News: Happy New Year to all! It is important that we take stock in the year that passed and apply the good to the new year that lies ahead especially to our prayer. There is much to be thankful for, and much to look forward to. At the same time there is much to pray for. I want to especially ask for the prayers of those requests we receive online, so many need prayers. I wish to assure all who send requests that we at the shrine and at home are praying for your intentions. The most common of all requests are for the family, or a family member, for work or a decent job. We pray for those who are sick, either physically or mentally. We pray for those who have abandoned their faith and no longer practice. Those who have gone over to the enemy and may be practicing forms of paganism or witchcraft. We pray for those who may be alcoholics or drug addicts. Those that are divorced, or have lost a child. Those in foreign lands who are experiencing oppression. We will especially remember those in our families who need the prayers the most, and we will pray in a special way for the family in general. It was Sr. Lucia who shared with the world that the final battle between Satan and God will be over the family. You can see it being played out in the world today in so many ways. We just celebrated the feast of the Holy Family, and I would also like to remind everyone for at least a week or so that it is still the Christmas season. We begin ordinary time again on the 12th of January with the Baptism of Our Lord. We start the New Year with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is a good way to begin the New Year with the Invocation of Our Blessed Mother, Mother of us all, to restore the family, to heal our transgressions, our faults, our grudges, and unite us in prayer to all those in most need. If we do so we will experience miracles, as Jesus himself has said, “ask and you will receive”; One of my personal request is to pray for those who are imprisoned unjustly, especially those in our own country, who are being persecuted for political reasons, and especially those who defend life at its most vulnerable stages, and for Life itself.
January 3rd: First Friday Devotion at the shrine; 7 pm Mass Celebrated by Rev. Richard Mwisheni SMA, followed by all night Eucharistic Adoration until 8:15 am, ending with benediction. We will meditate on the 15 mysteries of the rosary for 15 minutes at this time as requested by Our Lady for the First Saturday Devotion.
January 4th: Saturday – 9:00a.m. Holy Mass celebrated by Rev. Ron Tacelli S.J., Rosary, Confessions. Followed by coffee and light refreshments. The Spanish Rosary Community will conduct their monthly First Saturday meeting at the shrine with a rosary, music and fellowship at 3:00 pm.
January 18th: The Pro-life Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday the 18th celebrated by Rev. Joseph Akilo. Following Mass there will be a pro-life rosary followed by a short talk.
January 25th: The Cenacles return on Saturday the 25th at 10:30 am, conversion of St. Paul.
