Month of May Rosary Pilgrimage

As May draws to an end, today those of us at Nazareth House Apostolate, St. Simeon Skete embarked on our annual Last Saturday of May Rosary Pilgrimage to celebrate The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pilgrimage is a necessary regular event for us. 

Today, falling on the Saturday after the vote in Ireland to repeal the 8th amendment, (in other words Ireland voted yesterday to prevent at will, their unborn  children in the womb from ever seeing the light of day - as a matter of convenience, a form of birth control), this tragedy which is an ongoing tragedy here in America already,  especially made today's pilgrimage even more necessary.  The result of this vote and the many implications go way beyond abortion.

Today's pilgrimage as with every exit from our property began with a Hail Mary at the Statue of Our Lady of Grace, for which our parish is named.

Our first stop was at the Valley Hill Shrine. 

There we said the opening Prayers of the Remnant Rosary inside the beautiful Chapel in construction. 

Periodically as a sacrificial act of love for God, David Stillwell travels from Cleveland to Springfield with his trunk filled with bricks that he made in his basement.  He places a row or two on the chapel and returns back home to Cleveland only to make more bricks, travel here again and add another row.  He says, "it doesn't matter if it gets finished,  it is my acting out of my love for God".  Because of its ongoing construction, we felt it fitting to begin the Rosary Pilgrimage within the chapel as the Remnant Rosary which is the Life of Christ is always constructing Christ within us.  Jesus your life is living in me.

At the Nativity Scene at Valley Hill, we said the Joyful Mysteries.

From there we traveled to The Dominican Priory, The Parish of St Rose.  Wandering through the grounds, I was struck by the millstones about the property.  I'd noticed them before but in light of the strong push in the world these days,  for the massacre of the innocents in the womb -- the millstones were more distinct.

But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. -Mt. 18:6

We began our stop at St. Rose by saying the Reparation Rosary at the Shrine of Rachel - in reparation for abortions and disrespect for life in general.

As we entered the Narthex it was comforting to see a collection of diapers which will be distributed to babies in need.  Praise God for Life. 

Inside the Sanctuary of St. Rose we prayed the Luminous Mysteries:

St. Rose has beautiful stained glass windows.  We prayed the Baptism Mystery at this window.

The changing water into wine mystery at this window

Finishing with The Supper Mystery we began our journey to the Abbey of Gethsemani. 

There we prayed the sorrowful mysteries.

upon leaving Gethsemani, I had to make sure to see one of my favorite Icons...

I always like it when Mary wears red.

From here we concluded our Pilgrimage by saying the Glorious Mysteries at the Holy Rosary Dominican Cemetery.

Anointing our Prayer Beads on Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

The Feast of the Beads

It is the custom at St. Simeon Skete to anoint our prayer ropes (beads) with sweet smelling oil on the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels because our prayers are likened as the sweet smelling incense that the angels offer to the throne of God. 

Rev. 8: 1-4- 

"1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 

3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 

4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand."

The angels are waiting for us to pray.  Picture in your mind, angels leaning over from heaven catching our prayers that rise as incense and quickly offering them at the throne of God. I can see them holding their golden bowls peering down at us, whispering "more prayers, more prayers."  

Rev. 5:6, 8 - 

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 

7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 

8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

The three verities that embody the spirituality of St. Simeon Skete are The Bible, the Bowl and the Beads.  

 

Relative to the Bowl: 

1. If we don't pray, we are like an overturned bowl, nothing can enter (Isa 28:12; Mk. 8:18).
2. If we don't put our prayers into practice, we are like a bowl with a hole in it - everything leaks out (James 1:22; 4:17).
3. If we are double-minded in our prayer, this is similar to using an unclean bowl, contaminating what it receives (James 1: 8; Mt. 23:25). 
4. If we don't pray the bowl becomes full of ourselves - like the "inn" where there was no room for Him (Lk. 2:7; Rev. 3:20).
5. If we don't pray, we become untrusting so that whatever is placed in the bowl will never be enough (Lk. 2:25-32; Mt. 6:33).

At the Skete, the anointing of our beads is known as "The Liturgy of the Beads".   The Liturgy of the Beads is very simple and should be celebrated from time to time and not just on the Feast of All Angels.  Simply lay the beads down on table before a lit candle, anoint them with sweet smelling oil of your choice and pray the prayer of offering as you offer them to God.  

Remember, it is the prayer we say on the beads and each bead is like a little bowl holding what we offer to God.  Then say the following prayer.