What is This Saint of the Year Devotion All About?


This isn't superstition. St. Faustina and her religious order did the same thing!

I would like to explain to you about the practice of picking a saint at random to be your “holy protector and intercessor” for the year. Actually, the saint is the one who chooses us though.The tradition of letting a saint “pick you,”is not a new one. St. Faustina wrote about it in her diary, "Divine Mercy in My Soul".
The excerpt is below. . .

“There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning, during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘I am your patron. Read.’ I looked at once at the inscription and read, ‘Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed Eucharist.’ My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament,where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.”

Excerpt from "Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of St. Faustina"

Sunday, February 10, 2013

What the Saints Say About the Rosary
 
Our Lady speaks about the Rosary and the Hail Mary. . . "Continue to pray the Rosary every day." Our Lady of Fatima to Lucia

"When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son find joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary." Our Lady to Bl. Alan de la Roche

"‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!’ No creature has ever said anything that was more pleasing to me, nor will anyone ever be able to find or say to me anything that pleases me more."
Our Lady to St. Mechtilde

What the saints have said about the Rosary and the Hail Mary. . . "If you persevere in reciting the Rosary, this will be a most probable sign of your eternal salvation." Bl. Alan de la Roche

"The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary." St. Francis de Sales. "When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer."
 St. Louis de Montfort

"The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessing."  Bl. Alan de la Roche

"One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world." St. Dominic

"Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood." St. Louis de Montfort

"If you say the Rosary faithfully unto death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, 'you wil receive a never-fading crown of glory' (1 Peter 5:4)." St. Louis de Montfort

"The Rosary is THE weapon." Blessed Padre Pio

(I personally love this!) "You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many - on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!" St. Bernardine of Siena

"Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence, and with perseverance." St. Louis de Montfort

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