News: March starts out the same as February with the First Saturday devotion celebrated on the First of the month. Ash Wednesday follows first Saturday as lent begins on the 5th of March, and First Friday devotion at the Shrine on the 7th. Join us for all night Eucharistic Adoration ending with benediction early Saturday morning on the 8th. We invite you to the shrine on this occasion to pray as we begin our Lenten journey together. I would like to make you aware of other important dates in March such as St. Patrick Day on the 17th, and St. Joseph feast on the 19th of the month. Do you know that the apparitions of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland and at Fatima are the two places that St. Joseph appeared alongside our Lady. We recall at Fatima during the September apparition Our Lady told the children that St. Joseph would come on October 13th with the child Jesus. This is depicted in the banner above taken from the stained glass window at the shrine showcasing the miracle of the sun on October 13th, 1917. Both appearances by St. Joseph were silent, much like in the gospels. We can learn alot from the silence of St. Joseph as we contemplate his role in the life of the Holy Family and in the life of the church itself. I have a particular devotion to St. Joseph where I turn to him four times during the day, perhaps some of you are familiar with this devotion. It involves the image of St. Joseph holding the child Jesus much like the one above. I turn toward that image four different times during the course of a day. The first time I asked through the intercession of St. Joseph for fidelity to God’s grace, the second time I ask for fidelity to the interior life, the third time, I ask for fidelity to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the fourth to the child Jesus right after I turn the lights off at night. St. Joseph is our Patron in all sorts of ways. I remember a story my aunt told me about my father, when he was nine years old, his father died whom he loved immensely being the only boy in the family he was left with a great deal of responsibilities, this during the depression. He took the image of St. Joseph placed it under his pillow and slept with it every night. He would consecrate his family to St. Joseph. He placed his life and his family’s well being to the care of St. Joseph. I remember my father telling me about “The flight into Egypt” that St. Joseph had to undertake. I will never forget how he described the event to me as if he knew him personally, and the story was told to him by St. Joseph himself. St. Joseph; terror of Demons: Pray for us.
March 1st: First Saturday Devotion at the shrine; 9:00a.m with Holy Mass, Rosary, Confessions. Followed by coffee and light refreshments. Rev. Ron Tacelli S.J. we celebrate. The Spanish Rosary Community will hold their monthly First Saturday meeting at the shrine with a rosary, music and fellowship at 3:00 pm.
March 7th: First Friday Devotion with Mass at 7 pm followed by all night Eucharistic Adoration until 8:15 am ending with benediction. The Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Mark Shimave, we are always looking for adorers to cover those overnight hours.
March 15th: The Pro-life Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday the 15th. Following Mass there will be a pro-life rosary followed by a talk. This month A special guest will speak to us.
March 29th: Cenacle prayer cell
