Dear friends of St. Jude and the Blessed Mother,

In celebrating Mary’s birthday, the Church celebrates an incredible moment in human history: the birth of the first human being since Adam and Eve free from the stain of original sin. It is the moment when the tide of salvation history begins to turn. As St. Augustine puts it:

“[Mary] is the flower of the field, from her bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed. their sin is blotted out. That unhappy curse of Eve in which it was said: In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, is, in the case of Mary, ended, for she bore the Lord in joy.”

It makes perfect sense then, to turn to the Blessed Virgin at the commemoration of her birth and bring before her all the sin and sorrow in our own life, as well as our hope for a brighter future in closer union with her son, Jesus Christ. Just as Mary bore grace into the world, so may she bear grace in our hearts:

“I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations.” (Eccl. 24, 24-28)

We are happy to pray for your intentions during our Blessed Mother’s Birthday novena of masses, September 8-16. Please send us your prayer intentions using the form below so the Dominican Friars of the Rosary Shrine of St. Jude can pray for you during this special novena!

In our Blessed Mother,

Father Gabriel Gillen, O.P.
Director, Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude

✠