Religion: Feast Day of Mother Mary September 8

September 8 commemorates Mary's birtday and it's also the feast day of Our Lady of Velankanni.  I'm posting the Novena Prayer to our Lady of Velankanni, also known as Our Lady of Good Health.

Some friends and I have been praying to Our Lady of Velankanni who has showered us with many gifts.

Novena Prayer to Our Lady of Velankanni 


Oh Most Holy Virgin! You were chosen by the Most Adorable Trinity from all eternity to be the most pure Mother of Jesus. Permit me, your humble and devoted servant, to remind you of the joy received in the instant of the Most Sacred Incarnation of our Divine Lord and during the nine months you carried Him in your chaste womb. I wish most sincerely that I could renew, or even increase that joy, by the fervour of my Prayers.

Feastday of Our Lady of Velankanni & Our Lady's Birthday today

Novena Prayer to Our Lady of Velankanni


Oh Most Holy Virgin! You were chosen by the Most Adorable Trinity from all eternity to be the most pure Mother of Jesus. Permit me, your humble and devoted servant, to remind you of the joy received in the instant of the Most Sacred Incarnation of our Divine Lord and during the nine months you carried Him in your chaste womb. I wish most sincerely that I could renew, or even increase that joy, by the fervour of my Prayers.


Oh! Tender Mother of the afflicted! Grant me under my present necessities that special protection You have promised to those who devoutly commemorate this ineffable joy. Relying on the infinite mercies of your Divine Son, trusting in the promise which He has made that those who ask should receive, and penetrated with confidence in your powerful prayers, I most humbly entreat you intercede for me. I beg you to obtain for me the favours which I petition for in this novena, if it be the Holy Will of God to grant them; to ask for me whatever graces I most stand in need of.

(Here specify your requests)

I desire by this novena, which I now offer in your honour, to prove the lively confidence I have in your intercession. Accept it, I beseech you, in honour of that supernatural love and joy, with which your Immaculate Heart was replenished during the abode of your divine Son in your womb; in veneration of which, I offer you the sentiments of my heart.

(Repeat the Hail Mary nine times)
and then say the following prayer:-

Oh! Mother of God! accept these salutations in union with the respect and veneration with which the Angel Gabriel first hailed you, "Full of Grace" I wish most sincerely that they may become so many gems in the crown of your incidental glory, which will increase in brightness to the end of the world.

I beseech you, Oh! comfortress of the afflicted, by the joy you received, when the word was made flesh, to obtain for me the favours and graces, which I have now implored through your powerful intercession. For this end I offer you all the good works which have even been performed in your honour. I most humbly entreat you for the love of the amiable Heart of Jesus, with which yours was ever so inflamed, to hear my humble prayers and to obtain my requests.
- Amen.

Call for Submissions - Religious book on Marian Sites

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

This is a call for submissions of creative nonfiction for an anthology tentatively titled, MAMA MARY’S PILGRIM SITES. The book will be edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard and published in the Philippines by Anvil. Contributors will receive copies of the book as compensation for the use of their work.

The manuscript should be approximately 1,300-2,000 words. This should be emailed to palhbooks@gmail.com.

The book will collect true accounts of pilgrims’ visits to Marian sites. The anthology will be something like a “tour guide” to other devotees of Mary who are interested in visiting Marian sites.

The editor is looking for well-written religious essays about people’s experiences when they visited Marian sites, in particular sites where Mary has appeared or where miracles have occurred because of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some of the questions that should be addressed are: Why did the person make the visit? Where is the Marian site located? What is the history of the site? What did the person do while at the Marian site? What did the person experience while there or after the visit? Did the person experience any emotional or physical healing? Did the person experience any psychological change as a result of the pilgrimage?

Some Marian sites follow: Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje, Knock, Pontmain, Pellevoisin, Giertzwald, Beauraing, Banneux, Paris, Rome, La Sallete, Guadalupe, Syracuse, Vellankani (India), Montserrat, La Vang (Vietnam), Zaragoza, Ephesus, Loreto, Czestochowa, Philippine-sites, and many more.

Some writers have promised to write about: Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Velankanni, Ephesus, Ethiopia, Our Lady of Pillar, Medjugorje, Greenbay - the book will try not to duplicate Marian Sites.

The publisher is Philippine-based; contributors with a Filipino connection are preferred.

Deadline for submission is October 15, 2011. Early submissions are welcome. Please send your manuscript and bio (approx. 150 words) in people-friendly narrative form. Be sure and include your contact information.

*
ABOUT THE EDITOR: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the award-winning author/editor of over a dozen books. (http://www.ceciliabrainard.com)

Our Lady of Velankanni Prayer Group

A group of us have been meeting once a month to pray to Our Lady of Velankanni (Our Lady of Good Health) at Maria Ciocon's house, under the spiritual guidance of Father Sebastian and Father George. The group picture shows: Miguel,Marietta, Lucy Adao McGinley, Patrick McGinley, Beverly Bonzon, Father Sebastian, Maria Ciocon, Med Villanueva, Cecilia Brainard


The picture of three shows: Sim Ciocon, Father Sebastian, and Maria Ciocon

Bishop Declares Marian Site in Wisconsin, On par Fatima, Lourdes

I was delighted to read in yesterday's Los Angeles Times that there is a church-recognized Marian site in the U.S. Here are relevant links:
Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help <
http://shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/>
The Bishop's Declaration

Information re Our Lady of Good Help

Article re Our Lady of Good Help Shrine

MORE RE MIRACLE: THANKS TO MARY, JOSEPH, BLESSED ANDRE

A followup letter from my friend with the miraculous healing:

"I continue to improve and continue to give my thanks--to Mary, Joseph, and Brother Andre. And also to you!

You certainly have my permission to post my letter. Although I am not completely pain free, walking continues to be a great deal easier than it was for me--and the first improvement came on the first morning after I visited with you and used the water and the oil. I have noticed even more improvement since then. Warm, dry weather undoubtedly helps, as does the swimming I've been able to do in the past week, but I credit the water from Lourdes and Brother Andre's oil for the greatest results. A miracle is what I do believe I have to call it!

Love to you,"

MIRACLE THANK MARY, JOSEPH, BROTHER ANDRE

Here's a followup letter from my writer friend about her healing:~~~~~
Hi Cecilia,

The bottle of water from Lourdes, along with the prayer to Mary, arrived,
late Friday evening (uncanny timing!) and I used some of it then and again
yesterday and today. I'm really touched by your caring enough to do this for
me--the total experience has been both emotionally and (literally)
physically uplifting.

My legs are unquestionably better and to Mary, Joseph, Brother Andre (et
all) I continue to say my thanksgivings. Many thanks to you too, Cecilia.
What an Easter gift!

I went swimming yesterday and spent some of today at Forest Lawn where my
mother's ashes are interred. Lots of kids there, flowers, balloons.
Positively festive. I hope your day was happy for all of you and that a good
week lies ahead. I know you have another wonderful trip just ahead of you
and I look forward to hearing all about it when I see you in May.

Much love,

A MIRACLE - THANK MARY, JOSEPH, BROTHER ANDRE OF MONTREAL!

I gave a writer friend, who has been needing a cane to walk, some water from Lourdes, France and Brother Andre's Oil (from St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal). This is her email to me. We are claiming this MIRACLE in the name of Jesus Christ!
Hi Cecilia,

It was great to see you last week. I enjoyed our visit so much! Also the
great lunch. And thanks so much for your gifts. Or should I say blessings?
(I did leave feeling quite literally blessed.)

When I got home, after a bath, I used the Lourdes water you gave me on my
knees, and then the oil. And said my thanksgivings....

It gives me a strange feeling to even write this--but the next morning when
I got up my knees were more flexible (I could stand right away, something
that usually takes me ten minutes or more to do) and the pain had lessened.
Because it was a morning filled with moisture--some showers on the way & a
lot of chilly wind--I couldn't attribute this benefit to the weather. Of
course I didn't know if the improvement would last, but I walked much
better, and without a cane, all that day and throughout most of the weekend.

And I have continued to walk with much more ease and with minimal pain. I do
thank whatever powers might be! And can only hope that they will stay with
me. The water is, of course, gone--but I still have the oil (I gave a little
of it to a neighbor who has a sore ear.)

Wow! I really appreciate your gifts, Cecilia (and Brother Andre's and St.
Joseph's.) And I always get a lift from your company. Hope you and Loren
had a relaxing weekend away.

Thanks again. We are both so busy, but I hope we can stay in touch.

Happy Easter to you and to Loren and to all your family.
Love,

~~~~~
Here are sites about Blessed Brother Andre and Our Lady of Lourdes
Blessed Brother Andre Bessette, C.S.C. - The Holy Cross Brothers
Brother Andre His Life and Times
Official Site St. Joseph Oratory
Our Lady of Lourdes