My Family Prayer Book

  October 22: Feast of Pope St. John Paul II     Karol Józef Wojtyła was born just over a century ago, on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice (near Kraków), Poland. Young Karol lost his mother Emilia a month before his ninth birthday.  When he was only 12 years old, his brother Dr Edmund died of scarlet fever serving patients suffering from that dreaded disease. A childhood friend named Szczepan Mogielnicki told one news source that "Karol lost his childhood at 12, when he lost his brother... There was no youthful folly in him. Even when he played sports, he was very concentrated, but of course, he had a lot of passion. He was a very noble person, and he expressed things in a very noble way, but there was no folly." The elder Karol sewed his son's clothing and watched over his studies. He taught him to be self disciplined and to work hard. He was deeply devoted to raising the son he loved. Another friend recalls entering the small apartment and finding father and son ...

  History of the Rosary The Rosary is one of the most cherished prayers of our Catholic Church. Introduced by the Apostle's Creed, the Our Father, three Hail Marys and the Doxology ("Glory Be"), and concluded with the Salve Regina, the rosary involves the recitation of five decades, each consisting of the Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and the Doxology.  But how did it all start? Pre-Vatican II, from the Middle Ages till 1962, people were required to attend liturgical services celebrated in Latin, a language that they did not understand, often in places where they were unable to even see or understand what was happening. The Rosary evolved over this period of time as a private and intimate form of personal devotion that many found spiritually uplifting due to its rhythmic format, its tactile feel and references to the important events in the life of our Lord and Mother Mary. One of the first origins can be traced back to Cyprian , bishop of Carthage, who in 248 AD clearly stat...