Catholic Devotions

Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Consoler. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her glorious assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and mother. Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints. 

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 Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our goal is to provide prayer support and recognition for the men and women of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church community who are serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces. If you have a family member or close friend serving on active duty who could use our community’s prayer support for their health, well-being and safe return, call the church office, 785-232-5088.  The names of our parishioners serving are listed in the Bulletin.

Almighty God, our Father, you who have given us life and intended us to have it forever, grant us your blessings.

Enlighten our minds to awareness and to a renewed conviction that all human life is sacred because it is created in your image and likeness.

Help us to teach by word and the example of our lives that life occupies the first place,

that human life is precious because it is the gift of God whose love is infinite.

Give us the strength to defend human life

against every influence or action that threatens or weakens it, as well as the strength to make every life more human

in all its aspects.

Give us the grace...When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, to stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority

to destroy unborn life.

When a child is described as a burden

or is looked upon only as a means

to satisfy an emotional need, to stand up

and insist that every child is a unique

and unrepeatable gift of God,

a gift of God with a right to a loving

and united family.

When the institution of marriage

is abandoned to human selfishness

or reduced to a temporary conditional arrangement that can easily be terminated,
to stand up and affirm the indissolubility of the marriage bond.

When the value of the family is threatened

because of social and economic pressure,

to stand up and reaffirm that the family is necessary not only for the private good of every person, but also for the common good of every society, nation and state.

When freedom is used to dominate the weak, to squander natural resources and energy, to deny basic necessities to people,
to stand up and affirm the demands of justice and social love. Almighty Father, give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity 

of all human life and to demand that society itself give its protection.

We ask this in your name, through the redemptive act of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen

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 The use of the Advent Wreath is a traditional practice which has found its place in the Church as well as in the home. The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent.

When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate that it be blessed by a parent or another member of the family.

All make the sign of the cross as the leader says:

Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Response (R/.) Who made heaven and earth.

Then the Scripture, Isaiah 9: (lines 1-2 and 5-6) or Isaiah 63 (lines 16-17 & 19) or Isaiah 64  (lines 2-7) is read:

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.

With hands joined, the leader says:

Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.

The blessing may conclude with a verse from
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:

O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

​Advent Week One

Directions:
Light the first purple candle

Prayer:
Stir up thy power, O Lord, and come,
that by thy protection we may be rescued
from the dangers that beset us through our sins;
and be a Redeemer to deliver us;
Who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Alternate/Complementary Prayer:
O Emmanuel,
King and Lawgiver
Desire of the nations,
Savior of all people,
Come and set us free, Lord, our God.

Scriptures:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Luke: 1:26-38
Isaiah 7:10-14
Matthew 1:18-24

Advent Week Two

[Lighted Advent candles] Directions
Light the 1st purple candle (repeat first week's prayer)
Light the 2nd purple candle

Prayer:
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to prepare the paths of thine Only-begotten Son:
that we may worthily serve thee
with hearts purified by His coming:
Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Alternate/Complementary Prayer:
O King of all nations, Jesus Christ,
only joy of every human heart,
O Keystone of the mighty arch of man,
Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust

Scriptures:
Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11
Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 3:1-6

Advent Week Three

Directions
Light the 1st purple candle (repeat 1st week's prayer)
Light the 2nd purple candle (repeat 2nd week's prayer)
Light the rose candle

Prayer:
We beseech thee to listen to our prayers, O Lord,
and by the grace of thy coming enlighten our darkened minds:
Thou who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Alternate/Complementary Prayer:
O Key of David
O Royal Power of Israel
Controlling at your will, the gates of heaven
Come, break down the prison walls of death
For those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;
and lead your captive people into freedom.

Scriptures:
Isaiah 9:6-7
John 1:19-34
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Philippians 2:1-11

Advent Week Four

Directions
Light the 1st purple candle (repeat 1st week's prayer)
Light the 2nd purple candle (repeat 2nd week's prayer)
Light the rose candle (repeat 3rd week's prayer)
Light the 4th purple candle

Prayer:
Pour forth thy power, O Lord, and come:
Assist us by that mighty power,
so that by thy grace and merciful kindness
we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede:
Who livest and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Alternate/Complementary Prayer:
O Wisdom, Holy Word of God
You govern all things with your strong, yet tender care
Come and show your people the way to salvation.

Scriptures:
Malachi 3:1-5
Romans 8:18-25
Isaiah 52:7-10
Revelation 21:1-4

Christmas Day and Christmastide

Directions for 5-Candle Wreaths
Light 4 preceding candles (repeat each week's prayer while lighting them)
Light the center white candle

Directions for 4-Candle Wreaths
Replace all Advent Candles with White Candles and Light

Prayer:
God of love, Father of all,
the darkness that covered the earth
has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh.
Make us a people of this light.
Make us faithful to your Word
that we may bring your life to the waiting world.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(From The Roman Missal)

Alternate/Complementary Prayer:
Let the just rejoice,
for their justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born.
St. Augustine of Hippo

Scriptures:
Isaiah 9:1-6
Luke 2:1-20
John 1:1-18
Titus 2:11-14

 Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. 

Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

​The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was started and made popular by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. She was inspired by visions of Jesus to spread this devotion.

This was a favorite prayer of St. Padre Pio and he prayed it every day.

Here are the Novena prayers for the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”

Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of… (Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of… (Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of… (Mention your Intention Here)

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

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 vale 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, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

Amen.

— St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

More About the Sacred Heart Devotion

I once read that the whole purpose of the apostolate of Christians today was, “to demonstrate the charity of Christ in all phases of human life and thus bring individuals and society back to God.” (Dorothy Dohen)

To demonstrate this charity, we must conform our heart to Christ’s, unite ourselves to His heart — and ultimately, lose ourselves in Him.

That’s what the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is all about: uniting our hearts with His, and devoting ourselves to Him.

So when we pray this novena together, we are praying that we can transform ourselves to love as Jesus Christ does — as St. Margaret Mary Alacoque wrote, “Since love makes lovers one in likeness, if we love, let us model our lives on His.”

There are a couple of different versions of this novena, but the one we’re using is one that has been attributed to St. Margaret Mary — after Jesus appeared to her on many occasions, and explained to her the devotion to His Heart.

Jesus also made 12 specific promises to those who would honor His Sacred Heart:

• I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
• I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
• I will console them in all their troubles.
• I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
• I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
• Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
• Tepid souls shall become fervent. 
• Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
• I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. 
• I will also destroy in them all disordered movements. 
• I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
• Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.  I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence: they will not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
  

So our goal while praying this novena is to unite ourselves with Christ in all that we do — referring everything we do to His glory, and accepting all sufferings and difficulties as something to bring us even closer to the love He shares with us –with a real and physical heart, symbolizing his eternal and infinite charity.

To receive the promises Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary, there are a few requirements:

Receiving Communion Frequently
Going to Confession and receiving the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month, for nine consecutive months. (If it isn’t offered at your parish, you can go to Confession & offer your prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions).
Celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart has also been established by Saint Pope John Paul II as the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

So as we pray this novena together, let’s especially remember our Priests — and the challenge made to us all in Jesus’ message to St. Margaret Mary: to love everyone, faithfully, with the endless love of Jesus.

 A Rosary is recited in the church before daily and weekend masses by various ministries or parishioners. 

On Fridays at 3:00 pm parishioners are encouraged to recite a Divine Mercy Chaplet consisting of a three decade rosary for world peace and to stop abortion and we finish with praying for the intentions for health and welfare of the Holy Father.

While holding the crucifix make the Sign of the Cross and then recite the Apostles Creed.

Recite the Our Father on the first large bead.

On each of the three small beads recite a Hail Mary for an increase of faith, hope and charity.

Recite the Glory Be to the Father on the next large bead.

Recall the first Rosary mystery and recite the Our Father on the next large bead.

On each of the adjacent ten small beads (also referred to as a decade) recite a Hail Mary while reflecting on the mystery.

On the next large bead, recite the Glory Be to the Father. The Fatima decade prayer may also be said.

Each succeeding decade is prayed in a similar manner by recalling the appropriate mystery, reciting the Our Father, ten Hail Marys, the Glory Be to the Father, and the Fatima decade prayer (optional) while reflecting on the mystery.

When the fifth mystery is completed, the Rosary is customarily concluded with the Hail, Holy Queen.

Prayers for the Rosary

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

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Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Our Father

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.

Fatima Prayer

Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy! Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears! Turn then most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

History

The origins of the rosary are "sketchy" at best. The use of "prayer beads" and the repeated recitation of prayers to aid in meditation stem from the earliest days of the Church and have roots in pre-Christian times. Evidence exists from the Middle Ages that strings of beads were used to count Our Fathers and Hail Marys. Actually, these strings of beads became known as "Paternosters," the Latin for "Our Father."

The structure of the rosary gradually evolved between the 12th and 15th centuries. Eventually 50 Hail Marys were recited and linked with verses of psalms or other phrases evoking the lives of Jesus and Mary. During this time, this prayer form became known as the rosarium ("rose garden"), actually a common term to designate a collection of similar material, such as an anthology of stories on the same subject or theme. During the 16th century, the structure of the five-decade rosary based on the three sets of mysteries prevailed.

Tradition does hold that St. Dominic (d. 1221) devised the rosary as we know it. Moved by a vision of our Blessed Mother, he preached the use of the rosary in his missionary work among the Albigensians, who had denied the mystery of Christ. Some scholars take exception to St. Dominic's role in forming the rosary. The earliest accounts of his life do not mention it, the Dominican constitutions do not link him with it and contemporaneous portraits do not include it as a symbol to identify the saint.

In 1922, Dom Louis Cougaud stated, "The various elements which enter into the composition of that Catholic devotion commonly called the rosary are the product of a long and gradual development which began before St. Dominic's time, which continued without his having any share in it, and which only attained its final shape several centuries after his death." However, other scholars would rebut that St. Dominic not so much "invented" the rosary as he preached its use to convert sinners and those who had strayed from the faith. Moreover, at least a dozen popes have mentioned St. Dominic's connection with the rosary, sanctioning his role as at least a "pious belief."

The rosary gained greater popularity in the 1500s, when Moslem Turks were ravaging Eastern Europe. Recall that in 1453, Constantinople had fallen to the Moslems, leaving the Balkans and Hungary open to conquest. With Moslems raiding even the coast of Italy, the control of the Mediterranean was now at stake.

In 1571, Pope Pius V organized a fleet under the command of Don Juan of Austria the half-brother of King Philip II of Spain. While preparations were underway, the Holy Father asked all of the faithful to say the rosary and implore our Blessed Mother's prayers, under the title Our Lady of Victory, that our Lord would grant victory to the Christians. Although the Moslem fleet outnumbered that of the Christians in both vessels and sailors, the forces were ready to meet in battle. The Christian flagship flew a blue banner depicting Christ crucified. On October 7, 1571, the Moslems were defeated at the Battle of Lepanto. The following year, Pope St. Pius V established the Feast of the Holy Rosary on October 7, where the faithful would not only remember this victory, but also give thanks to the Lord for all of His benefits and remember the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother.

The fact that our Church continues to include the Feast of the Holy Rosary on the liturgical calendar testifies to the importance and goodness of this form of prayer. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."

Article is from the EWTN Library: http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/ROSARYHS.HTM