October 4th – St. Francis of Assisi

Those of us with pets we love enjoy it when community churches offer the annual Blessing of the Animals in celebration of St. Francis' feast day on October 4th. The time is near and I encourage you to seek out information in your community for the Blessing of the Animals events.

The Bread of Angels

Ecce Panis Angelorum: Behold the Bread of Angels

"Behold the Bread of Angels" - the mystery of the Eucharist was signified by many events in the Old Testament - Isaac's heartbreak at obedient sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb, the manna given to the fathers in the desert. These words are taken from the famous hymn, "Lauda Sion Salvatorem" written by St. Thomas Aquinas before the year 1274. It teaches pure Catholic doctrine throughout. It discusses the establishment of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It reinforces Catholic teaching, such as: You receive Jesus whole and entire under either species (bread, wine).

The expression “bread of angels” comes from Old Testament texts which speak of the manna which was given to the Israelites during their journey through the desert. The manna heralded the Eucharist and indicates this title given to the manna in the Old Testament would portend the Blessed Sacrament in the New Testament.

·         Book of Wisdom 16:20-21: “you gave your people food of angels, and without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste. For your sustenance manifested your sweetness toward your children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it, was changed to suit everyone’s liking.”

·         Psalms 77(78): 23-25: “Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.”

15 Promises is 5 Years Old

I just updated my Fleur de Lis logo on my website. This month, 15 Promises is five years old and I'm so content! This time of year isn't the best for rosary sales, but I'm happy to say, it's neither a desert nor an oasis...more like, let's say, not a holy day, but Sunday nonetheless. Yes, Mass is "celebrated", after all. I'm grateful for each customer, each person who enjoys my work, each visitor who drops in. I'm looking forward to the next five years, and onward until my hands can't twist that wire any more. Happy Birthday, 15 Promises!

St. Gerard Aquamarine & Sterling Silver Rosary

St. Gerard Majella is the patron saint of expectant mothers. He was born in Muro, Italy, in 1726, joined the Redemptorists at 23, and became a professed lay brother in 1752. He served in many varied roles, however, because of his great piety, wisdom, and gift of reading consciences, he was permitted to counsel communities of religious women. This humble servant of God also had the gifts of levitation and bi-location associated with certain mystics. His charity, obedience, and unselfish service made him a perfect example to lay brothers. St. Gerard was afflicted with tuberculosis and died in 1755 at the age of twenty-nine. St. Gerard is invoked as a patron of expectant mothers as a result of a miracle effected through his prayers for a woman in labor.

Aquamarine (from Lat. aqua marina, "water of the sea") is a blue or turquoise variety of beryl. It occurs at most places which yield ordinary beryl, some of the finest coming from Russia. Clear yellow beryl, such as occurs in Brazil, is sometimes called aquamarine chrysolite. When corundum presents the bluish tint of typical aquamarine, it is often termed Oriental aquamarine. The deep blue version of aquamarine is called maxixe. Its color fades to white when exposed to sunlight or is subjected to heat treatment, though the color returns with irradiation. Other precious varieties of beryl are emerald and morganite.

Tradition of Beads for Christian Prayer

Prayer beads are a tradition in many faiths and historically have been used for meditative prayer and drawing closer to God in every age. Most of the religions of the world have used some physical method of counting prayers. 

Most of the world's inhabitants, nearly two-thirds of the planet's population, pray with beads. Traditionally, prayer beads have been strings of similarly sized beads, seeds, knots, or even rose petals and beads made from crushed roses, from which we get the word "rosary." In addition to helping keep the place in structured prayers, prayer beads also symbolize the commitment to spiritual life. A circular form represents the interconnectedness of all who pray. Each bead counted is an individual prayer and repetition of prayers is meant to help maintain a sole focus on the prayer itself. According to history, lay brothers in monasteries who, unlike the monks, knew no Latin, were to say the Lord's Prayer a certain number of times per day, usually 150. To count the prayers, they used pebbles or beads strung on a cord, and this cord was known as a Paternoster. The Paternoster is the original Christian prayer rope. A Paternoster is a linear rope of beads, not in a loop. It has a cross at one end and a tassel at the other. It would be surprising to those who associate Lady Godiva merely with unusual horsemanship, but the first recorded mention of Christian prayer beads is in her will. She bequeathed her paternoster beads of precious gemstones to the convent she founded in 1057.

Most scholars believe that the use of prayer beads originated in ancient India with the Hindus. The strand of Hindu prayer beads, called a mala, was designed for wear around the neck, and consisted of 108 beads for repeating mantras or counting one's breath. The word mala means "rose" or "garland" in Sanskrit. The earliest known mala still in existence is around 2,000 years old.

Etsy Rosary Guild Team: May Give Away Contest

Etsy Rosary Guild Team: May Give Away Contest: "www May Blog Give Away Prize Welcome to our May Give Away Contest. This month's prize was donated by Mary who owns the Faithful Servant ..."

Amber Beatification Commemorative Rosary

This is a sterling silver, lead free pewter, natural Baltic amber Ave's, and mother of pearl Paters, Catholic rosary memorializing Pope John Paul II's beatification on May 1st. It is completely wirewrapped in Argentium sterling silver wire. The JPII rosary set is lead-free pewter. The 21mm (.75") center has a perfect likeness of and is engraved with "Pope John Paul II" on the front. The reverse is quite special and reads: "Be Not Afraid [Papal Coat of Arms insignia] 1920-2005; Supreme Pontiff; October 16, 1978-April 2, 2005; Beatified - May 1, 2011"