of Our Lady of the Rose. I regret not knowing anything about the origin of the image.
6th Bead ..... Rocamadour, France, before the image of Our Lady of Rocamadour in a church up in the mountains. I recall Marissa and I praying before the image of our Lady who is featured in a tight-fitting dress, the only one I have seen so far. I also remember being in a huge cave, the shrine of Our Lady of Cova Donga, France, too, where She appeared to Gen. Pelayo to tell him of his pending victory during the battles against invaders in the Middle Ages.
7th Bead ..... Burgos, Spain, inside the Cathedral of Burgos , before the extremely beautiful altarpiece which reaches to the ceiling with the Madonna of Burgos on top. Images of many saints were carved in the alabaster altarpiece many centuries ago. "Lace in Stone" is key character of this popular pilgrim/tourist sanctuary.
8th Bead ..... London, England ..... infront of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in the church named after Her. The dramatic expression in her face evokes humility and love of an undefinable kind.
9th Bead ..... Makati City, Philippines ..... before the big image of Our Lady of Manaog, the miraculous Virgin venerated in Pangasinan, (Northern Luzon), right in the lobby of the Atrium. Imagine a public building which houses a government office, Bureau of Internal Revenue, displaying such devotion to our Blessed Mother!
10th Bead ..... Wadowice, Poland, in the Church of St. Mary's near the home of Blessed John Paul II (now a museum) before the icon of Our Lady Nursing Jesus. In all my travels, this is the only icon of this kind that I have seen! I remember, too, the icon of Our Lady of Presentation beside the "baldochino" at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Italy.
Glory Be To The Father ..... Mexico City, inside the Cathedral before the Black Crucifix which depicts the sidewise - raised knees of Jesus which legend says was lifted up to absorb the poison which an enemy of a sacristan poured on Jesus'feet. It is said that the sacristan had the habit of kissing Jesus' feet.
Oh, my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls into heaven especially those who are in need of Thy mercy.
FIFTH DECADE
Our Father ..... Poland, in the chapel where Jesus of Divine Mercy appeared several times to Sister Faustina. I also remember being in front of the huge icon of Jesus of Divine Mercy at the side altar of the church built after the apparitions. Relic of the wrist of St. Faustina is in altar.
1st to 3rd Bead - Meditate on the Mystery
4th Bead ..... Poland, before the image of Our Lady Immaculate in the church where St. Maximillian Kolbe lived and started the publication of a highly circulated magazine, "La Immaculata. " He is called "The Saint of Auschwitz" because he volunteered to die on behalf of a condemmed prisoner who had a family. I remember seeing the small starvation cell where he died, the gas chambers and the incinerators where the dead bodies were burned and its tremendous effect upon me.
5th Bead ..... San Francisco, California, in front of the image of Our Lady of Grace at the St. Dominic's Church which I often visited during our early years in America in the 1979- 80's. St. Jude's shrine is also in this sanctuary so that many devotees visit here.
6th Bead ..... Fatima, Portugal, before the Russian icon of Our Lady of Kazan which is "behind iron bars," so to speak, because it is so lavishly encrusted with diamonds and precious stones - gifts to the miraculous Lady by the czars and nobles of Russia through the centuries. During my visits in the 1980's, She was in Fatima but was returned to Russia later.
7th Bead ..... Nevers, France, in front of the image of Our Lady of the Waters in the grounds of the Convent of St. Gildard where St. Bernadette spent the last years of her life and where her incorrupt body lies. It is said that she preferred it more than the one at the Grotto of Lourdes since it approximates more closely the smiling face of the Virgin she saw.
8th Bead ..... Jerusalem, Israel, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before the icon of Our Lady of Sorrows with a sword piercing her heart. The pain of a grieving mother is so profoundly etched in her face. The icon is near the altar which marks the spot of the cross.
9th Bead ..... Kawalria, Poland, before the huge icon of Our Lady of Kalwalria in a side chapel of the "centuried" church where it was placed in the 1600's. It is said that it had never been lifted off its original place except during the last visit of Blessed John Paul II, a devotee, when it was placed in Krakow for the convenience of the Pope.
10th Bead ..... Manila, Philippines, at the Santo Domingo Church at the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary. This is also a pilgrim site in the city.
Glory Be To The Father ..... Makati City, Philippines in front of the large Crucifix in the center aisle of the St. Andrews Church, San Miguel Village. The open wounds in the entire body of Jesus Christ are so intricately carved in this cast iron effigy which is beyond description. I have not seen anything like it in other parts of the world!
Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead us into Heaven, especially those who are in need of thy mercy.
Hail Holy Queen ..... Avignon, France, in the church adjacent to the Palace of the Popes, infront of the image of Our Lady, Help of Christians. The white marble 10- inch statue of the Blessed Mother which I got from the church souvenir shop had changed colors from white to blue sometimes and peach at other times only from its waist down for several years since 1996.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God ...... etc.
Let us Pray ...... etc. to the end of the Rosary.
1st to 3rd Beads ..... Meditation (Joyful, Luminous, etc.)
4th Bead ..... Paris, France, in the chapel of the Convent of the Daughters of Charity where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure and gave instructions for the Miraculous Medal.
5th Bead ..... Manila, Philippines, before the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the St. Vincent de Paul Church where I was married fifty-six years ago.
6th Bead ..... Czechtahowa, Poland, at the Monastery of the Pauline Fathers in Jasna Gora (Bright Mountain) where the icon of Our Lady, one of the two acknowledged miraculous Black Madonnas of the world is venerated.
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