Director’s Letter

 

Dear Friends,

Every Advent we eagerly anticipate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. His incarnation, which we know is the fulfillment of prophecies and promises, remains for us a beautiful mystery in God’s loving plan for humanity. How do we respond to this incredible mystery? The answer is surprisingly simple: gratitude expressed in prayer. And what devotional prayer could be more beautiful, and more appropriate, than the Rosary! The Rosary invites us to meditate on the humanity and the divinity of Jesus, through the eyes of our Blessed Mother.

This year has been special to those of us who are devoted to the Rosary, as we celebrate the recent canonizations of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Bartolo Longo.

Both Saints were lay Dominicans who took their devotion to the Rosary seriously. St. Pier Giorgio Frassati was known for praying the Rosary out loud on his walks; he would even fall asleep with the Rosary in his hands. St. Bartolo Longo dedicated his whole life to preaching and spreading devotion to the Rosary in the famous volcanic village of Pompeii. St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Bartolo Longo, pray for us!

The Dominican Friars recently hosted the annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage in Washington, D.C., at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I am excited to share a recap of the event in these pages, along with the conversion story of one of our young staff members, whose grandparents’ witness to the faith brought him to St. Jude’s feet.

I encourage you to rededicate yourself to prayer, and to the Rosary this Advent. I leave you with a prayer from our newest Doctor of the Church, St. John Henry Newman:

“May each Christmas, as it comes, find us more and more like Jesus, who at this time became a little child for our sake: more simple-minded, more humble, more holy, more affectionate, more resigned, more happy, more full of God.”

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Saint Jude Messenger!

In Christ, Our Lady, and St. Jude,

 

 

 

Father John Paul Kern, O.P.
Director, The Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude