Spiritual Retreat & Conference Center
God the Father of Mercies, do Thou assist Thy Holy priesthood throughout the world. Draw them ever closer to Thee by Thy grace, so that by faithful reflection of the Sacred Heart of Thy Son and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, they may bring about the sanctification of souls and at last attain the everlasting reward of Heaven, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
On the 13th of each month we gather together to pray for all our priests and religious. We are called especially by Our Blessed Mother under the title of Rosa Mystica to pray for them. Documents of the church dating back to 1138 attest to a long standing devotion to Rosa Mystica. Under the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Litany of Loreto), there is an invocation to the Virgin under the title, "Rosa Mystica". (Mary, Mother of the Church).
It was in 1941 (July 13th) that Our Lady reportedly appeared in Italy with three words (swords) on her breast: Prayer, Penance, Atonement. The first sord relating to the loss of priestly and religious vocations; the second relating to those living in a state of mortal sin; and the third to those who have committed the betryal of Judas (loss of faith and disobedience from the teachings of Christ through His Church). Our Lady also disclosed a medal engraved on the front with her image and title "Rosa Mystica" and on the back a church with a dome and the inscription "Mary, Mother of the Church".
We wish to disclose that the Roman Catholic Church has not issued a ruling on the authenticity of the apparition itself as Rosa Mystica in 19441. There is, however, reference to a private audience granted by Pope Pius XII in which the Holy See did not pronounce on the supernatural of the apparition but it permitted the local bishop's approval to stand.
In obedience to the Magisterium of the Holy See, we do not support the apparitions themselves nor their authenticity. However in keeping with Our Lady's request, we have set aside the 13th day of each month as a special day to gather together in prayer, adoration (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament), penance (sacrament of confession) and the Holy Mass for the specific purpose of praying for our priests and all religious under Our Lady's title "Rosa Mystica".