• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated at the Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto in Italy and became widespread among the numerous pilgrims who visited and learned to recite it. Accordingly, it is also called the Litany of Loreto.  History The oldest written copy of the litany in existence was found in Dillingen, German in 1558. It is called ‘Letania Loretana. Ordnung der Letaney von unser lieben Frawen wie sie zu Loreto alle Samstag gehalten’ which can be translated in English as ‘The Order of the Litany of Our Lady as said every Saturday at Loreto.’  The litany was approved by Pope Sixtus…

  • The Angelus Prayer

    The Angelus is a devotion celebrating The Annunciation from the Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 1:26-38, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to the Immaculate Virgin Mary that she had been chosen to conceive the Son of God.  The title is derived from the scripture Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ (The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.) The Angelus has been recited thrice daily in churches, monasteries, and convents around the world for over 700 years.  The Angelus V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of graceThe Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou among womenand blessed is the fruit…

  • The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

    The Finding of Jesus in the Temple is the fifth of the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It describes the prodigious intellect of 12 year old Jesus who felt drawn to remain in the house of God and lingered at the temple to debate with doctors of the law after his parents left Jerusalem. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple is from the Gospel of Luke 2:41-52: 41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.. 43 After…

  • The Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem

    The Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem is sometimes called The Birth of Jesus was recorded in the second chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke and the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew. It is the third of the Joyful Mysteries after The Annunciation and The Visitation. The Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem is depicted in Luke 2:6-12: 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because…

  • The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

    The Visitation is a meditation on the Blessed Virgin Mary‘s visit with her cousin St. Elizabeth after The Annunciation. It is the second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary.  The Immaculata had conceived Our Precious Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. During The Visitation, she learns that St. Elizabeth is pregnant with John The Baptist by her husband Zebadiah.   From the Gospel of Luke 1:39-56: 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,…

  • The Annunciation of the Lord

    The Annunciation is from The Gospel of Luke 1:26–38. It is also known as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Annuciation of the Lord. It is the announcement made by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she had been chosen by Almighty God to conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and that He would be called Jesus. 26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s…