by Kathleen Beckman
She, who at the start of the Redemption gave us her Son, now by her most powerful intercession obtained for the newborn Church the prodigious Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit of the Divine Redeemer who had already been given on the Cross. Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, 29 June 1943
The lovely month of May – Mary’s month, the month of the Mother of God – comes to a close most beautifully with one of the most moving Marian feasts, the Feast of the Visitation. Recounted in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:39 – 56), the passage describes Our Lady’s journey from her home in Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to spend time with her kinswoman Elizabeth; but this was no typical visit.
Where is your resting place? In every home we purchase, I find that God gives me a spot where I can snuggle up and rest in His loving arms. Whether it is a favorite chair, a prayer room, or a place with the perfect view, for me it is the place where I am best able to enter into prayer. I know that my Heavenly Father is waiting there for me to meet with Him each day, so I go.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) once said that women are, “God’s special weapon against evil.”
The graduates stand with Father Stuart Chipolina at St. Paul's Parish in Varyl Begg Estate, GibraltarLast month another group of ladies successfully completed their Women of Grace® course in St. Paul’s Parish, Varyl Begg Estate, Gibraltar.
Photo by Nheyob at WikicommonsTwo Morning of Grace events in Florida ushered in the month of May with a morning full of sacred sisterhood, spiritual formation, and delicious food, all topped off with the highlight of the day – the crowning of Our Lady.
O Mary! We crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May!These lyrics are a familiar component of the annual May Crowning, the Marian devotion which takes place in many parishes around the time when we celebrate Mother’s Day. This rite is one traditional aspect of the dedication of the month of May to Mary, the Mother of God, and also our Mother.
For those women who are tired of feeling defeated and overwhelmed by the darkening of our culture, the next Women of Grace retreat at the Malvern Retreat House may be just what they need to restore their hope and give them the courage to unleash their feminine genius and join womankind on their sacred mission to “save the peace of the world.”
While the annual Feast of Saint Joseph, celebrated on March 19th, is familiar in many parts of the world, the second date on the Church calendar dedicated to him is perhaps not quite so well known. Each year, May 1st commemorates another title of this beloved saint, that of Saint Joseph the Worker.
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), a religious sister known as the “Apostle of Divine Mercy,” wrote this story about a priest in her spiritual diary:
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