Devotion to Our Lady |
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SIZE: 13 inches x 19 inches
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SIZE: 11 inches x 17 inches
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SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF OUR LADY
“All the unmarried men gathered in the temple and prayed to the Lord conjointly with the priests, in order to be governed by the Holy Spirit in what they were about to do. The Most High spoke to the heart of the high priest, inspiring him to place into the hands of each one of the young men a dry stick, with the command that each ask his Majesty with a lively faith, to single out the one whom He had chosen as the spouse of Mary.” “And as the sweet odor of her virtue and nobility, the fame of her beauty, her possessions and her modesty, and her position as being the firstborn in her family was known to all of them, each one coveted the happiness of meriting her as a spouse. Among them all only the humble and most upright Joseph thought himself unworthy of such a great blessing; and remembering the vow of chastity which he had made and resolving anew its perpetual observance, he resigned himself to God’s will, leaving it all to His disposal and being filled at the same time with a veneration and esteem greater than that of any of the others for the most noble maiden Mary.” “While they were thus engaged in prayer the staff which Joseph held was seen to blossom and at the same time a dove of purest white and resplendent with admirable light, was seen to descend and rest upon the head of the saint, while in the interior of his heart God spoke: “Joseph, my servant, Mary shall be thy Spouse; accept Her with attentive reverence, for She is acceptable in my eyes, just and most pure in soul and body, and thou shalt do all that She shall say to Thee.” “At this manifestation and token from heaven the priests declared Saint Joseph as the spouse selected by God himself for the maiden Mary. Calling Her forth for her espousal, the Chosen one issued forth like the sun, more resplendent than the moon, and She entered into the presence of all with a countenance more beautiful than that of an angel, incomparable in the charm of her beauty, nobility and grace; and the priests espoused Her to the most chaste and holy of man, Saint Joseph.” |
OUR LADY OF CALEVOURT, NEAR BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (1454)
The Abbot Mathieu Orsini wrote: “Our Lady of Calevourt, at Uckelen, near Brussels. This image began to work miracles in the year 1451, which led to the determination to build a magnificent chapel in honor of Our Blessed Lady, in the year 1623, which the Infanta of Spain, Isabella Clara Eugenia, devoutly visited in the same year.” The image of Our Lady is known under various titles, due to the fact that Mary gives aid, even miraculous aid, when called upon for help. Our Lady of Calevourt is perhaps better known as Our Lady of Good Success, or Our Lady of Aberdeen. We are told that during the Protestant “Reformation,” the figure was taken to Flanders and hidden away by a Catholic family to protect it from profanation; in due course it fell into the hands of Protestants. This family received numerous graces and blessings which they attributed to the presence of the holy image in their house. They were reconciled to the Church as a result. In 1623 a Spanish captain was given the statue with instructions to place it into the hands of Archduchess Isabella. The arrival of the statue in Brussels is related under several incidents. The same day the ship arrived, the Infanta Isabella won a battle against the Hollanders. The Princess sent the statue back to Brussels, providing the necessary funds for a sanctuary she intended to be called Our Lady of Aberdeen. The townspeople greeted the statue enthusiastically with a procession and placed it in the chapel, but when the victory became known, the name of the sanctuary was changed and dedicated instead to Our Lady of Good Success. From that time on Mary traveled from place to place, but always her image was saved. During the Terrors of the French Revolution the statue was given to an English Catholic who kept it safe until 1805, when it was restored to Belgium. A few years later the Protestants forced the image to be transferred to a parish church in Finistere, where the image now reigns peacefully over her beloved people. The statue is of the Blessed Mother standing with her Divine Child reclining on her right arm, His feet supported by the lift hand of His mother. Our Lady holds a key and a large rosary. |
Crosswords can be a fun way of reminding ourselves of what we already know and also learning new facts that we did not know. We hope to regularly post crosswords that deal with a variety of aspects concerning Our Lady: her life, her apparitions, her messages and devotion to her in general. We hope you find time over your favorite snack or drink to tackle these not-too-difficult crosswords.
You can download each crossword in an Adobe PDF format (which will include the blank crossword, the clues and a filled-in crossword showing the correct answers; or you can print the crossword from what you see online, that is on your computer screen (which will include the blank crossword and the clues, BUT NO ANSWERS, as the answers will be posted a day or two later. Enjoy! Ave Maria! (CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE PAGE) |