Our Spiritual Father

“If, then, we establish solid devotion to our Blessed Lady,
it is only to establish more perfectly devotion to Jesus Christ,
and to provide an easy and secure means for finding Jesus Christ.
If devotion to Our Lady removed us from Jesus Christ,
we should have to reject it as an illusion of the devil;
but so far from this being the case, devotion to Our Lady is, on the contrary,
necessary for us—as I have already shown, and will show still further hereafter--
as a means of finding Jesus Christ perfectly, of loving Him tenderly,
of serving Him faithfully.”
- St. Louis Marie de Montfort: True Devotion

Today we celebrate the feast day of a holy, venerable man whom we like to call one of our spiritual fathers: St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (the other being St. Joseph). Our hearts fill with gratitude to Our Lord for giving us such a saint who taught us how to love Our Lady as Jesus Christ did - totally and completely without reserve. 

One of the ways St. Louis taught in which we can achieve union of hearts with Jesus through Mary is through prayerful meditation of the rosary. When praying the rosary, we sit at the School of Mary. She teaches us to contemplate the beauty of the face of Christ, to experience the depths of His love, and to draw down the specific graces of each mystery upon Christ's living members, the Church. It is our custom to ask for the fruits of each mystery of the rosary according to the method St. Louis Marie de Montfort wrote for the Daughters of Wisdom. 

In addition to this manner of praying the rosary, St. Louis, who constantly strove to make the rosary a practical devotion and a way of bringing Jesus and Mary alive, also left four other ways of focusing our attention on the mystery at hand. Sacred Scripture is the pre-eminent meditation material for the rosary, but our poor minds and souls can find themselves in need of a fresh approach now and again. Sometimes just taking a different look at texts and mysteries can be enough to stir up the fires of devotion and love. Below are the Glorious Mysteries laid out using a combination of three of his methods. ​

The Resurrection

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy glorious Resurrection and we ask of Thee through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy Holy Mother, love of God and fervor in Thy service. Amen.

OUR FATHER...

HAIL MARY...

(Meditating each Hail Mary on a phrase)

1. To honor the descent of the Soul of Our Lord into hell. 
2. The joy and the release of the ancient fathers who were in limbo.
3. The re-uniting of His Body and Soul in the tomb.
4. His miraculous emergence from the tomb.
5. His victories over death and sin, the world and the devil.
6. The four qualities of His glorious Body.
7. The power that He received from His Father in heaven and on earth.
8. His appearances to His Mother, His Apostles and disciples.
9. His discourses on heaven and the meal that He had with His disciples.
10. The peace, the authority and the mission He gave them to go out into the whole world.

GLORY  BE...

May the grace of the Mystery of the Resurrection come down into our souls. Amen.

O Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.

The Ascension

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy Triumphant Ascension and we ask of Thee, through this mystery and through the intercession of Thy Holy Mother, an ardent desire for heaven, our true home. Amen.

OUR FATHER...

​HAIL MARY...

Meditating on the mystery by adding the phrase "Jesus ascending" to each Hail Mary.

​Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus ascending. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Mystery of Pentecost

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of the Mystery of Pentecost and we ask of Thee, through this mystery and through the intercession of Thy Holy Mother, the coming of the Holy Ghost into our souls. Amen.

OUR FATHER...

​​HAIL MARY...

1. To honor the truth of God the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son and Who is the love of the Godhead.
2. The sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles by the Father and the Son.
3. His descent accompanied by the sound of a great wind which shows His might and power.
4. The tongues of fire He sent to the Apostles giving them an understanding of the scriptures and love of God and neighbor.
5. The fullness of grace which the heart of Mary, His faithful spouse, was privileged to receive.
6. The marvelous guidance He gave to all the saints and even to the person of Jesus Christ during all His life.
7. The twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit.
8. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
9. To ask especially for the gift of wisdom and the coming of His kingdom into men's hearts.
10. To be victorious over the three evil spirits that are opposed to Him, namely the spirit of the flesh, of the world and of the devil.

The Assumption

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy Assumption of Thy Holy Mother into heaven, and we ask of Thee, through this mystery and through her intercession, a tender devotion to so good a Mother. Amen.

OUR FATHER...

​HAIL MARY...

Meditating on the mystery by adding the phrase "Jesus raising thee up" to each Hail Mary.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus raising thee up. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Coronation

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy crowning of Thy Holy Mother Queen of Heaven and Earth, and we ask of Thee, through this mystery and through her intercession, the grace of final perseverance and a crown of glory hereafter. Amen.

OUR FATHER...

​HAIL MARY...

To honor the triple crown which Mary received from the Holy Trinity.

1. The joy and the added glory that heaven received through her triumphant entry.
2. To acknowledge her as queen of heaven and earth, of angels and men.
3. As treasurer and dispenser of the graces of God, the merits of Jesus Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
4. Mediatrix and advocate of men.
5. Exterminator and destroyer of the devil and of heresies.
6. Safe refuge of sinners.
7. Nurturing Mother of sinners.
8. The joy and delight of the just.
9. Refuge for all the living, all-powerful relief for the afflicted, for the dying and for the souls in purgatory.

Totus Tuus ego sum et omnia mea Tua sunt.
​Accipio Te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor Tuum, Maria. ​

I am Thine, and all that I have is Thine.
​I take Thee for my all, give me Thy heart, O Mary.

-motto of Pope St. John Paul II taken from St. Louis Marie de Motfort's True Devotion
- aspiration prayed by the sisters throughout the day