Why does God intervene? Fr. Anthony Gramlich explains why the Angel of Portugal appeared in 1916 to St. Jacinta, St. Francisco, and Venerable Lúcia in Valinhos. Learn the prayers with Fr. Nuno Rocha
Join this special virtual pilgrimage from the Chapel of the Apparitions, Fátima to Valinhos to explore the "Why" of the "MEU DEUS" in this 33-Day Consecration Journey (Updated Video May 1)
33-DAY CONSECRATION JOURNEY for THE YEAR OF PRAYER
(UPDATED VIDEO MAY 1, 2024, 2nd EDITION with EDITS to “MEU DEUS”)
(Our 2024 Text is “Under Construction”; rerouting to May 11-June 13 Final Edition on theholyrosary.substack.com with new format including notes from the Jubilee 2025 PDF; the first 12 days are posted for May 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22).
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
COMBATTING THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD
DAY 1 REFLECTION, MEMORIAL OF the ROSARY SAINT
EXAMPLE FOR DAY 1: APRIL 28, 2024 or MAY 11, 2024
DAY 1
Fr. Afonso’s notes on the Rosary Saint of France & Author of “True Devotion”
Cited from the book by Fr. D. Afonso:
SEE ALSO: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-louis-mary-grignion-de-montfort/
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
ABOUT THE FIRST TWELVE DAYS OF THIS CONSECRATION JOURNEY
One can “do” this aspect of the “CONSECRATION JOURNEY” anytime of year, and perhaps it is for this reason that St. Louis Marie de Montfort suggests that those who want to show “TRUE DEVOTION” to Jesus through the hands of Our Lady, must take the time in the first 12 days to combat the Spirit of the World.
From an interview clip from our lesson archives, we present today Fr. Anthony Gramlich as he returns to explain for “The Diary of Prayer” why the Angel of Portugal was Heaven’s way of intervening at an historical time of atheistic communism under the dictatorship in Portugal and within the historical context of 1916/1917.
April 25th, 2024 marked the 50th year of “Liberty” (Liberdade) — and in the above video, we share clips from the April 25th Mass that very day, which was presided over by Cardinal Dom. António Marto who travelled from Fátima to Balasar to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beata Alexandrina’s beatification by St. John Paul II. Beata Alexandrina is the saint who survived for 13+ years with the nourishment of the Eucharist alone.
What might emptying ourselves of the “Spirit of the World” mean?
From the perspective of Heaven, it means, among many things, emptying ourselves with penance, prayer, and mortifications as our means to acknowledge the existence of God in our daily lives. This is the core of being a LIVING APOSTOLATE which seeks to create a bridge between Heaven and Earth — not by any human construction, but by the simplicity of offering to God our devotion — and by living each day as if God did exist, as Fr. Anthony’s short describes.
When we do our best, when possible, to try to go to daily mass, to visit Jesus in Adoration, or even as St. Augustine reminds, to say one Our Father devoutly (which alleviates us, he believed, of venial sin), and/or by making the effort starting the Month of May to go to First Friday and First Saturday masses, we become, like St. Jacinta, St. Francisco, and Venerable Lúcia, children of God who are LIVING EXAMPLES of obedience to God’s Holy will.
MAKING TIME FOR GOD so that GOD WILL MAKE TIME FOR US:
Look at your calendar this week. That’s right. Grab your phone and look at your calendar app!
Insert the times for the mass in your archdiocese when you can pray the Rosary 30 minutes beforehand and/or participate in reparative masses like First Friday or First Saturday.
Insert a day when you can go to adoration.
Insert a day when can you go for confession at a time that works for your schedule.
Where can you go to pray the Rosary in a focused way?
Where in your home can you situate yourself to spend the time to complete this consecration each day?
What activity can you sacrifice so that you will make the time for this consecration?
In short, what will you do to make time for God, so that He can make time for You?
Matthew 6:33: New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition:
"But strive first for the kingdom of God and hisrighteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Father Hans Urs von Balthasar speaks of Jesus Christ in relationship to time in his book: “A Theology of History”. In his explanation of time, von Balthasar explains how when we make time for God, God will make time for us.
And in entering into Human History, Christ made His time on earth time for God, modelling how He spent His time to be emulated by humanity. SEE: https://ignatius.com/a-theology-of-history-thp/
A CONSECRATION JOURNAL OF PRAYER
If it is helpful, you might like to try making a Consecration journal in which you can write the prayers by hand and follow them; you can also list your intentions, your examination of conscience goals, and even the Saints you will ask to help you.
If you are homebound, you can pray with the Marian Fathers daily here:
In your journal, or even on a piece of paper, or in your phone, write a list of Saints from which you will request their intercession. If you cannot think of anyone, try Beata Alexandrina of Balasar, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, St. Catherine of Sienna, and St. Faustina, asking them to help you to persevere in this consecration journey.
Once you understand the relationship between God (Elohim), the Divine Council (God’s heavenly staff team), humanity and Jesus, you can understand why Our Lady sent an angel first to teach / train catechize the children of Fátima. You can also then consider asking your Guardian Angel to help you finish this consecration journey. We’ll focus on the Angels in the Knowledge of Self segment of this consecration, so if you are still feeling worried about this idea of Guardian Angels, just think of the Holy Family and how many encounters with the angels influenced their existence and action on Earth. Think of St. Padre Pio who had a working relationship with his Guardian Angel. Here is a funny story that Amelia reports on below from the book she often re-reads, “Padre Pio: A Glimpse into the Miraculous” and this is totally improvised and narrated from authentic memory:
Finally, ask your Guardian Angel to help you ask God to seek out ways in 2024 to better examine your conscience by helping you to pray to find a solid Spiritual Director and/or by going more frequently to the sacrament of reconciliation, perhaps linked to the prayer of the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy and with the goal of increasing the frequency of emptying yourself of those things that are not of God, going to the priest once a week (a good pious practice anyway) and throughout this Consecration Journey. Here is Fr. David Michael’s funny video on confession.
If this is impossible due to your schedule, see if you can schedule something now with a pastor who can book time outside the regular hours so you can satisfy the conditions of this consecration before Consecration Day May 31st (or June 13 if you wish to start May 11 for a Mother’s Day / Our Lady of Fátima journey).1
For the first 12 days of this journey, St. Louis Marie de Montfort notes that we must combat the Spirit of the World with prayer. Thus, for this Consecration Journey to Valinhos, Portugal here is a suggested roster of prayers as an example (see extended list on theholyrosary.substack.com):
1. Prayer to the "Guardian Angel" (every morning and night)
2. Prayer of the "Meu Deus" (as taught by Padre Nuno &/or Fr. David Michael Moses); pray this 3 times a day, in English and/or Portuguese.
3. Pray the"Santíssima Trindade" (as taught by Padre Nuno).
Finally, for the remaining days in combatting the Spirit of the World, make time in your day at the same time each day to pray the "Hail Mary" in Portuguese 3 times, for the first 12 days -- and/or if you already have a Rosary Prayer routine by now, pray the public Rosary — find a Rosary in your community and attend it.
Remember the teaching of St. Louis Marie de Montfort and the power of the Public Rosary — one Rosary prayed by yourself merits the graces of ONE Rosary. One Rosary prayed with 100 people, however, merits the graces of 100 Rosaries and the power to combat the Spirit of the World is enhanced 100 fold. In that sense, this is an argument for all readers to start a public Rosary in their communities, even for the reason of ensuring you can advance on the path of Holiness more quickly with others!
Let us not underestimate the power of praying the Rosary together, in procession, or even as families. Be creative and make the effort this week to find ways to make the Rosary something people in your life can pray together with you, even online, on a chat, etc.
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
REMAINING DAYS OF THE CONSECRATION LOOK LIKE THIS:
(if you began April 28 or May 11)
WEEK ONE - DAYS 13 to 19 - Knowledge of self with the Rosary prayers + daily Litany to the Guardian Angel
WEEK TWO - DAYS 20-26 - Knowledge of Our Lady of Fátima + Litany to Loretto for 7 days and/or the Litany to the Holy Spirit.
WEEK THREE - DAYS 27-33 - The Knowledge of Jesus Christ with Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for 7 Days and/or the Litany to the Holy Spirit and/or the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy if you don’t have as much time for all of the above.
You can pray the Chaplet with Fr. Anthony Gramlich using this app.
CONSECRATION DAY - May 31 or June 13 - The Visitation (Consecration Day) + Litany to St. Michael and the Archangels, the Chaplet to St. Michael.
WELCOME MESSAGE THAT WILL BE MOVED TO “THE HOLYROSARY.SUBSTACK.COM”
Spiritual Direction for this consecration arose from the wisdom of Fr. Elias Mary Mills, FI and Rosary Mission and Catechesis formation by Fr. Nuno Rocha, author of “The Secret of Joy” via odiario.substack.com and he is the pastor in Portugal who has recorded these prayers for pilgrims on April 28, 2023 the memorial of St. Louis Marie de Montfort. Fr. David Michael Moses, founder of Pilgrim Rosary, assisted us in 2024 with this broadcast, reciting the words of the "Meu Deus" prayer in English (translated from the original Portuguese). Our team relies on Spiritual Direction for all aspects, even of the Consecration Journeys, to ensure we are keeping our content in line with the Magisterium, CCC, and Scripture and to ensure our approach follows Our Lady's instructions at the Wedding of Cana.
RHP TEAM PROLOGUE / MUSINGS / NOTES
(MAY 1 UPDATED for OTERCO.SUBSTACK.COM)
CONSECRATION JOURNEY DETAILS
“PILGRIMAGE to VALINHOS”
from the CHAPEL OF THE APPARITIONS IN FÁTIMA, PORTUGAL
A Prayer Guide created by THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST on APRIL 28, 2024
CONSECRATION JOURNEY (sans "Introductory Remarks").
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
We are evolving this post into an e-book as part of our efforts to help educators and their students understand the "why" behind the prayers in the Rosary introduced by the Angel of Portugal as prayed in the Rosaries at the Chapel of the Apparitions and the March 21st procession from the Sanctuary in Fátima. NOTE:
Fr. Edward Looney explains the Miracle of the Sun in an upcoming repost from his 2022 interview. Fr. Anthony explains Marian Apparitions in depth here for those who need support in understanding this phenomenon. And you can also learn about the Angels: The Forgotten Army with our Podcast narrator, Fr. Chris Alar. (LINKS WILL BE UPDATED SOON)
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
«SAMPLE DAY 2 REFLECTION, FEAST»
APRIL 29th, Bishop Barron’s notes on St. Catherine of Sienna
We invite you to WATCH THIS FREE VIDEO, brought to you by BISHOP BARRON which his apostolate “Word on Fire” offers for free today via the following link to the PIVOTAL PLAYERS SERIES (ENGLISH):
"THE MEU DEUS"
We will begin this journey with the focus on contemplating all the facets of the prayer of the "Meu Deus" explored in 12 vignettes the first 12 days of the Consecration Journey -- and thus casting off the Spirit of the World, literally, with the Angel of Portugal as our primary guide.
Ironically, Fr. Chris just posted this video: "Proof that God Exists" upon his return 2 days ago from Europe. Watch if you like:
But rather than analyze the writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, we wish to delve into the actual prayer text that is used in Portugal at the beginning of the Terço, which in Fr. Nuno Rocha's transcript, is the "Meu Deus", which is uttered 3 times after making the sign of the cross:
Instead of reciting this prayer solo, try sing the words as featured in Fátima on the walk to Valinhos.
Here is the score with 4 part harmony.
Please note that the pastor in the video in Fátima sings the melody which the pilgrims sing in unison as the candlelight procession that departs every March 21 after sundown, about 20-30 minutes after 21h00.
If you plan to visit during the 2025 Jubilee, be sure to come early enough to get a seat and/or some candles.
TASK FOR DAY 2: UNPACK THE APPARITIONS OF THE ANGEL
Our first task is to find a way to unpack the three apparitions of the Angel of Portugal, paying much more attention to the voice of this first supernatural catechist who was guiding St. Jacinta, St. Francisco, and Venerable Lúcia in 1916.
This story is narrated in the memoirs of St. Lúcia in various chapters. We'll return to the original text later with the recording in English and the original Portuguese.
We hope that this first post will inspire your reflective imagination as you pray the prayers of this Consecration Journey and the Prayers of the Holy Rosary today.
St. Louis Marie de Montfort, pray for us.
The Rosary Hour Podcast Team
[UPDATED 29 APRIL 2024\
SAMPLE DAY 3 REFLECTION: THE SCHOOL OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
33-Day Consecration from Chapel of the Apparitions to Valinhos, Fátima
FOCUS AGAIN ON LEARNING JUST THE PRAYER IN THE DIGITAL TOOLKIT IN PORTUGUESE with PADRE NUNO ROCHA. CLICK THE VIDEO ABOVE AND LISTEN AGAIN!
ABOVE: SAMPLE SCRIPT FROM PADRE NUNO'S TERÇO FOR CHILDREN
Here are some notes from Fr. Looney for your community as you prepare for the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima.
SEE SOURCE OF ABOVE HANDOUT IN THE FR. LOONEY LIVE RECORD LED BY KAREN ROCHA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST:
CONTINUING Days 4-12?
On your own, practice the prayers only and then go to the Consecration Journey below to follow the FULL JOURNEY starting on May 11, 2024 until June 13, 2024.
NOTE: If you missed part of the first 12 days, just get used to the planning concept as the daily reminders will ensure you stay on track. While there are other great apps with this journey, including the 33-Days to Morning Glory with Fr. Michael Gaitley, you might wish for an alternative that doesn’t cost a subscription. While we have subscribed to Hallow, we no longer have that app active and it is very expensive.
If you already know the form of the consecration, you can also use the consecration from Lourdes which is on the site below from Days 2-12 and follow that, updating the Rosary days accordingly.
You can also plot out your own May journey with your Rosary group and decide on readings, etc. If you need more assistance, write odiario@substack.com.
For those who took advantage of Divine Mercy Sunday’s extraordinary promise of being totally cleansed by receiving our baptismal state in which all temporal punishment due to sin was erased with Holy Communion and confession and asking for this promise of Jesus, this consecration might help you sustain the power of that promise. Join us for the remaining days, even if you are only starting today, you can always continue to combat the Spirit of the World in the days after Consecration Day. You can aim to consecrate your life to Jesus through the hands of Our Lady on May 31 or June 13. Don’t worry if you are just starting today! A consecration can take time to master, and thus just being part of our journey will help Our Lady form your soul during these times, so in need of her intercession and prayer.
Note that Children’s Rosary will pray online via radiomaria.us and you can pray with Zosia, Amelia and Dr. Kaufman. Mark your calendar and insert a reminder into your phone: 4 p.m. EST / 3 p.m. central, Children’s Rosary prays on Radio Maria, Saturday May 11. If you know children preparing for their first Holy Communion, invite them to join.
All are welcome to be part of this Holy Hour with the two children who also are broadcasters for the Rosary Hour Podcast.
June 13 will be the anniversary of 24 months of broadcasting of the Live Rosary for Amelia / Zosia / Dr. Kaufman, all of whom have become great friends because of this Radio Maria show slot for Our Lady’s Rosary.
The three have been persevering in prayer together for 2 years and we hope you are inspired by this model — an adult who loves the Rosary, a nine-year-old and ten-year-old who have brought the Rosary to Live Radio. You can write to RADIO MARIA USA, 601 Washington St, Alexandria, LA 71301 or telephone: 888-408-0201 to thank them for their programming. Radio Maria in Portugal is brand new.
Fr. Chad talks about why demons hate Gregorian Chant, as well as exorcised bells. Playing chant in the low-level in the orderliness of its beauty drives out demons and Fr. Rippenger notes that Gregorian Chant has had quite an impact on his work.
Public vocal prayer, and the Mass / Divine Office are efficacious prayers (forms of Vocal prayer). These are the prayer of the Church and the effect is great and thus, the vocal prayers become foundational to maintaining one’s level of prayer / prayer life.
Fr. Chad notes that “There is distinction about the nature of the prayer” that he talks about in light of interior participation in prayer and the power of singing to God.
He answers, how important is singing of Gregorian Chant to Lay people and young people? If they learn the chant, they learn rightly ordered music, creating a habituating effect on their faculties and has a rightly ordered effect in their lower faculties” (on a formational level); educationally, learning chant is a way to learn other forms of music. Also, hymns and chant focus on the content of the chant — you sing to remember the various Marian hymns, etc. that helps you to remember certain content — like the Litany of the Saints.”
For now, we have included in this video actual footage from the apparition site: this is where the encounter between the angel and the children occurred, and we have ourselves as a podcast group walked this path from the Sanctuary to Valinhos. Again, this pilgrim journey is a 4 km walk from the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fátima, Portugal and it ends much after midnight with the need to walk home, so be sure you are able to endure the physical exercise before you decide to take this journey.
ROCTV | THE DIARY OF PRAYER by: The Rosary Hour Podcast
This podcast is the ENGLISH extension of "The Diary of Prayer", which evolved from the text "The Secret of Joy" that was written by Pe. Nuno Rocha and it houses the investigative discussions in a Magazine format inspired by the Artistic Direction of Dra. Deolinda Carneiro and the further Spiritual Direction of Fr. Elias Mary Mills, Fr. Peter Turrone, Fr. David Michael Moses, Fr. Edward Looney, Cardinal Collins, and our guests to the Podcast. Projects about the Camino are also posted here in Magazine format prior to being summarized for the main RHP newsletter.
This podcast is the ENGLISH extension of "The Diary of Prayer", which evolved from the text "The Secret of Joy" that was written by Pe. Nuno Rocha and it houses the investigative discussions in a Magazine format inspired by the Artistic Direction of Dra. Deolinda Carneiro and the further Spiritual Direction of Fr. Elias Mary Mills, Fr. Peter Turrone, Fr. David Michael Moses, Fr. Edward Looney, Cardinal Collins, and our guests to the Podcast. Projects about the Camino are also posted here in Magazine format prior to being summarized for the main RHP newsletter.
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