Answered prayers

So I have been praying a lot of novenas recently. Just finished one to St Joseph and now I’m in the middle of one to St Jude. And the saints have definitely been letting me know that they are here and listening to my prayers. Yesterday I got the chance to go to daily mass with my mom and right away when I walked in  I noticed a holy card. When I took a closer look, yep, it was a holy card of St Jude. During my novena to St Joseph I found a single yellow flower in front of the statue of Mary as I was leaving mass.

There have also been more concrete signs along the way. Recently I have had several people give very generous donations and I was even able to start on my dental work. I had my eye exam today so that’s another thing taken care of, and I have an appointment with the psychologist on Monday. So my application is almost complete, I just need one more letter of recommendation.

I still have a long way to go on the dental work and right now I need to raise about $9,900. This is 90 people with a donation of $100 each. Please give anything you can, and keep praying for me and sharing this page.

 

Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

So I have just finished the novena to St Therese but I am about to start another one. Why? Because Pope Francis has recently announced that on October 13th he will consecrate the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Any time you are preparing a consecration there are a an incredible number of graces available, but there are also obstacles that are placed in our way. Let us all join together in praying for the health and safety of our Holy Father during this time, a return to peace throughout the world, and for the success of this event. This novena begins TOMORROW October 4th and ends on October 13th. Here are the prayers for those who would like to join us.
Immaculate Virgin, by the holy will of your Son my Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Mother in Heaven. Your Immaculate Heart is full of love, mercy and compassion for sinners like me. I ask that you intercede for me today for…

(mention your prayer intentions)

I trust in your intercession before the throne of God for my needs. Please pray also that if my requests are not in accordance with the will of God, that I may be, like you, conformed to His will and not my own.

Hail Mary…

Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pray for us!

Amen.

Act of Consecration

– by Pope Pius XII

Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world.

Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.

O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully.

We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home.

Amen.

Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-immaculate-heart-mary/#ixzz2gijATO00

Santa Rosa Flight | Online Countdowns | Countdown Clock

Santa Rosa Flight | Online Countdowns | Countdown Clock.

So I am getting really excited for my trip can you tell?

Getting Ready

Some of you may be wondering what happened with my entrance preparations. It has been far to long since I posted anything about this but I do have good news now. For a while I was “stuck” and unsure of what to do next. There was one huge problem keeping me from entering the convent.
Well now for the good news… Thanks to some incredibly generous donors this is no longer true. It still seems hard to believe how quickly things began to pull together when the time was right. So I am still kind of stunned by this but we have already begun the dental work and in a few months it will all be finished. Even writing this still seems a little surreal a problem that has stopped me for months is simply gone. There have also been changes in other areas of my life recently.
Things are beginning to come together in a way I could never have even imagined and Our Lord has very sweetly taken me by complete surprise. Very unexpectedly I have been given the chance to go and visit with my sisters (the community I am entering) for a few days, I have not been able to do this in almost a year so of course I jumped at the opportunity. I am very excited and it has been hard for me to wait for the right time to come. Waiting is never easy but it is a necessary part of our life here on earth and so I must continue to wait.

A Shower of Roses

The Feast of St Therese is coming up on Tuesday and like hundreds of others I have been praying the St Therese novena. I may have mentioned this before but she is my absolute favorite saint and I have received more favors from her than any other saint. Often I affectionately refer to her as my special friend in Heaven.
Anyway I got a chance to go to mass yesterday which is a blessing in itself I do not get to go to daily mass much. Well I noticed something on the floor in my pew and I kept wondering what it was I picked it up and it was a rose petal. Once again my favorite saint has come through for me. It always amazes me how St Therese can get my attention and let me know she is interceding for me and hears my prayers.
St Therese beautiful flower of Carmel – Pray for us

Leap of faith

So… some of you may be wondering about my discernment and entrance preparations (so sorry it took me so long to post an update on this). I am still planning to enter and now I am going for a January 2014 entrance. I am 100% committed to meeting this goal but I still very much need your help to get there. Please help through your donations, sharing these posts with other and most importantly your prayers. Prayer is a powerful tool through which incredible things are accomplished if we have the faith to ask. So here I am asking for your support and prayers, Our Lord will surely repay your generosity and be assured of my prayers for each of you.

A Life Changing Journey…

Around this time 2 years ago I was in Madrid Spain for World Youth Day 2011. Watching the events in Rio de Janiero this week the memories come flooding back: the struggles and graces. Moments of incredible joy and the painful ones that forced me out of my comfort zone.
As I prepared for Madrid I learned that many pilgrimages are made for a specific intention so I decided that I would really pray about my vocation on this trip. At every opportunity I would slip into a church or chapel to pray for a few minutes. I felt the Lord calling me but I had no idea where He was leading and I still doubted if this was real at times.
At the closing mass with Pope Benedict XVI I received a very clear confirmation that yes, I was on the right track. As the pope arrived for mass in his popemobile our group was right up against the barrier. He was less than 5 feet away from us. He had his back turned to me waving and greeting people on the other side. All of a sudden right in front of me he turned, made eye contact with me, smiled, and gave his blessing. I was stunned and could hardly believe this had happened. The priest who was our chaperone just turned to me and asked “Do you still doubt?” I barely managed to stammer “Uhhh, no Father.”
This was one moment that showed me beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus wants me for his bride. Whatever may happen I must keep my eyes on the cross of Jesus. He is my strength, my courage, my hope, my resting place, and my only love. With Him at my side I am confident and unafraid I will not be ashamed.

To Jesus Through Mary

There are some moments in our life that change us and lead us to a greater holiness of life and amazing changes in our lives. These may be things we have struggled with for a very long time and suddenly by the outpouring of Our Lord’s grace it is all taken care of.
For me one of these moments happened on Mother’s Day, 2011. On this day I made my public consecration of my entire life to Jesus through Mary for the first time. Once this was done I understood that my life was not my own, but now I am being used as an instrument to accomplish the work of Our Lord here on earth. This is what each of us is called to do, but after my consecration I experienced it in a much fuller and deeper way. In every moment it must be my goal to live entirely for Jesus through His most loving, pure, and holy mother. Every thought, word, and deed must begin with Jesus and Mary and end with drawing others closer to them. This is a radical surrender to the will of God, seeing it through the eyes of Mary, the most perfect example and model for our lives. She, who is the glorious mother of God, closer to Him then any other person will ever be, is the unfailing way to reach a deeper relationship with Jesus. You can never go wrong in begging the intercession of Mary and seeking to do all things for and with her. Make her your sure way to reaching heaven and she will not fail if you ask with sincerity and trust that she will provide.

Incline My Heart to Your Will

This is all I ask for whatever may happen I am prepared to accept all that God may send. All I ask is the grace and courage to embrace Gods will saying with Mary “behold I am the handmaid of the Lord let it be done unto me according to your will” . Each day I am learning to live this more and more the past few months have been very difficult at times yet I have grown and learned so much. So much is learned through these times of difficulty if we just keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and allow Him to lead our hearts he will provide what we need.
It has taken me quite some time to reach this point and for a while I was not able to talk about it. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog. As you may have figured out I did have to put off my entrance into Postulancy for a while. While this was difficult I am sure that God has His reasons and the community is still open to considering me later so we will see where he leads next.
God bless you all please pray for me.

Letting Go

At times it is hard to say good bye. Whether it is a close friend, family member, even an unhealthy habit. We try desperately to cling to the past and when have to be apart from the person or situation we feel like our heart is being torn from our chest. This is something I have struggled with for several years. I particularly miss one friend who I do not get to see often anymore. Whenever I see her picture or something she wrote I still miss her so much it hurts. I wonder how she is doing and what is happening in her life, it makes me sad to not be able to talk to her yet I know that this suffering will make me stronger.
As I begin to prepare for my Postulancy entrance my relationship with my family and friends is changing. These are the people who have made me who I am and they will never be forgotten yet it is time for me to move on and follow my vocation. Saying good bye is not easy but I know that whatever may happen Jesus will be there to strengthen and sustain me and help me persevere.