Director's Letter

                                                                                                                                                                October 2019

Dear friends of St Anthony,
 
A beautiful expression of St Anthony’s faith that is often depicted in iconography or his statuaries are the rosary beads that proudly hang on his cord. Many may not be aware of it, but the set of beads represented there are not the usual 5 decade rosary that we commonly pray. It has instead 7 decades which correspond to the Seven Joys of our Lady. This rosary is called the Franciscan Crown because the prayers are like a bouquet of roses lovingly woven together to crown our Blessed Mother. This Marian devotion is a wonderful way of contemplating the faith of the Virgin Mary who inspires joy amidst sorrow, endurance in temptation, and courage through tribulation. Mary’s faith response to God as attested in Scripture is grounded in an unshakable trust in God, which allowed her not only to promptly accept God’s call, but also to cooperate in Christ’s struggle to overcome evil and his ultimate victory over sin and death.
 
The Franciscan Crown and the rosary abundantly contain the lessons of Christ’s life and that of his Blessed Mother. They teach us in a personal way, through meditation of the mysteries, how to apply the Gospel into our daily life. Mary herself is described to us from the scripture as someone who “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19), and we too must learn from her contemplative spirit how we can be occupied in thought, word, and action with the mystery of God and be filled with grace.
 
October is the month especially dedicated to the Rosary and at the Shrine of St Anthony we honor this beloved tradition by praying it every day before Mass. There will also be a special procession on October 7^th to honor of Our Lady of the Rosary after the Noon Mass. We certainly invite all of you to join us in any of these prayer moments throughout the month of October as we pray for the Church, the world, and our loved ones. We especially thank our prayer partners, the Companions of St Anthony, the Shrine staff, and the volunteers for always leading the way in making the Shrine a special place of prayer, healing, and encounter. May our devout meditation on the life of Our Lord and Our Lady truly make us worthy of the promises of Christ!
 
God bless you,
 
Fr Eric