Image credit: Pixabay.com (2016), CC0/PD[/caption]
One could say that I own a *lot* of Rosaries. To be honest, I do not keep count, because yes, I do own a lot! Part of the reason is that I have a dear friend who makes them, and I love supporting her beautiful work, but another part is that I love to pray the Rosary. So I keep one tucked in all of the different areas where I think I may need to grab one: in the car, beside my bed, in the drawer of the end table near my favorite spot on the couch, in my daughter’s room, in the pocket of my robe. … No matter what happens, I have a Rosary at the ready!
Image credit: Pixabay.com (2016), CC0/PD[/caption]
I also adore having a saint friend to pray along with me as I move through my Rosary. What I mean by this is that I love Rosaries with different heavenly intercessors featured on the center piece, so that I can envision them praying along with me as I make my way through the mysteries. Our Blessed Mother certainly appears on more than one of my Rosaries, but I also enjoy Rosaries that feature other saints as well, so that I can covet their prayers, too. Of course, you can also employ this technique without a special Rosary simply by calling upon one of our dear brothers or sisters in the Church Triumphant, asking for their prayers, and calling their image to mind as you pray! Another idea is to collect prayer cards with images of the saints on them, to aid you in visualizing them as you pray.
Copyright 2020 Tiffany Walsh. All rights reserved.[/caption]
Sometimes I’ll select a saint to pray along with me because of the season. During Advent, I love having the Holy Family intercede for me, and in the fall I call upon those with September and October feast days: St. Teresa of Kolkata, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John Paul II, St. Jerome (patron of librarians!), and the guardian angels. Our Blessed Mother is always on my mind in May for her featured month, and near her February 11 feast I particularly think of her in her role as Our Lady of Lourdes. The Easter season always has me collaborating in prayer with the Divine Mercy image of Jesus.
Image credit: Pixabay.com (2015), CC0/PD[/caption]
Other times, I select a saint for intercession because of a season of life that I am encountering at that moment. Right now, I am quite focused on my son, who has started high school, and is taking some time to adjust to an increased academic workload and set of responsibilities. Lately, I have been asking for the intercession of St. Joseph, patron of his school, and St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students. Once spring sets in, I am certain that Our Lady of Fatima will join the list as well! She had a son that I am certain she worried over quite a bit; she has my back on this one!
As Ash Wednesday approaches, I am building my list of heavenly intercessors that I will pray with regularly over that six-week stretch.
Who are your go-to saints to pray with during Lent? Do you have certain saints whose intercession you seek specifically for intentions regarding your children? I would love to about them in the comments!
Copyright 2020 Tiffany Walsh
Copyright 2020 Tiffany Walsh
About the Author
Tiffany Walsh
Tiffany Walsh is a wife and mother, a native western New Yorker, and a college librarian. She is a cradle Catholic who rekindled her childhood faith as a graduate student via her love of books, and is the author of Exploring the Catholic Classics, part of the Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women series. She enjoys writing about faith, crafting, dance, fitness and wellness. Visit her blog at Life of a Catholic Librarian.
Comments