Pray for the Souls in Purgatory

 

 Pray for the Souls in Purgatory

Dawn Pisturino

November 1, 2025

The Secret of the Rosary

 

Long before I converted to Catholicism, I loved the Virgin Mary. Although my mother was Catholic, she was not a practicing one. I never saw her pray or recite the rosary. She only attended mass if I begged her to go with me. She never taught me anything about the Catholic religion. She did let me take her ivory rosary, which she had kept from her youth, and later gave me her old, tattered Catholic prayer book, which I still treasure.

As a teenager, I fell in with a group of fundamentalist Catholics, and that's where I learned about the Virgin Mary and the rosary. They gave me St. Louis de Montfort's book, The Secret of the Rosary, and I was hooked for life. I fell in love with the Virgin Mary. Later on in life, I went through RCIA and officially converted.

During one of the most difficult periods in my life, when God severely tested me, I relied on the Virgin Mary, the rosary, and St. Louis de Montfort's book to keep going. The alternative would have been suicide. And even though I suffered greatly during that time, God pointed me in the right direction and made sure that my life turned around. He blessed me with a beautiful and productive life. I have learned a lot from all of my mistakes. I have learned a lot from all of my suffering. The Virgin Mary never left me. She lifted me up and made me whole. I found redemption and salvation in Christ. I found safety and security in my Catholic faith. And even though it is easy to be discouraged with the world and its current direction, we must all as Catholics stand fast and pray and put our faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary.

I highly recommend St. Louis de Montfort's book to every Catholic. It is just as relevant today as when he wrote it.

St. Louis de Montfort's Prayer to Mary

  Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father! Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son! Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost! Hail Mary, my dear Mother, my loving mistress, my powerful sovereign! Hail my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul! Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am all thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If thou still seest in me anything which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee to take it and to make thyself the absolute mistress of all that is mine. Destroy in me all that may be displeasing to God, root it up and bring it to nought; place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.

     May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind; may thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination; may thy continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine; may thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine, to know Jesus and His Divine will; that I may have no other soul but thine, to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but thine, to love God with a love as pure and ardent as thine. I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotion or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly; it is thy privilege to enjoy Heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over Angels, men and demons; it is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou wilIest.

Such is, O Heavenly Mary, the "best part," which the Lord has given thee and which shall never be taken away from thee, and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine: to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures; to suffer joyfully without human consolation; to die continually to myself without respite; and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death as the humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: "Amen, so be it, to all that thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all that thou art now doing in Heaven. Amen, so be it, to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity." Amen.

~

Dawn Pisturino

September 6, 2022

Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City

On December 9, 1531, Cuauhtlatohuac, an Indian Catholic convert who was baptized Juan Diego, was walking to morning mass when he suddenly heard beautiful music in the air near Tepeyac Hill. A shining cloud appeared. Out of the cloud appeared a beautiful Indian woman dressed like an Aztec Princess. She addressed Juan in his native language and told him to go to the Bishop of Mexico and build a chapel on the spot.

The Bishop did not immediately believe Juan. But on December 12, 1531, Juan returned to the Bishop after visiting with the mysterious lady. When he opened his cloak, roses fell to the ground and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the cloth where the roses had been lying. The image remained permanently on the cloth.

A Basilica was built on the spot where the apparitions were seen, more Indians converted to Catholicism, and Tepeyac became a great pilgrimage destination.

Cuauhtlatohuac is now known as Saint Juan Diego, and Our Lady of Guadalupe has become the Patron Saint of Mexico and the Americas. The miracle validated the worth of ALL PEOPLE and served as a reminder and condemnation of the cruelty of the Spanish conquistadores in Latin America.

We all have our Tepeyac,

Our hill we're hurrying over in these December days.

Perhaps, like Juan Diego,

We are even avoiding You.

In our rush to get where we're going --

To finish the shopping,

To hang the decorations,

To prepare the meal.

May each one of us be stunned,

Stopped in our tracks,

By Your call to us in our native tongue.

Alone as we may feel this Advent,

Speak to us once more --

Remind us of this:

That You are here,

That You are Our Mother,

That You love us tenderly and unfailingly.

May we gather Your roses,

So improbably blooming in the winter chill,

And shower them on a weary world,

Hungry for hope.

Amen.

~Cameron Bellm~

from http://www.jesuits.org. 

Cameron Bellm is a Catholic writer.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

O Virgin of Guadalupe,

Mother of the Americas,

grant to our homes the grace of loving
and respecting life in its beginnings,
with the same love with which
you conceived in your womb
the life of the Son of God.
Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of Fair Love,
protect our families so that
they may always be united
and bless the upbringing of our children.

Our hope, look upon us with pity,
teach is to go continually to Jesus,
and if we fall
help us to rise again and return to Him
through the confession of our faults
and our sins in the Sacrament of penance,
which gives peace to the soul.

We beg you to grant us a great love
of all the holy Sacraments,
which are, as it were,
the signs that your Son left us on earth.
Thus, Most Holy Mother,
with the peace of God in our consciences,
with our hearts free from evil and hatred,
we will be able to bring to all others
true joy and peace,
which come to us from your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

~Pope John Paul II~

May Our Blessed Holy Mother Bless You and Keep You!

Dawn Pisturino

December 11, 2021

Our Lady of the Arctic Snows

 

The Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska ministers to the Eskimo population and honors the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Arctic Snows with a 9-day novena every year at Christmastime. This year, the novena will go from December 26th to January 3rd.

Website: http://www.dioceseoffairbanks.org/joomla

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Arctic Snows, please bless my family with a shower of graces from your merciful heart. Give us strength to overcome our struggles and guide us to unite ourselves to one another in devotion to the Gospel. May the example of the Holy Family, with the aid of your Holy Spirit, protect us against all difficulties we may encounter and urge us to live truthful, compassionate, and faith-filled lives. May the love that binds us only grow stronger as we walk closer with you. Please help us to actively encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life within our homes. Grant me and my family forgiveness for any sins we have committed and help us to forgive each other. Lord, please grant a return to the Church and sacraments for any of my family who have drifted away. During this special family novena to Mary under her title, Our Lady of the Arctic Snows, I humbly ask for this special intention:

______________________________________

Amen.

Our Father - Hail, Mary! - Glory Be to the Father.

Our Lady of the Arctic Snows, Pray for us.

Peace be with you all!

Dawn Pisturino

December 2, 2021

Prayer of Entrusting the Church to Mary, Mother of God

 

Is the Church in trouble? Does it need help? Are our Catholic leaders failing us? The Catholic Church was consecrated to our Blessed Holy Mother. Her intercession is important if we want to see the Church grow stronger, attract new members, and remain loyal to its moral compass and Catholic teachings.

Please Pray:

O Mother of all peoples; you know all their sufferings and their hopes. You maternally feel all their struggles between good and evil, between the light and the darkness which shake the world. Receive our cry, directed in the Holy Spirit straight to your heart and, with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord, embrace the individuals and peoples who must look for this embrace, together with the individuals and peoples to whose trust you attend in a particular way. Take the entire human family under your maternal protection. With outflows of affection, O Mother, we entrust it to you. May the time of peace and liberty approach for all, the time of truth, justice, and hope.

Amen. 

(Prayer from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception)

Dawn Pisturino

April 28, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Our Lady of Knock - Queen of Ireland

Knock, West Ireland (Cnoc Mhuire - "Mary's Hill") was blessed on August 21, 1879 with an apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist carrying the book of Gospels, and the symbol of the Cross and the Lamb resting on an unadorned altar. Angels were observed adoring Jesus (represented  by the Cross and the Lamb.) The village church - where the apparition occurred outside in the midst of a rainstorm - seemed to glow with a strange light. The heavenly figures appeared full-bodied, radiating a luminous light.

At the time, Knock was experiencing a major crop failure. The apparition gave hope to the Irish people.

Pilgrimages to Knock began in 1880. Many miraculous healings were reported. The Knock Shrine Society was created  in August 21, 1935. 

Decades after they witnessed the apparition, Mary Byrne O'Connell and Patrick Byrne confirmed what they saw to a commission set up to investigate the miraculous event. 

During Marian Year 1954, Pope Pius XII recognized the Knock Shrine as an important Marian Shrine.

In 1976, the Church of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, opened to the public. The church was designated a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1979. The first National Novena was held at Knock in 1977. In 1993, 50,000 people flooded the Shrine to see Mother Teresa.

Prayers to Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland

I.

Great Mary,

Greatest of Marys,

Greatest of Women,

Mother of Eternal Glory,

Mother of the Golden Light,

Honor of the Sky,

Temple of the Divinity,

Fountain of the gardens,

Serene as the Moon,

Bright as the Sun,

Garden Enclosed,

Temple of the Living God,

Light of Nazareth,

Beauty of the World,

Queen of Life,

Ladder of Heaven,

Mother of God.

Pray for us.

II.

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland,

You gave hope to our people

In a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow.

You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence

To your divine Son, remembering this promise:

"Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find."

Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims

On the road to Heaven. 

Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Especially those who live with me.

Comfort me when I am sick or lonely or depressed.

Teach me how to take part

Ever more reverently in the holy Mass.

Pray for me now, and at the hour of my death.

Amen.

Have a Blessed Saint Patrick's Day. Honor your Irish roots. Pray for the Catholic Church.

Dawn Pisturino

March 16, 2020

Copyright 2020 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Help America

There are many books, CDs, and DVDs available to help us pray the Rosary. Please pray ceaselessly to the Virgin Mary to HELP AMERICA. Our country is under attack by people who want to end our religious freedom, our freedom of speech, and our ability to make independent decisions. With God's help, we can defeat the forces of evil that are trying to harm America and the American people.

Dawn Pisturino

June 13, 2019

Copyright 2013 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved. 

Regina Caeli

 

 

Mary said "Yes!" to God's invitation to become the mother of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. She raised him, shared his joys and sufferings, and witnessed his horrible death. And now, she is with him in Heaven. She is the model for feminine beauty, modesty, and holiness. She is the model of dedicated motherhood. She is the model for patient suffering. And she is our witness to her son and God Himself. Bless you, Mary, for being our mother, too.

Regina Caeli

V. Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia.

R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

V.  Has risen, as He said, alleluia.

R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. Because our Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dawn Pisturino
June 18, 2018

Copyright 2018 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Thanksgiving Blessings

A Blessing for the House and Family

Visit, we beseech you, O Lord, this house and family,
and drive far from it all the snares of the enemy; let
your holy angels dwell therein, who will keep us in
peace, and let your blessing be always upon us:
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Blessing for the Less Fortunate

O God, our Father, we ask you to bless those for
whom there will be no sleep tonight; those who must
work throughout the night to maintain the public
services, doctors who must wake to usher new life into
the world, to close the eyes of those for whom this life
is passing away, to ease the sufferer's pain; nurses and
all who watch by the bedside of those who are ill; those
who this night will not sleep because of the pain of
their body or the distress of their mind; those in
misfortune, who will lie down in hunger and in cold;
those who are far from home and far from friends, and
who are lonely as the shadows fall. Grant that in our
own happiness and comfort we may never forget the
sorrow and the pain, the loneliness and the need of
others in the slow, dark hours. This we ask for your
love's sake.  Amen.

~ William Barclay ~

General Blessings

May the Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and bring us to life everlasting; and may the souls of
the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

~ Manual of Our Lady ~

Prayer to Mary

O, that the spirit of Mary were in us to glorify the Lord!
That the spirit of Mary were in us to rejoice in God.

~ Saint Ambrose ~

Pray for our nation and an end to hatred and strife. Help President Trump and Congress do what is right for our Nation and the American people -- and bring America back to God.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Dawn Pisturino

November 16, 2017

Copyright 2017 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.





 

The Angelus

Artwork by Jean Francois Millet

"The Angelus"

V.  The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,

R.  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

      Hail Mary, full of Grace . . .

V.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R.  Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

      Hail Mary, full of Grace . . .

V.  And the Word was made flesh.

R.  And dwelt among us.

      Hail Mary, full of grace . . .

V.  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R.  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.

Through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

 

The Angelus prayer developed over several centuries into its present form and is traditionally recited at 6 am, 12 noon, and 6 pm. In some places, it is accompanied by a bell. This wonderful Marian devotion reminds us that Mary said "Yes!" when the Angel Gabriel delivered God's request that she become the mother of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Dawn Pisturino

Salve Regina

Artwork by Stephen Pisturino

Copyright©2014. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

The “Hail, Holy Queen” (Salve Regina) is attributed to a German monk, Hermann of Reichenau.  This beautiful prayer to the Blessed Holy Mother is traditionally said at the end of the Rosary.

 

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee to we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Salve, Regina

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
R. Ut digni efficamur promissionibus Christi.

The Salve Regina in Song



 

Pray the Rosary Daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hail, Mary!

 

The Annunciation Dove by Jean Fouquet

 

The Annunciation reminds us that Mary, without question, and with complete faith and devotion to God's will, accepted God's offer to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.

 

The Hail Mary

 

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 

Hail, Mary! is the greeting made to Mary by the Angel Gabriel when he delivered the awesome message that God had chosen Mary, above all women, to be the Mother of God.  The complete prayer did not come into common practice until the 15th century. The Hail Mary is now the foundation of the Holy Rosary. The Annunciation is the first mystery in the Joyful Mysteries.

 

PRAY THE ROSARY DAILY

 

August Devotion: The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your immaculate heart. Amen.

 

And don't forget The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin on August 15th.

God Bless You.

 

Dawn Pisturino

August 12, 2014

Copyright 2014 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.



 

The Memorare

The Memorare is a traditional Catholic prayer dedicated to the Blessed Holy Mother. Originally composed as part of a longer prayer, the words were adapted into a separate devotion by the late 15th century. Father Claude Bernard (1588-1641), a French priest, was particularly devoted to this beautiful intercession to the Blessed Virgin. When struck down by serious illness, his prayers to the Holy Mother were quickly answered. He began to get well as soon as he prayed the Memorare.  He used this powerful prayer in his ministry with convicts and those condemned to death. Many prisoners were converted from a life of sin through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mother Theresa used the Memorare in a quick novena. She would pray the devotion nine times in succession, imploring the Holy Mother's help.

The prayer is often attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153.)

 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

 

July Dedication:  The Precious Blood of Jesus

 

Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to earth from the bosom of the Father, and did shed your Precious Blood for the remission of our sins: we humbly beseech You, that on the day of judgment we may deserve to hear, standing at Your right hand: "Come, ye blessed." Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Dawn Pisturino

July 28, 2014

Copyright 2014 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.