Dear Faithful,
“Grant we may venerate the Price of our redemption.” These words are taken from the Collect of the Feast of the Most Precious Blood, which is always celebrated on the first day of July and sets the tone for the entire month. We also celebrate other great feasts, such as Saints Bonaventure, Anne, Mary Magdalene, Ignatius of Loyola, but after the Most Precious Blood, none are as important to our time as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. St. Dominic said that “one day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, she will save the world.” It’s obvious we should not take this to mean a mere necklace of wool and a loop of beads will avert the evil day. Instead, the real meaning should give us pause. Do we say a prayer when we don our scapular for the day? Do we live chastely according to our state in life? Regarding the Rosary, do we meditate on the mystery at hand, or do we let our mind wander out of control? When saying this, St. Dominic means the Scapular must be worn with faithful devotion; the Rosary must be prayed with diligence. It's not the sacramentals themselves that will bring salvation, but our Marian devotion, manifested by the use of these gifts, that help us cooperate with Providence. This past week, it was a privilege enrolling so many of you in the Brown Scapular, which I like to think of as Mary’s Armor. Now, it's time to go on the offense and talk about Mary’s Sword.
Of course, you don’t need to be enrolled in any confraternity to take up the Rosary. In fact, it’s not even necessary to have a physical Rosary with you to contemplate the Mysteries. What is required is that we offer every Rosary with great love. It’s not enough to say the Rosary. You must pray the Rosary. Our Lady doesn’t ask for much. All of her requests can be boiled down to two things really. We are to simply do whatever her Son tells us, and pray the Rosary daily. Maybe you said the Rosary daily with your family growing up. Maybe this family tradition is something you want to start. The time is now to begin a campaign to storm heaven with our request. I’d like to start with the least of us, who are greatest in the Eyes of God. “Suffer the little children to come unto me,” Our Lord says in the Gospel of St. Matthew, “for of such is the kingdom of God.” For many, we’ve advanced in age, but not always wisdom. In order for Pompeii to rise once again, renewing us spiritually, we must learn to pray like a child.
Holy Mother Church once went on the offensive to win back the Holy Land. Today, with Our Lady’s Sword, we will go on the offense to once again regain sacred ground in Jacksonville. This is why I am convoking a Children’s Crusade. I call upon the friends of this restoration project to ask your sons, daughters, godchildren, and friends to become Crusaders of Our Lady of Pompeii. Many of you offered your children to Mary on their baptismal day. Our Lady is calling her soldiers to take up the secret weapon she gave St. Dominic over 700 years ago. Our goal is to storm heaven with the petitions of the innocent from now until the church is returned to the Lord God on the day of consecration. This counter strike will oppose the forces that do not want her Divine Son’s temple restored. A note of caution, war is never easy, and your children will be asked to pray very hard. For this reason, we’ve made it as simple and convenient as possible by making everything available on our dedicated webpage found here. Children can sign up and record their monthly numbers from the comfort of your home. Every child who enlists will receive a certificate from me, and when it comes time, I will enshrine all the names and total number of Rosaries on a plaque in the new church, demonstrating to future generations who did the real heavy lifting.
To conclude, I will share with you the fruits of July’s hard work. I am counting on your children’s prayers to obtain the necessary approval from both the City of Jacksonville and my superiors. Without further ado, I now present the new rendering of the proposed parish hall. If this is what the Blessed Virgin wills, she will see to it. If this is not what her Son is asking from us, she will make other provisions. Childlike trust is that simple. Our architects have drawn up a plan to construct a parish hall next to the church to provide all necessary accommodations. The new building will contain a common area, bookstore, kitchen, classrooms, office, and most importantly, ample restrooms. With that in mind, the floor plan for the church itself prioritizes seating and families. With the limitations of space, we feel this creative solution maximizes every square inch to best help the faithful know, love and serve God. This intrepid direction will not be cheap. Your prayers and generosity will be needed now more than ever. Inspired by confidence, we fly unto Mary.
In the Precious Blood,
Fr. David Thomas
P.S.
This month’s story comes to us from parishioners Joe and Tracy. Joe sent his mother Agnes some pictures of our May 8th Unveiling. Agnes couldn't believe her eyes. She had the same picture hanging in her room for more than 40 years, but she never knew the name of the devotion. It originally belonged to the grandmother of Agnes. Joe told us “Despite the picture being over 100 years old, the colors are so vivid. My mother wanted me to have it. During shipping, the frame broke, but that gave us a chance to have it reframed professionally. While the picture was open, at the bottom, hidden by the old frame, we saw what my mother never could: the title of the painting written in Italian. Madonna del Rosario di Pompei.” His wife added,” It is little reinforcements like this that are signs from Our Lady that we are right where we need to be.” Thanks, Joe and Tracy!
How has Our Lady of Pompeii touched your life?
Image of the Madonna del Rosario de Pompeii
Image of Our Lady for Our Rosary Crusade
Enlistment Certificate You Will Receive Upon Joining Our Rosary Crusade
Rendering of Proposed Parish Hall
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