4,000 Miles to Say Thank You

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Road Trip

In some ways, I can’t believe we really did it; 4000 miles in 9 days. But then again, we are about living NOT lukewarm!!!!!

I’m glad we went. We rested, we talked, and we drank great beers.

We spent time in prayer before, during, and after. At the Shrine, we were able to go to confession and then Mass, as well as pray a rosary with other pilgrims.

I lit candles, prayed in thanksgiving for answered prayers, and interceded for others.

We prayed before we left, during the drive, and while at the Shrine, of course. It was amazing. The priests were excellent; the grounds were peaceful.

Gratitude

I’d never offered thanks like this before, but that answered prayer was life-changing. So going there made sense to me.

Prayer

Here is a link to the prayer of Our Lady of Good Help.

 

Pray the novena for a special intention, adding an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be at the end of the prayer. After the nine days, give thanks, no matter the outcome, since we do not know God’s timing!

 

America’s Mary: The Story of Our Lady of Good Help

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

New Book about Our Blessed Mother

I have always known we have a generous and loving Mother in Heaven. But Mary also comes to people here on earth to guide and give a message of hope or words of exhortation when needed. In 1859, this is what happened in Door County, Wisconsin to a girl named Adele Brise.

Marge Steinhage Fenelon has written America’s Mary: The Story of Our Lady of Good Help to tell the story of this apparition of Mary to Adele and calls it America’s best-kept secret. Why? Because this is the only recognized and approved apparition to take place in America.

How does the message help us today?

Mary told Adele to gather and teach the children in this wild country. She was referring to the land as being wild, but today, we live in a society and culture that is wild. This is a reminder to us that we need to evangelize and catechize. This story tells us that we have work to do and with Mary’s help, it can be accomplished!

When did interest in this apparition begin in our times?

In 2010, Bishop David L. Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, approved this apparition on December 8. There is a copy of this in the book. He also wrote the prayer below.

O Dear Lady of Good Help, you revealed yourself as the Queen of Heaven to your servant Adele. You gave her a mission to pray for the conversion of sinners, to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others, and to prepare the children for the reception of the sacraments. I trust that as you called Adele to holiness, you are calling me, in my station in life, to live a holy life, devoted to Jesus Christ with the help of your maternal love. I bring before you now my worries and anxieties. I abandon my attachments to them and place them at your feet. I ask you to hear the deepest longings of my heart as I pray most earnestly for (your intention). Dear Lady, you told Adele and you say to all of us, “Do not be afraid; I will help you.” Help me now as I place this intention with complete confidence and trust. Amen.Our Father…, Hail Mary…, Glory Be… Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us.

For the next 9 days, use the prayer above along with the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be as a novena for your most difficult intentions. I know I will be praying it!

The book is available from Our Sunday Visitor and on Amazon. (If you purchase on Amazon, I receive a small tip.) You can follow Marge on Facebook and Instagram and be sure to check out her website!

 

 

A New Book: Joyful Encounters with Mary

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

A new book!

Maria Gallagher has written, Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary, a wonderful way to learn more about the joyful mysteries, virtues and the saints while living out your faith every day!

5 Joyful Mysteries

The 5 joyful mysteries are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Each mystery is discussed in light of Mary, a virtue, a saint and how Maria has seen this mystery in her life.  The chapters also have questions to reflect on how your faith is present in your life. To learn how to pray the rosary, go here.

Why a book about Mary?

Maria has been blessed with many role models who helped her in her own faith adventure, modeling the love and care of Mary for her. MAria also reminds us that Mary leads us to Jesus and is always there for us – listening, helping and untieing the knots in our lives. We both like the Undoer of Knots Novena.

Where can I find this book?

The book is published by the Marian Servants and is on their website. You can read more of Maria’s work on her website.

Maria suggests, for our challenge this week, to actively cultivate a deeper relationship with Mary, our Blessed Mother.