Julia’s Weekly Shrine Round-up: March 20

By Julia Rose
jrose@Marian.org

Spring is officially here! Despite the occasional flurries in the morning, flowers have begun sprouting around Eden Hill, and the pathway of our life-size Stations of the Cross is accessible again. Remember to join the Marians during Lent every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after the 2 p.m. Mass and Chaplet to pray St. Faustina’s Way of the Cross. Details here.

Divine Mercy Weekend, April 11 and 12, is just three weeks away! Preparations are well under way, and materials are arriving for the "tent city" that will rise all over campus.

Preview this year's Divine Mercy Weekend celebration!

All buses must register for Divine Mercy weekend. Bus registration closes on March 31! 

Meeting a Marian, Honoring Mary
This week, I had the pleasure to meet a Marian Father for the first time: Fr. Matthew Holladay, MIC. Ordained in 2019, Fr. Matthew comes to Eden Hill from his last posting at the Marian House of Studies in Steubenville, Ohio.

With the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord next Wednesday, March 25, I took the opportunity to ask Fr. Matthew about this great feast. He will be celebrating the 2 p.m. Mass at the National Shrine that day. 

“The Solemnity of the Annunciation is not the fourth Thursday in November when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. But it truly is, in a sense, Thanksgiving Day," he says, "because we celebrate the Incarnation."

At the Annunciation, Father continues, "Salvation in Christ, True God and True Man, begins in a sense at the holy words and loving will of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When in the mysterious and awesome plan of God, she lovingly consented to being the Holy Mother of God, saying, 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word' (Lk 1:38)."

He adds, "Each one of us and all persons should be forever grateful, forever thankful, for the love of God in Jesus Christ and for the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God. On the Solemnity we celebrate indescribable love. Let us pray for the grace to always be thankful for their love: their love for each other, each one of us, and for all persons.”

Beautifully said, Father! At right is the Annunciation window in the Shrine, designed by local artist Fred Leuchs.

Don't miss the new (but not in person) talk by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, tomorrow at 11 a.m. (ET) on "Palm Sunday."  Watch here on TheDivineMercy.org, on YouTube at our channel Divine Mercy (Official), and on our Facebook page Divine Mercy (Official). You can also watch on our streaming site, DivineMercyPlus.org.  

All are welcome to attend the next Healing Mass on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. Father Bob Vennetti, MIC, will be the celebrant. Details here.

Teaching the Faith
So many devout parents around the world are striving to strengthen their own faith while teaching it to their children. Jennifer from St. John the Baptist Parish in Valatie, New York, is a beautiful example.

Despite her daughters, Kyla and Amelia, receiving a Catholic education, Jennifer was disappointed to learn that they were not offered the chance to go to Confession at school. Taking advantage of the girls’ day off, she brought them on their first pilgrimage to the Shrine earlier this week, and they were all able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the 2 p.m. Mass. It was the first time her girls had seen a traditional confessional!

Jennifer’s first introduction to the Divine Mercy Chaplet was while watching EWTN after Pope Francis’ death. Inspired by the devotion, she bought her own beautiful red-and-white Divine Mercy Rosary. Every day, she tries to pray the Rosary with her daughters. "I intend to introduce them to the Chaplet," she says, "as I feel like prayer together as a family is stronger.”

It's apparent that Kyla and Amelia are embracing the faith. The girls said they told their cousin, who is not being raised Catholic, about the importance of going to Church every week and not taking the Lord’s name in vain. “My girls are pretty good little missionaries themselves!" Jennifer says. 

Through the example of our first millennial saint, St. Carlo Acutis, hopefully we can continue to foster the faith of our youth! 

Looking for a great Catholic book to gift to the young adults in your life? Consider Kevin Wilson's The Saint I Knew! Exciting ‘Encounters’ with Holiness, available now on ShopMercy.org.

Meet another Marian Postulant
Postulant John credits his home parish, St. Patrick's in Yorkville, Illinois, and its former pastor, Fr. Matt Lamoureux, MIC (now serving in Medjugorje), with nurturing his strong Catholic faith. He recalls attending Mass at 5 years old with his mother, signing up for Eucharistic Adoration at age 7, and becoming an altar server.

His Mom taught him the Divine Mercy Chaplet. “I had great faith in it because she told me, Jesus says if you pray the Chaplet, any intentions of yours that you pray in the 3 o’clock hour, if you pray it with trust and if it’s His will, will be granted,” he recalls (see the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1541 and 1731).

“I’ve been very involved with the Church for a long time, and I love it very much," John continues. "It’s the most important thing to me.”

As he witnessed the various Marian priests and brothers pass through his parish, he was captivated by how different all of them were. “I saw that they were very much 'on fire' in their own individual ways in preaching the truth, and you could tell they cared,” John explains. “In my opinion, they are very much so the Image of Divine Mercy in a certain sense incarnated. Because if you talk to our Marian priests, most of them are very patient, compassionate, and merciful. They will walk with you through your sufferings and in a way, that’s a lot like Mary walking with you.”

Please keep John and our other Marian postulants in your prayers as they continue their discernment!

God bless, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!
{shopmercy-ad}