A ROSARY STORY FROM CLAIRE...

Hi! I saw your invite on your blog to send in rosary stories? I wanted to share mine. ^___^

I did a 54-day Irresistible Novena, maybe a little more than a year ago from when I write this.

My life has changed so much since then!!! For the better! It would be almost impossible to describe to you the innumerable graces I've received and how much my life has changed like never before, but I guess I will sum it up with this: God is the living God, and you really know that when you pray the rosary, because of how He actively changes your life. It's like He breathes life into your life! And your life can grow and change like it never has before! It's so amazing! It's so amazing that I wish everyone prayed the rosary and had their Mama to flee to with their problems.

I'll tell you the specific grace I asked for with the novena and how it was answered, although it almost doesn't compare to the graces I've received that I didn't ask for -- the graces that are the fruits of the rosary, and the sweet care of God and His Mother.

I asked to go to school again. I didn't have any plans and my life was a complete mess - both inside and out (I could go on and on for pages about how messed up it was), but I had always wanted to go to animation school, since I was very little. There was no way, for so many reasons, that I could go - financially, my parents, my own personal life and emotional problems - it would take a miracle to be able to go to school. It would, actually, take a couple buckets full of miracles for me to go to school. So I asked Mary.

I had to pray for 54 days, which was, at first, very, very difficult. (I look back on it now as being amazing that it was ever so difficult. It would be much more difficult for me not to pray now than to continue praying...) Spiritually, I really didn't know as much or have as much spiritual strength as I did a year ago -- since then, I've learned so much, and so many prayers, and gotten so closer to God, that it isn't possible to describe to someone who hasn't traveled the same path (the path being, one who prays the rosary). It would have been ridiculous, a year ago, to try to tell me the mercies of God, because I just don't think I would have believed it, or comprehended it, and His mercies are something I can delight in all the time, through the good and bad.

At the time I was trying to get into school somehow, I was working at a job that I absolutely hated, but it actually turned out to be good for me because I got a lot closer to God through my trials and pain at the job. I learned to trust so much more in the Hand of God. I don't think the "door to grace," so to speak, would have been open for me to gain something from my suffering if I hadn't prayed the rosary.

Physically (temporally?), I got medicine for my physiological problems, and we just "somehow" found a way to make the money work... (Bless Mary!) My parents "coincidently" had a sudden change of heart about me going to school and we also suddenly had a closer, better relationship (that continues to grow and get better all the time). I suddenly "found myself" with a new set of friends who were encouraging and very nice to me, and were a big help in me getting over some problems I had with a bad sense of self-respect (it's hard to try to go to school when you don't respect yourself -- it's hard to do anything when you don't respect yourself; but not "self-love", just a healthy sense of self respect). I found a beautiful school with really high credential about 30 minutes from my house that I didn't know about. The first school I applied to rejected my portfolio (low admissions rate - only 6% were admitted) but the school close to my house that also had good credentials LOVED my portfolio and gave it one of the highest ratings for a portfolio that the admissions rep had ever seen.

BEST OF ALL, I was scheduled to go down and register for classes before I was supposed to
start school on my 21st birthday!!! It was so exciting to register for classes on my birthday
because it was my life dream! And it was a life dream that God and His Mother practically just
handed to me! It all went so smoothly!

My birthday is on December 10th, and I registered Dec 10th 2008. That was the one day in December that it snowed where I live (I live in Houston - if you don't believe me, you can check the weather reports ^_^ ).

That night, my dad gave me a pillow that had a picture of Our Lady of Guadelupe on it as a birthday gift to me -- and he didn't know that I prayed an Irresistible Novena to get into school!!! It was definitely the Hand of God. I also found out that the feast of Our Lady of Guadelupe is on December 12th, which neither my dad nor I had known until the day of the feast!! It was all so, so exciting!! And so mind-blowing!

The blessed Virgin has not abandoned me a single step of the way while I've been in school, either! I always turn to her for help with projects and my grades and getting my homework done.

God's gifts that He will give to those who pray the rosary are truly unfathomable!

Bless your efforts to get more people to pray the rosary, especially the scriptural rosary!

- Claire

A Message From Pat

I started the daily scriptural rosary fairly early...count about 2000 and pray daily. When we travel I take a printed copy with me and add to the count when I get back to the computer. I have shared the site with devout friends in our parish and will ask the pastor to include it in our bulletin. The lower count could be due to others who are on vacation. If they, like me, continue using a printed copy when away from the computer, perhaps you could encourage them to enter their count when they return. Good luck with your wonderful mission.

Thank you Pat!

What If.....?

If you haven't participated yet, there is a poll at the rosary site asking if you've ever used the site to pray. This was originally posted in November, 2008 and as of this posting, 258 unique individuals have said yes.

I started wondering what the numbers would look like if everyone of the 258 prayed one rosary every day. The results are below:

In one week: 1,806 rosaries prayed

In one 30 day month: 7,740 rosaries prayed

In one year: 94,170 rosaries prayed

It's a great habit to develop. You might find it very helpful to walk each day with Jesus and His Mother by praying the Holy Rosary.

It's just a thought.

As always, I continue to appreciate everyone's participation and prayers.

God Bless,

Bill

Advertising Update

How did you learn about our scriptural rosary site?

Please post a comment and let us know.

I need your help more than ever before getting the word out.

Why? Well... In the beginning I advertised on both Google and Yahoo. Many if not most found the site while searching information about the rosary.

If you don't already know, I'm a volunteer working in Florida. It is a one year commitment. I am paid a very small stipend. After a while, I had to pause the Yahoo advertising. Yesterday, I had to pause Google advertising. Both due to a shortage of funds.

Only 17 rosaries were prayed yesterday... our lowest count in a long time.

I thank all of you for your prayers and participation. For those interested in our mission to spread awareness and devotion to the Most Holy Rosary, I really need you. Please help spread the word. Blogs, emails to friends (no spam please), word of mouth, church bulletins and anything else you think may work. If you find something that works well please let me know and I will share it with everyone else.

Perhaps when my volunteer service ends I will be able to resume the advertising again.

I wrote this post particularly for those that follow the daily count. If yesterday was any indication, it looks like it may be down for a while.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that uses our site to pray the Holy Rosary. I am eternally grateful for your participation and prayers.

Bill

Happy Memorial Day!

What a wonderful day to reach a milestone.

Memorial Day 2009, near to my heart as my father was a veteran and I currently work with homeless veterans... a little more special this year as we surpassed 10,000 rosaries prayed at our scriptural rosary site.

Thank you all very much!

Please continue helping us in our mission to increase awareness and devotion to the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

God Bless,

Bill

Attention Marketers!

Hello Everyone,

Many people market online. If you are one of these people there is a new free text ad exchange that can help you advertise. I am renting the site and may purchase it if this works.

If you don't market, you probably won't find this post useful... at least for now.

Membership is FREE and EVERYONE has an opportunity to earn commissions from referral purchases. If you decide to upgrade, your commissions are increased as well as your points received for various activities.

This is an easy way to help support our Scriptural Rosary site for anyone trying to earn extra money online!

One very important thing to know! While there is never any obligation to purchase anything and membership is FREE, you will receive emails from other members that are promoting their products and services.

So... please DO NOT join if you do not wish to receive these emails!

You will need a free email account from google to join.

I own two other similar sites and you'll find them in the members area. I never intended to invite Scriptural Rosary participants but the theme of this new site seemed appropriate. You can see what I mean by visiting the link below:

Heavenly Adz

Thanks to all for your continued support and participation. We're approaching 10,000 rosaries prayed. I think that is truly amazing and hope that EVERYONE is experiencing the Benefits and Blessings of the Most Holy Rosary of Our Blessed Mother in a new and powerful way.

God Bless,

Bill

Please Pray For My Intention

Hello,

Many of you know that I am currently serving as a Catholic Volunteer. I work with homeless veterans at an organization named WIN/Vet.

My volunteer service ends in August, 2009. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me so that the choices I make about what to do when my service is complete will be Christ centered and not self-centered. Perhaps you will be kind enough to include this intention in some of your rosaries prayed.

I thank you for your prayers.

On a different note, it looks like 10,000 rosaries will be reached this month. I hope that all are experiencing the joys and rewards of this Holy prayer. May our prayers be pleasing to Our Lady and her Son, the Son of God, Jesus and may God produce many good fruits from our efforts.

Thank you all for your participation and prayers!

God Bless.