x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Blessed Virgin Mary | Fourth of July | God Bless America | pray the rosary
As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Tina Mayeux explains the origins of the Immaculate Conception as Patroness of the United States. Our family lives near Mobile Bay, a 413-square-mile shallow inlet that extends into the southern Alabama coastline and draws scores of boaters, fishermen, and sightseers. The bay was first discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish explorers, namely Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, who christened it the "Bay of the Holy Spirit." Spreading the Faith was an important reason early explorers set sail, and they often bestowed names that reflected their religious beliefs on these new places. Names like La Florida, after "feast of the flowers," the Spanish name for the Easter celebration, were typical during the Spanish and French colonization of the New World.
Share
Catholic Family Fun | Children's Stories | pray the rosary
Lindsey Mitzel reviews a children’s book of meditations on the Rosary written by Dominique Morelli and illustrated by Anna Morelli. The Illustrated Rosary: The Life of Christ in Prose By Dominique Morelli; illustrated by Anna Morelli Published by Diocesan The Illustrated Rosary: The Life of Christ in Prose is a beautiful Rosary meditation book for kids. Written by Dominique Morelli and illustrated by Anna Morelli, this Rosary guide, written especially for kids, is lyrical, whimsical, and thought-provoking.
Share
Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.
Catholic Motherhood | Daily Family Prayer | pray the rosary
Moms are busy, and time for prayer is limited (especially for the rosary). Ginny Kochis offers thirteen tips for fitting a beautiful devotion into your hectic day. Little people are busy. And needy. And no matter how intently the two-year-old insists he can put on his shoes by himself, he will inevitably attach the velcro strap to the drawstring of his pants and cry, cry, cry because his shorts are stealing his shoes (or something). The kindergartner Simply Will Not Leave without the sparkly doggy purse no one has seen since last summer, and the nine-year-old has to catch the Pokémon hiding under the couch. Suddenly, the spare 15 minutes to get everyone in the car and buckled becomes a “We’re 20 minutes late!” drive of desperation. Every day is like this for me, plus the added bonus of laundry that multiplies, dirty dishes that appear out of nowhere, bellies that always need feeding, and the husband who leaves his dirty socks on the stairwell (oh, how I love you, you sock-shunning man). I barely have time to get dressed in the morning before someone or something needs my attention. All of this leaves little room for dedicated prayer.
Share
Praying with images | Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
As we enter the quiet holiness of Holy Saturday, families are invited to gather together for a time of profound prayer and reflection. Artful depictions of Christ’s life—especially His Passion and Death—open a gentle and accessible doorway into conversations about faith that might otherwise feel difficult to begin as a family. From the youngest child to the eldest family member, generations are invited to come together and behold the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary through these sacred images. As they pray and reflect on the images together, families can share what they notice and how they are moved in their hearts and spirits. This prayerful practice, known as Visio Divina or “sacred seeing,” is an ancient Christian tradition that invites us to encounter God through attentive looking and holy imagination. Especially well-suited for family prayer, Visio Divina creates a shared space where faith is seen, felt, and spoken aloud together. As you begin, we invite your family to call upon the Holy Spirit, asking for guidance and openness as you spend time with these images and allow them to draw you more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s love. Your prayer can be as simple as, "Come, Holy Spirit," or you may wish to recite or write a longer one, such as: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. The images below of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary include short reflections for each picture to illustrate the variety of ways sacred art can be viewed and discussed. We pray your family is truly blessed by your time together, immersed in the beauty of the art, these words, and your precious time together.
Share
Good Friday | Holy Thursday | Seasonal Reflections | pray the rosary
St. John the Evangelist bravely stood vigil at the foot of the Cross alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the most incredible act of love, Jesus strains to fill His lungs so He may speak, and with just a few words, He gifts Mary to the world as Our Mother and institutes her spiritual motherhood as He proclaims from the Cross, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He says to the beloved disciple, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27a). This incredible gift of Mary as a mother is not only a blessing for John but for every disciple—incredibly, that includes you and me. At that moment, each disciple becomes a beloved son or daughter of the Woman, who epitomizes every virtue and is full of God's grace. Mary, chosen by God to be the Mother of His only Begotten Son, is then beautifully given in the act of sheer love to be the Mother of every one of us. Mary’s life of faith, marked by her profound trust in God’s promises, exemplifies His goodness and fidelity. She embraced the divine word with unwavering obedience: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” She then lives this out in every moment of her life, most profoundly in the moments of her Son’s Passion and death.
Share
A World at Prayer is a World at Peace | pray the rosary | rosary novena
Beginning Tuesday, March 3, Holy Cross Family Ministries will launch a Rosary novena for peace during our daily 11:30 a.m. EST Rosary livestream on Facebook and YouTube—lifting together our prayers for peace in our world. As we begin this Rosary novena, we unite our hearts with the vision of Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, who passionately believed the world, “The family that prays together stays together,” and proclaimed with hope, “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Over these nine days, may our prayer draw us closer to Christ, strengthen our families, and open our hearts to the peace only God can give. With the Blessed Virgin Mary as our gentle guide, we entrust this novena to her loving care and to the transforming grace of the Holy Rosary.
Share
