Our holy father Dominic is referred to as "Lumen Ecclesiae" ("Light of the Church"). The "O Lumen," a hymn to Saint Dominic, is sung nightly in the Dominican communities throughout the world. It is prayed in procession at the end of evening prayers. In this novena it is an honor for us to pray for your father! Shrine of Saint Jude St. Dominic's Church, Washington, D.C. Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

In honor of St. Anne, the Dominican Friars will celebrate a special Novena of Masses at the Rosary Shrine of St. Jude, beginning on July 18th and lasting for 9 days.

Dear friends of St. Jude and the Blessed Mother, We are happy to pray for your intentions during our Blessed Mother’s Birthday novena of masses, September 8-17. 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: “ 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) ✠  

The Rosary was given by our Blessed Mother to Saint Dominic. Dominicans popularized both devotion to Mary and the mysteries of the rosary. Some scholars theorize that Saint Dominic worked out a combination of the rosary's mental and vocal prayer in connection with his preaching, so that when his audience returned home and said the rosary in private the mention of the mystery would help them recall the sermon's text. Tradition also holds that Mary made various promises to Christians who recite the rosary: those who faithfully recite the rosary shall receive many graces, shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of his graces, and at the moment of death shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. Shrine of Saint Jude/ Saint Dominic's Church, Washington, DC. Photos by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.