“Roses of the Fairest” – what does that mean exactly?
Well, this evening the Holy Spirit and Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. got my attention which led into the title of “roses of the fairest.” Today was the First Saturday of the month of December. In fact, it is the last First Saturday of the year of 2024. In 45 minutes as I am writing this blog – it will be Sunday, December 8th – the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Due to this feast of Our Lady falling on a Sunday – the Catholic Church will celebrate it on Monday, December 9th which is also the Feast of St. Juan Diego!
Roses, Roses, Roses! Everything seems to be coming up “Roses!”
I wish this posting to be an offering of “roses of the fairest” to be presented to Our Blessed Mother for Her feast day of “The Immaculate Conception.”
How will we do that? Well, let’s first meet Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. and take it from there!
A Beacon of LightFr. Andrew Apostoli was a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. In 1987 – he was one of eight Capuchin friars who founded this community in New York City in 1987 and in 1988 – he founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. In October of 2012, he began hosting the weekly “Sunday Night Prime” show on EWTN. He followed in the footsteps of Fr. Benedict Groeschel – another C.F.R. Franciscan who was of ill health at the time and could no longer continue as host of the program.
Fr. Andrew had a very great love for Our Lady and her rosary. He wrote numerous books, “Following Mary to Jesus,” “When God Asks for an Undivided Heart” and “Fatima for Today.”
He actually was ordained by Archbishop Fulton Sheen on March 16, 1967 and eventually became the Vice Postulator for Archbishop Sheen’s cause for canonization.
It was in April of 2017 that a few of us from our present prayer group were blessed to meet Fr. Andrew. He gave a retreat day at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception on Long Island. At that time, he was in a wheelchair – yet was still able to give a beautiful teaching on Fatima. Fr. Andrew even autographed his book for all present on “Fatima for Today.” Little did we know that he would receive from Our Lord “his call home” on December 13th.
Everyone that came into contact with him whether it be in person or on t.v. were saddened by this great loss of his presence and his teachings.
The anniversary of his death is coming up this week – yet it seems he is very busy – much like St. Therese spreading “roses of the fairest” for those devoted to Our Blessed Mother. He is very much present to us!
Last Sunday, our prayer group embarked on a journey for “Advent with Our Lady of Fatima.” This book is written by Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle who was a dear friend of Fr. Andrew Apostoli. She said the Franciscan priest affected her life in profound ways. “She believes God allowed him to suffer redemptively during the 100th anniversary year of Our Lady of Fatima because he willingly offered his suffering for God’s glory and the people’s good.”
It’s just been one week that we have travelled this journey and it has proved beyond providential.
We could say Fr. Andrew is teaching us on how to give “roses of the fairest” to our Heavenly Mother.
How? Well read on! Let us all follow this path in 2025!
First Saturday is a devotion that is meant to be a devotion of prayer and reparation – especially for those who offend against the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady!
Our Blessed Mother identified herself to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in the following words – “I am the Immaculate Conception!” In our world today – the “Immaculate Conception” is blasphemed!
Jesus would appear to Sr. Lucia – the remaining visionary of Fatima in a Convent in Pontevedra on December 10, 1925. He spoke to her as follows:
“Have compassion on the Heart of your holy mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment and there is no one who does an act of reparation to remove them.”
Our Lady would then show her Heart to Lucia announcing her request:
“Look, my daughter, at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least; try to console me and say that – I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months
shall confess,
receive Holy Communion,
recite five decades of the Rosary,
and keep me company for fifteen minutes
while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary,
with the intention of making reparation to me.”
It is important to know why there are five times of reparation and what each reparation is for. Sr. Lucia would explain it in a letter dated June 12, 1930. She tells us that Our Lord appeared to her in the convent chapel on the night of May 29-30, 1930 and told her the following:
“Daughter, the motive is simple: there are five ways in which people offend and blaspheme against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
There are blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, against her virginity, against her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to accept her as Mother of all mankind, by those who try publicly to implant in the hearts of children indifference, contempt and even hate against this Immaculate Mother and by those who insult her directly in her sacred images.
“Roses of the Fairest” – the title for this blog was birthed by finding the above pictured book late this evening. It seemed that Fr. Andrew Apostoli was making a grand appearance on this First Saturday of December not only to myself but to our prayer group. . .and to all of you!
Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle structured her book – “Advent with Our Lady of Fatima” with choosing to introduce us to Fr. Andrew in an intimate way.
His words, his wisdom – little stories are strewn throughout the pages to help us walk this Advent with Our Lady of Fatima and Fr. Andrew Apostoli!
Just yesterday – we were drawn as a prayer group to pray for his soul – offering our rosaries up for him. It seemed that he was very grateful for those prayers and wanted to further accentuate the importance of the message of Fatima and First Saturday devotions. The finding of the book this evening was certainly a moment of “divine providence” that drove this message home strongly!
What truly moved me was a “Consecration Prayer” that was printed in the pages of the book amongst the other prayers of Fatima.
I would like to share it with all of you this evening. Possibly it can be a prayer that will take you not only through the remaining days of our Advent journey but into the year of 2025 as we make our First Saturday Devotions. This could be the start of our offerings – offerings of “roses of the fairest” for the “Fairest Rose of All.”
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Vouchsafe to reign, O most loving Mother, over this family,
that it may be your own, and over each one of us who is,
and wishes to be, yours in prosperity and adversity,
in joy and in sorrow,
in health and in sickness,
in life and in death.
Reign over our wills, leading them in the path of virtue
traced by you for us with your example
in a perfect submission to the Will of God
Reign in our hearts which desire nothing
but to be consumed with love for you and Jesus.
We want to be pure like you; we want to atone for so many crimes
committed against you and against Jesus.
Bring to our country and to the whole world
the Kingdom of Peace in Justice and Charity.
Therefore, we now promise to imitate your virtues
in the practice of a Christian life, and to offer you the
Wreath of our Rosary and the flowers of our sacrifices,
in the
Spirit of Reparation and Penance.
Amen
©2024 Anita Guariglia
Featured Image and other photos/ Pinterest and Instagram
Treasures of First Saturdays Image – Fr. Andrew Apostoli/ Anita Guariglia
Advent with Our Lady of Fatima Image – Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle/ Anita Guariglia
Our Lady of Fatima with Candles Image/ Anita Guariglia
Quotes taken from The National Catholic Register/ 2017 / Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.
One Response
Thank you, Anita, for this awesome blog with much needed truths of Our Lady’s request for devotion to the First Saturdays. So many have no knowledge of this devotion which is necessary for her Triumph. “Roses of the fairest” for the “Fairest of the Roses,” the beautiful pictures and Prayer of Consecration will bring hearts and souls to this precious devotion and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and her Triumph.