THE DEVOTION OF THE NINE FIRST FRIDAYS IN HONOUR OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

At the heart of this traditional devotion is the promises made to Sr. Margaret Mary by Jesus in her revelations. In these He promises that those who consecrate themselves and make reparation to His Most sacred Heart will receive an abundance of graces, peace, comfort and a secure refuge. All those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months will receive the grace of final perseverance. Jesus’ Divine Heart shall be heir safe refuge in the last moments of life. Essentially the First Friday Devotion consists of: The principal promises that the Sacred Heart of Jesus has made in favour of those Who are devoted to Him are as follows:

THE DEVOTION OF THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS IN HONOUR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

The first Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was first mentioned by Our Lady of Fatima on July 13th 1917. After showing the three children a vision of hell, she said, “You have seen where the poor souls of sinners go. To save them God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for ... the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.” Eight years later, on December 10th 1925, Mary and the Child Jesus appeared to Lucia, the sole surviving Fatima visionary, at a convent in Pontevedra, Spain. Our Lady rested her hand on Lucia’s shoulder, revealing a heart encircled by thorns. The Child Jesus said: “Have compassion on the heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment and there is none to make an act of reparation to remove them.” Then the Most Holy Virgin said: “Look, my daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist, at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for the salvation of all those who:

DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY

From the diary of a young Polish nun, named Sr Faustina Kowalska, a special devotion to the mercy of God is spreading throughout the world. The message is nothing new, just a reminder of what the Church has always taught: that God is merciful and forgiving and that we, too, must show mercy and forgiveness. But, in the Divine Mercy devotion, the message takes on a powerful new focus, calling people to a deeper understanding that God’s love is unlimited and available to everyone - especially the greatest sinners: The greater the sinner, the greater the right they have to My mercy. Some of the elements of this new focus include a sacred image of the merciful saviour, several new prayers, and a cornucopia of promises. But the main elements are trust and deeds of mercy. Devotion to The Divine Mercy involves total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a positive decision to accept His mercy with thanksgiving, to trust completely in Him, and to be merciful as He is merciful. The devotional practices proposed in the Diary of St Faustina and set forth in this devotion are completely in accordance with the teachings of the Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Saviour. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Jesus Christ.

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DEVOTIONS TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL AND OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

The Miraculous Medal, also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, is a medal created by St Catherine Laboure following a vision of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Many Catholic Christians around the world (and some non-Catholics) wear the Miraculous Medal, which they believe will bring them special graces through the intercession of Mary if worn with faith and devotion at the hour of death. It is often worn together with the Brown Scapular. Such items of devotion are not charms and should not be construed as being either ‘magical’ or superstitious (two conditions which are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church) but serve as constant physical reminders of devotion. Background: Saint Catherine Laboure stated that on the night of July 18 1830, she awoke upon hearing a voice of a child calling her to the sisters’ chapel (located in the Rue du Bac, Paris), where she heard the Blessed Virgin Mary say to her, “God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world.” On November 27 1830, Catherine reported that the Blessed Mother returned during evening meditations. She displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe, wearing many rings of different colours, most of which shone rays of light over the globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter M surmounted by a cross, and the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with thorns and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. Asked why some of her rings did not shed light, Mary reportedly replied, ‘Those are the graces for which people forget to ask.’ Catherine then heard Mary ask her to take these images to her father confessor, telling him that they should be put on Medallions and saying “All who wear them will receive great graces.” Catherine did so, and after two years of investigation and observation of Catherine’s normal daily behaviour, the priest took the information to his archbishop without revealing Catherine’s identity. The request was approved and medallions began to be produced. Those who wore the medal felt that they had received great blessings, and the medal came to be referred to as the “Miraculous Medal.” They proved to be popular, and the medals spread worldwide. The chapel in which Saint Catherine experienced her visions is located at the mother house of the Daughters of Charity in Paris. The incorrupt bodies of Saint Catherine Laboure and Saint Louise de Marillac, a co-founder of the Daughters of Charity, are interred in the chapel, which continues to receive daily visits from Catholic pilgrims today. Pope John Paul 11 used a slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, the Marian Cross, a plain cross with an M underneath the right-hand bar (which signified the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified).

THE NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

An ‘icon’ is a Christian picture which tells a story or teaches a truth. Traditionally, icons have been associated with the Eastern Church, but have played a part in the Western Church also. The icon of our Lady of Perpetual Help (or Perpetual Succour) is an icon which tells of the Passion and death of Jesus, and of the suffering of Mary His Mother. The original picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was painted on the island of Crete over five hundred years ago. The picture was stolen by a merchant in 1498 and brought by him from Crete to Rome the following year. It is recorded in the history of the picture that the merchant fell seriously ill, and fearing death he asked a friend to place the picture in a church where it could be once again be seen by the faithful. The merchant died, but his friend held on to the picture and it was placed by his wife in their house. After a serious of visions of Our Lady, the friend was finally convinced to part with the picture and place, in accordance with Our lady’s request, in the Church of St Matthew in Rome. The Church of St Matthew was destroyed in 1798, but the picture was kept safe by the Augustinian friars. Only when a new church was eventually built on the site of the old St Matthew’s could Our Lady’s request be fulfilled once again. The new church was the Redemptorist church of St Alphonsus, the obvious place for the picture, so near to its former home. And so the Pope requested that the picture be moved to the Redemptorist church. On April 26th 1866 the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was solemnly installed in this new church of St Alphonsus in Rome. The first copy of the picture to leave Rome came to Bishop Eton at the Redemporist church in Liverpool. Since then, copies of the picture have been taken to the four corners of the world. Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, through Novenas and private prayers, continues to spread. ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Help’ is one of the best known and best loved icons in the world. The Novena is spread over nine days in nine consecutive months and is prayed together in church. These Novenas are based on the song of Our Lady on her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth and is called the Magnificat. We ask Our Lady to pray with us and for us. The Novena usually ends with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.