PathToHoliness

This past Saturday morning the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, Pensacola, hosted a Knights of Columbus display and ceremony of the Silver Rose program. There are several silver roses that travel around the country. In this case, our Florida member hands off the silver rose to a member in Alabama who will take it to the next stop.

The Silver Rose program demonstrates the unity between Knights of Columbus in Canada, the United States and Mexico, through a series of prayer services promoting the dignity of all human life and honoring Our Lady.

Each year, from early March through mid-December, Silver Roses are stewarded by Knights of Columbus councils along routes from Canada to Mexico. Every stop the Silver Rose makes throughout the pilgrimage is a rosary-centered occasion for Knights, parishioners and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Silver Rose Program began in 1960, when the first rose – a real, live one – was blessed by a bishop in Ontario. The rose then traveled to New York and then to Texas where it was taken across the border into Mexico. The rose ended its pilgrimage at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To better ensure future annual trips, a silver rose was ultimately made. Today, due to the popularity of the program throughout the North American continent, eight silver roses travel unique routes.

You can find more information here. Perhaps your local council can be selected for a stop on the annual pilgrimage. Thanks to Bob Pappas we have lots of photos of this event you can find here.

I never had an opportunity to meet or see Pope Benedict XVI but I have a memento to remind me of him.

A priest that said Mass at an Indy Car race I attended had just returned from Rome and had a number of rosaries with him that were blessed by Pope Benedict. He gave them to those of us who wanted one and this is it.

I prayed my rosary with it this morning!

If you’d like to offer some prayers for our outgoing Pope here are some petitions from a document titled, “LITURGICAL NOTES AND RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR USE UPON THE RESIGNATION OF THE POPE” (pdf) available from the Secretariat of Divine Worship of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

• That Pope Benedict XVI may be given the strength needed to complete faithfully and fully his remaining ministry as our Pope, we pray to the Lord.
• That Pope Benedict XVI, who has served the Church faithfully as Supreme Pontiff, may find peace and consolation as he turns to a life of prayer for the Church, we pray to the Lord.
• That the tireless efforts of Pope Benedict XVI in fostering the unity and communion of the Church may bear fruit in our hearts and among all Christians, we pray to the Lord.
• For Pope Benedict XVI, who preached that God is love and that we are saved in hope, that he may strengthened in hope and know God’s love for him now and for all eternity, we pray to the Lord.

On Father’s Day I really enjoyed myself working at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in Newton, IA. Of course I missed being with my family but I did get home at a reasonable time in the evening.

Once again IRL Ministry took care of us spiritually. Fr. Phil DeRea celebrated Mass in the Driver’s Mtg. Room at the Media Center. One of the drivers, Helio Castroneves, attended along with team members, media and other people involved in race day activities.

As a special treat, Fr. DeRea brought a number of rosaries to give away. He was in Rome on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and had them blessed by Pope Benedict. I was lucky to receive one.

After Mass I spoke with Fr. DeRea. He says that Father’s Day is an emotional day, especially when you think of the wonderful memories of our fathers. He calls IRL Ministry a “Parish on wheels.” He, along with another minister, provide Mass and church services at races around the country. He also performs other services like weddings and baptisms. He says IRL Ministry has permission from the Vatican through Pastoral Care For People On The Move.

You can listen to my interview with Fr. DeRea here: Fr. DeRea Interview

IRL Ministry is a 501c3 not-for-profit, non-denominational organization, which was developed to help the racing community. We exist because of the donations we receive from the racing community and great partners that join with us to reach out to the people that are part of this great sport. Our financial records are available for review by contacting our office. We desire to be good stewards of the blessings we are given.

I uploaded quite a few photos from the race which you can find here: Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

My Knights of Columbus Council 12992 met last night. It was very gratifying to see our Grand Knight pull out his rosary before we got started and lead us.

This is the month to especially honor our Lady and she means a lot to members of the Knights. When we become members we receive a rosary like the one in his hands in the photo. All Knights are encouraged to use their rosary daily, especially during this month.

There are a number of rosary apps in iTunes for your iPhone. Chelsea pointed me to the iRosary which I downloaded and installed last night. I will use it when I say my rosary today!

Speaking of saying the rosary, did you know that Real Men Pray The Rosary? They do according to a post on the Wall Street Journal. That led me to the RMPTR site. You can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Our goal at RMPTR is to do our part to keep the devotion to praying the Rosary alive and well in our time. In a world filled with fast – paced distractions and ubiquitous technology, we would like to encourage people to unplug from time to time, to share in something that doesn’t need electricity or an LCD screen. Just a clear mind for prayer and meditation on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Perhaps even daily?

This site is an invitation to ALL Christian men and women (the Rosary is not just for Catholics!)to experience the peaceful joy of praying the Rosary. We invite you to share in this journey with our Rosary community.

Rosary Stars is a DVD from Family Theater Productions featuring famous Catholics leading each of the decades. Find out more about who’s in it or . The trailer: