Prayer to Mother of Mercy and Healer of the Sick, Mother Mary

You know my wants, my troubles, and my needs.

When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a sanctuary where many sufferers received a cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come to you to ask for your assistance and your maternal intercession.

Look upon me with mercy, my loving Mother, and help me attain healing in my life and in the lives of my loved ones.

Amen.

Source: Oblate Missions

Prayer to Our Lady of The Miraculous Medal

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate,

I unite myself to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

May this medal be for me a sure sign of your motherly affection for me and a constant reminder of my filial duties toward you.

While wearing it, may I be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son.

Mother powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior,

Keep me close to you every moment of my life, so that like you I may live and act according to the teaching and example of your son.

Amen.

Source: National Shrine of Our Lady of The Miraculous Medal

Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of the most Holy Rosary,

You were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima and reveal a glorious message.

We implore you, inspire in our hearts a fervent love for the recitation of the Rosary.

By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption that are recalled therein may we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.

Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O ever Immaculate Virgin,

Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortress of the Afflicted,
You know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Deign to cast upon me a look of mercy.

By appearing in the grotto of Lourdes, You were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary from where you dispense your favors and where many sufferers have obtained
the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come therefore with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, my requests I will endeavor to imitate your virtues,
That I may one day share your glory and bless you in eternity.

Amen.

Source: Trinity Missions

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O brilliant star of purity,
Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes,
glorious in your assumption,
triumphant in your coronation,
show unto us the mercy
of the Mother of God,
Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother,
be our comfort, hope, strength and consolation.
Amen


Source: Trinity Missions

A Prayer to Our Lady for Healing

Mary Immaculate,

You have given yourself to us as our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You have asked us to pray with confidence, and we will receive great graces. We know your compassion, because you saw your Son suffer and die for us. In your union with his suffering you became the mother of us all.

Mary, my mother, teach me to understand my suffering as you do and to endure it in union with the suffering of Jesus. In your motherly love, calm my fears and increase my trust in God's loving care.

According to God's plan, obtain for me the healing I need. Intercede with your Son that I may have the strength I need to work for God's glory and the salvation of the world.

Amen.

Mary, health of the sick, pray for me.

-- Source: Association of the Miraculous Medal

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Blessed, most pure Virgin,
You chose to manifest yourself shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes.
Obtain for me, O loving Mother this special request...
Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, pray for me.
Obtain from your Divine Son my special request if it be God's will.
Amen

Family Prayer to Our Lady

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, you were conceived without sin.

I chose you this day as the model for my household and the intercessor for my family.

Through your Immaculate Conception, preserve us from every disaster, from violence, and from misfortune.

O holy Virgin, bless and protect us all, strengthen us in trial, and save us from all evil.

Amen.


-- Source: Association of the Mariculous Medal

The National Shrine of Our Lady of The SnowsIn Belleville, IL

While driving through Illinois on our way back from Michigan last June, I saw a sign to The National Shrine of Our Lady of The Snows near Belleville, Ill. All I said to Mark was, "Turn here."

That's how my magical night started at the most calming place I've visited in a very long time. I needed this unexpected turn during our trip back to Dallas more than I thought.

This was definitely a gift from Mother Mary to me. It's the place I envision when I'm in doubt, pain or need to say a little prayer.

Prayer to Out Lady of Consolation

Dearest Mary, Mother of Consolation,

Be with me as I pray for the souls of those departed from this life.

Please, join your prayers with mine that our beloved deceased may behold Our Loving Father in heaven.

Please, guide them to the happiness you desire for all of your children.

Most kind and gentle Mother, who knew the loss of your husband and only Son,

Help me understand the passing of my loved ones as a new birth into a more complete life with Our Heavenly Father. And may this understanding one day lead me to peace and acceptance.

Amen.

Gifts of Grace, The Book

Have you ever seen Mother Mary in a dream? Have you woken and not known if something was a dream or a visitation from Mother Mary? If the answer is yes, then this book is for you.

When I was less than six years old, Mother Mary came to me in a dream. In the dream, I walked from my aunt's home to ours. I also stopped by the bakery. Mother Mary and St. Joseph were sitting on the floor of the bakery. They had big warm smiles on their faces. They seated me between them. I felt loved and protected.

This was just a dream. Over the years, I've been through dangerous and hard situations and still survived them. I think both Mother Mary and St. Joseph always look after me.

A day or two before I accepted my new job in Dallas, I had another dream -- or possibly a visitation since it felt so real. In the dream, a small statue of Mother Mary sat on the bedside table and pointed in Mark's direction. Mother Mary looked as if she was trying to deliver a message to Mark.

Then, I felt her stand next to my bed. She covered me with a black garment. After a short time, sparkling diamonds and flowers appeared on the garment, which made me happy. I'm not sure what this means. I'm taking it as a sign of a hard journey followed by great success.

After reading the book, I had a better understanding of those two dreams. I'm blessed by Mother Mary.

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Gifts of Grace

Words of Wisdom by St. Bernard

If you follow her guidance, you will not go astray.
If you pray to her, you will not give up hope.
If you think of her, you will not go wrong.
If she upholds you, you will not stumble.
If she protects you, you will not be afraid.
If she leads you, you will reach the goal.

-- St. Bernard

Source: Gifts of Grace

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Gifts of Grace

A Prayer For Healing

Our Lady, Counsoler of the afflicted,
please see me among the many who seek your love and comfort.

Please hear my prayers of healing and carry my needs to God.

As others have found solace in your embrace, please calm my fears and ease my pain.

Please, help me keep the strength of faith I need on my journey to renewed health.

Amen

Source: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Mother Teresa:In The Shadow of Our Lady

Mother Teresa never fails to inspire me. Every time I read a book dedicated to her, I learn something new about my favorite saint. Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady is no exception.

I need to to make a confession. I got very busy with work. I had a limited time to read any books. I chose to read this book because it's short. It's less than 100 pages.

Things happen for a reason. This book is very different than the other books that focus on Mother Teresa's journey with Jesus. In this book, the author focuses on her journey with Mother Mary.

I never thought of the relationship between Mother Mary and Mother Teresa before reading this book. The book shows how the two saints lives intersected in many ways even though they lived in different times.

Now that I have read the book, I can draw parallels between the two saints. For that, I'm so glad I chose this book to read between my busy work and family commitments.

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Mother Teresa:
In the Shadow of Our Lady

Prayer To Our Lady of Czestochowa

Dear Lady of Czestochowa, our Black Madonna, teach me the lesson of human family.

Remind me that whether we are black or white or red or yellow makes no difference, that we're all human.

When I might be tempted to judge people in terms of race or ethnicity, send your image to me so that I remember that we are all your children, that we all come from God.

And when I might hear racial or ethnic insults, strengthen your spirit of love within me, that I might speak up for the dignity of all people and not be a silent accomplice to prejudice.

Remove the fear of difference from my heart, that I might look at and treat all people as loving and lovable brothers and sisters.

Amen.

Source: 100 Names of Mary

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100 Names of Mary

The Greek Hunt For a Stolen Icon of Mother Mary

I can't believe someone would steal an icon from a monastery in Greece. I guess I'm a bit naive when it comes to the minds of thieves. The BBC News reports:

A major police operation is under way in southern Greece to try to find a team of burglars who stole one of the country's leading religious icons.

The icon of the Virgin Mary, at the monastery of Elona, symbolised Greek freedom during a 19th-Century campaign to expel the Turkish Ottoman empire.

Police are working on the theory that the thieves hid inside the monastery when it closed to the public.

They are then thought to have been lowered by rope into the sanctuary.

Read more...

I hope Mother Mary helps bring back the icon to the monastery. For the thieves, I hope you don't find a restful moment in your life until you return the icon.

Prayer To Our Mother of Perptual Help

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen!

-- St. Bernard

Mother Mary's Latest Apparition

Whether it's a miracle or just a salt stain, this piece of news is worth reporting:

CHICAGO — A steady stream of the faithful and the curious, many carrying flowers and candles, have flocked to an expressway underpass for a view of a yellow-and-white stain on a concrete wall that some believe is an image of the Virgin Mary.

Police have patrolled the emergency turnoff area under the Kennedy Expressway since Monday as hundreds of people have walked down to see the image and the growing memorial of flowers and candles surrounding it. Beside the image is an artist's rendering of the Virgin Mary embracing Pope John Paul II in a pose that some see echoed in the stain.

"We believe it's a miracle," said Elbia Tello, 42. "We have faith, and we can see her face."

...

The stain is likely the result of salt runoff, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. But the department does not plan to scrub it off the wall.

"We're treating this just like we treat any type of roadside memorial," said department spokesman Mike Claffey. "We have no plans to clean this site."

Read more...

There's no denial the stain resembles the photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
 

Order of Friar Servants of Mary

While reading the Feb. 17th entry of "365 Saints"book, I came across the story of "Order of Friar Servants of Mary".

Here's an excerpt of their history:

Before the Servites ever existed as an official religious Order, seven prosperous men came together in the city of Florence, Italy. As a reflection of the penitential spirit of the times, it had been the custom of these men to meet regularly as members of a religious society established in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Eventually, the seven left their comfortable homes, put aside their finery and went to live together in a ramshackle building. The holiness and penitential lifestyle of the seven quickly attracted visitors and others who wished to join them in their newly found joy of fraternal living for the sake of the Gospel. The entire group moved to more peaceful surroundings, and established a hermitage on the summit of a nearby mountain, Monte Senario, sometimes known as the "sounding mountain."


Coming to be known as the "Friar Servants of Mary," others joined the first seven on Monte Senario, and as the group continued to grow, the seeds of the new religious Order took root. The Friar Servants of Mary were approved as a religious Order by the bishop of Florence sometime between the years 1240 and 1247. In the year 1304, the Order of Friar Servants of Mary received definitive approval as a religious Order in the Church by the Holy See.

Read more...

The author of 365 Saintswrites:

While the Servites acknowledge their need to serve by their very name, we are all called to be servants. We are placed on earth, not to amass wealth and prestige, but to care for and minister to our fellow human beings. Although most of us wouldn't want to leave our homes and families to join a religious community as the founders of Servites did, we can always find ways to serve others in our everyday lives. Even when it's as simple as thanking the clerk checking out our groceries or holding open the door for someone with a package, we can always find a way to serve.

That's very true.

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365 Saints

Words of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Hear and let it penetrate into your heart, my dear little son:

Let nothing discourage you,
nothing depress you.
Let nothing alter your heart or countenance.
Also do not fear any illness and vexation,
anxiety or pain.
Am I not here who am your mother?
Are you not under my shadow and protection?
Am I not your fountain of life?
Are you not in the folds of my mantle,
in the crossing of my arms?
Is there anything else that you need?

-- Words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, Dec 12, 1531