Devotions Ministry at St. Brendan
The Devotions Ministry is designed to enhance the spirituality of all members of the parish through small teams to that organize and implement various activities surrounding a beloved Catholic devotion. Currently, we're focused on the following devotions: the Rosary, Divine Mercy, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Marian Devotions, and Eucharistic miracles.
Do you have a favorite devotion you would like to see at the Parish? Contact [email protected] to discuss implementing new devotions in the Parish.
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Catholic Church dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the most widely practiced and well-known Catholic devotions. This devotion focuses on what the Catholic Church deems to be a long-suffering love and compassion of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The Heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind.
The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is traditionally celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost. The popularization of this devotion in its modern form derived from apparitions experienced by a Roman Catholic nun from Paray-le-Monial in France named Margaret Mary Alacoque. St. Margaret Mary learned the devotion directly from Jesus Christ during a series of apparitions before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration between 1673 and 1675. Sisters in her convent testified that when St. Margaret Mary was praying and receiving these messages, she would often levitate in the air in their chapel. St. Margaret Mary under the direction of her confessor, Claude de la Colombiere (a future saint himself) was compelled to write a personal testament of the apparitions. This hand written account found after Colombiere’s death became the catalyst for the promotion and dissemination of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
In the course of these apparitions, Jesus requested that He be honored under the figure of a heart and asked for frequent reception of Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month. St. Margaret Mary recorded twelve promises that Jesus made to those who practiced this devotion:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their families.
- I will bless every house in which the picture of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
- I will console them in all their difficulties.
- I will be their refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
- I will shed abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart a fountain and boundless ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
- I will give to priests the power of touching the hardest hearts.
- Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart never to be blotted out.
- I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all who communicate on the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My displeasure nor without their sacraments: My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
In addition, the Church grants a Plenary Indulgence to those who attend Mass and receive Communion in honor of The Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of each month for nine (9) consecutive months. In 1693 the Holy See imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and later granted them with the Mass of the Five Wounds. In 1856, at the request of the French bishops, Pope Pius the IX extended the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the Latin Church.
Did you know that our Legionaries have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart? Through the Gospel, the Cross, and the Eucharist, our Legionaries come to know Christ intimately, and love Him in by embracing Him as their model of holiness. Their spirituality is Christ-centered with a particular emphasis on the Sacred Heart in their vocation as religious and priests.
To learn more about the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion join us after evening Mass on June 16th for a presentation from Father Michael Shannon.
Rosary Guild
In conjunction with the Knights of Columbus the Devotions Ministry has formed a Rosary Guild to support our priests, parish staff and parishioners seeking a more formal prayer devotion by recitation of the rosary on a daily basis. When you sign up for the Rosary Guild you join a group of parishioners willing to pray for the continued success of our fast-growing parish, help grow your own prayer life and support the Parish mission to spread the Catholic faith throughout Forsyth County during these troubled times.
Who can join the Rosary Guild?
Anyone wishing to support the parish with prayers can sign up and join our mailing list. This email group keeps us organized to multiply our prayers for the good of the community and offers a way to send additional prayer petitions for parishioners and anyone else in need. If you are unfamiliar with how to say the Rosary, have no worry. We can provide you with materials to guide you through the process which is actually very simple and rewarding. You can also review this Guide on How to Pray the Rosary from EWTN.
What is a Prayer Warrior obliged to do?
Say one five-decade rosary a day for our Parish intentions. You can say the rosary at home, in your car, at church or wherever you happen to be. You can say a rosary in our chapel before the Blessed Sacrament or after 8:30 AM Mass with a group that meets in the Church or wherever and whenever it is convenient for your daily life. The goal is simple: Pray the Rosary for the success of our growing parish in accomplishing God’s Work for as long as necessary to support God’s plan for St Brendan!
Who are we praying for?
The Rosary Guild will develop a monthly prayer calendar for whom our prayer intentions will be dedicated. The calendar will be posted on the website and in the bulletin. The daily intentions will begin with our pastor on the 1st day of the month, our parochial vicars on the 2nd and 3rd days of the month and our deacons on the 4th and 5th days of the month. The subsequent days will be dedicated individually to members of the parish staff followed by parishioners seeking a vocation to the priesthood, deaconate or consecrated life and then special intentions. By having many parishioners praying the rosary daily, the prayers will multiply the graces that St Brendan will receive through the intercession of our Blessed Mother.
Why the Rosary?
The Rosary is one of the most cherished prayers of the Catholic Church. Introduced with the Creed, we recite our most basic beliefs, followed by the Our Father (the prayer Jesus gave us), plus the recitation of the Hail Mary ten times and the Glory Be. During this recitation the prayer warrior meditates on the saving mysteries of our Lord’s Life and the faithful witness of our Blessed Mother. Journeying through the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. The core of our faith comes alive in the rosary more so than any other prayer except the Mass.
800 years ago, St Dominic preached the use of the Rosary in his missionary work and the devotion has been a mainstay of religious and the laity ever since. In 1571, Pope Pius V organized a fleet to combat the Turks and preserve the Christian world. As he called for all Christendom to pray the Rosary, a victory was won despite overwhelming odds. The Blessed Virgin Mary in her many apparitions including Fatima and Lourdes has repeatedly asked that we all pray the Rosary for the salvation of mankind. Modern Catholic leaders also recommend this prayer as a source of spiritual enrichment in a post Christian era and there is no question that our priests, parish staff and all our parishioners need all the prayer support that we can provide.
Our Lady provides 15 Promises for those who pray the Rosary, including special protections, receipt of all graces, an armor against hell, abundant mercy of God, deliverance from purgatory and a high degree of glory in heaven. The Rosary is our most powerful weapon against evil in this world and we need to utilize it for ourselves, our families and the parish as well.
You can also learn more about the Rosary by vieiwng a talk presented at St. Brendan titled The Rosary: A Saintmaker.
Are there opportunities for saying the Rosary in communal prayer at St Brendan?
After the 8:30 am daily Mass, we have prayer warriors praying the rosary in the church in support of Pro-Life efforts in this country.
Every 1st Saturday of the month, the rosary is prayed after 8:30 am Mass as part of the traditional 1st Saturday devotion dedicated to Our Lady.
The Knights of Columbus regularly say the rosary and have dedicated the 5th Sunday of the month for a group gathering for the recitation of rosary which can be joined by all parishioners and anyone else committed to this communal prayer.