“Holy” scarves showing up!

I decided that instead of stuffing packing paper into my packages of books being shipped out I will instead add “holy” scarves for the homeless and needy.

scarves-packages
These scarves are called “holy” because I have sewn two blessed medals on each one–a blessed Miraculous Medal and a blessed St. Benedict Medal (with a full exorcism blessing). I want to provide warmth and sacramentals from our Church to those in need.

You can learn more about this “holy” scarf ministry here.

Don’t be surprised if you receive a “holy” scarf with your book or bracelet order! I ask that you kindly gift it to someone who is in need in your area, either a homeless person or a needy person. I am very happy to distribute the scarves in this way in addition to the other ways in which I distribute the “holy” scarves, one of which is to gift them to people I meet in one on one encounters.

Thank you for helping me to gift them so that we can help keep the needy warmer this winter. If you would like to request a “holy” scarf or a few, let me know at: DMCOBoyle@aol.com. I just ask that you pay for the shipping.

Please pray for me as I go out soon to find people who could use the “holy’ scarves.

God bless you!

Donna-Marie

Chatting about warming and inspiring the homeless on the airwaves!

I recently spoke with Matt Swaim on EWTN’s Son Rise Morning show about my new outreach to the homeless and needy “Warming the homeless with LOVE, ‘holy’ scarves, and sacramentals.” You can liIMG_2009sten to our short segment here.

If you’d like to learn more you can go here to this blog post
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First day of Miraculous Medal novena: Going out with the “holy” scarves for the homeless.

mar1Today begins the Miraculous Medal novena which is nine days of prayer to end up on the feast day of November 25th (though it is also celebrated on November 27th, the anniversary of an important apparition).

It seems so fitting to me that I should be going out today with the first batch of “holy” scarves for the homeless and needy. You might have seen my post about this new part of my ministry: “Warming the homeless with LOVE, scarves, and sacramentals.”

Please pray along with me in this beautiful novena. I am requesting that in this novena all throughout the nine days which is to Jesus through Mary and Her blessed sacramental, the Miraculous Medal, that you ask for special help for the homeless and unfortunate and if you could, please keep my ministry in your prayers as well. Of course, we don’t want to forget to include France in this novena. The Blessed Mother Herself mentioned France to St. Catherine in one of Her apparitions to her when explaining the Miraculous medal.

Please add all of your own intentions in this powerful novena. Thank you in advance for praying for the homeless, for my encounters with them when I gift them with the “holy” scarves, that Our Lord would really speak to their hearts, and for whatever God’s holy Will might be in this regard.

Here is the novena prayer (but please continue to read the post below the prayers because there is more):

Novena of the Miraculous Medal

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

   Spirit. Amen.

   Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your

   faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send

   forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You

   shall renew the face of the earth.

   Let us pray.

   O God, who did instruct the hearts of the faithful by

   the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same

   Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His

   consolation, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

   O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have

   recourse to you. (3 times.)

   O Lord Jesus Christ, who have vouchsafed to glorify by

   numberless miracles the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculate

   from the first moment of her conception, grant that all

   who devoutly implore her protection on earth, may

   eternally enjoy Your presence in heaven, who, with the

   Father and Holy Spirit, live and reign, God, for ever

   and ever. Amen.

   O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of Your

   greatest works, have chosen the weak things of the

   world, that no flesh may glory in Your sight; and who

   for a better and more widely diffused belief in the

   Immaculate Conception of Your Mother, have wished that

   the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine

   Laboure, grant, we beseech You, that filled with like

   humility, we may glorify this mystery by word and work.

   Amen.

Memorare

   Remember, O most compassionate Virgin Mary, that never

   was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,

   implored your assistance, or sought your intercession

   was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly

   unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother; to you we

   come; before you we kneel sinful and sorrowful. O Mother

   of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in

   your clemency hear and answer them. Amen.

–   Novena Prayer

   O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus and

   our Mother, penetrated with the most lively confidence

   in your all-powerful and never failing intercession,

   manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we

   your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain

   for us the graces and favors we ask during this Novena,

   if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the

   souls for whom we pray. (Here privately form your

   petitions.) You know, O Mary, how often our souls have

   been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity.

   Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial

   that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin

   and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are

   the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

   An Act of Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous

   Medal

   O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and

   consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady

   of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one

   of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a

   constant reminder of our duties toward you. Ever while

   wearing it, may be blessed by your loving protection and

   preserved in the grace of your Son. O most powerful

   Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every

   moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the

   grace of a happy death; so that, in union with you, we

   may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

   O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have

   recourse to you. (3 times.)

[from EWTN and appears in my book]

***

Novena of the Miraculous Medal (a shorter novena)

O Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother, 
penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal,
we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena,
if they be beneficial to our immortal souls,
and the souls for whom we pray.
(Here form your petition)

You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity.
Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory.
Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men.
Amen.

https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/MiraculousMedal.htm

You can also check this out at one of the popular Miraculous Medal Shrines (in Philadelphia) to follow along with what they are doing for the novena if you’d like.

THANK YOU again from the bottom of my heart for praying along with me this beautiful Miraculous Medal novena. I pray that Mother Mary may grant you many graces. I do hope that you are (or will) wear a blessed Miraculous Medal.

O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (the prayer that the Blessed Mother asked to be printed on each Miraculous Medal).

You can read the whole history of the Miraculous Medal, the Blessed Mother, and St. Catherine Laboure in my book: The Miraculous Medal, Stories, Prayers, and Devotions.

3

Saint Maximilian was someone who had a beautiful devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and would hand out blessed Miraculous Medals often also saw the medal as a means of expressing the Total Consecration of his followers to the Blessed Mother and was a means of safeguarding it. He added his own prayer to be said by those in the Militia Immaculatae (Knights of the Immaculate) group that he formed:

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to thee, and for all who do
not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies
of the Church and those recommended to thee.

Saint Catherine Laboure would pray this way:

“When I go to the Chapel I place myself before the good God and I say to Him: ‘Lord, here I am, give me what you will.’ If he gives me something, I am very pleased and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him because I do not deserve anything. And then again, I tell Him all that passes through my mind; I recount my pains and my joys and…I listen. If you listen to Him, He will speak to you also, because with the good God it is necessary to speak and to listen. He will always speak to you if you go to Him simply and sincerely.”

advert-mmedal

Click on image to see more about the medals.

Very happy to visit my beloved friends, the Missionaries of Charity Sisters!

This morning I headed out with a healthy armload of beautiful hand-made scarves embellished with blessed medals which I had sewn on to each one. Here is a bit of information about this “holy scarf ministry.

scarves_on_chair

The scarves that were all ready to go out this morning are shown here stacked up on this little rocker.

I decided that the first stop after my doctor’s appointment was to visit a Religious Order that is very near and dear to my heart–the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Order). So, after my appointment we headed over–my husband drove and I prayed many Hail Mary’s as my fingers glided over the beads of my Rosary with a passion. We were headed deep into an area of the city known for its crime. Though I knew this to be a certain reality, I also knew without doubt that we would be safe. God was with us.

A couple of times, as we drove along I pointed out various people to my husband who was intent on finding the address of the MC convent and was totally focused on that.

“There’s a little lady in a wheel chair. She could use a “holy” scarf.”

She continued wheeling down the sidewalk and my husband kept on driving–a man on a mission.

“There’s someone who looks very needy…” My voice trailed off. I wanted to offer the scarves to everyone. I continued on with my Rosary.

Our destination this day was the convent where I knew the Sisters would welcome the scarves for the poor and who would have direct contact with the most in need.

I spotted a church and we found the convent very near. My husband and I were greeted warmly by the Sisters upon arriving at the convent. I was surprised that I was recognized immediately when one sister called out my name. I wasn’t expecting that. I spent some time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I felt so much at home as I knelt there in quiet Adoration for a few moments. Peace entered my soul.

Then, when my husband came back inside after he had re-parked our vehicle closer to the convent, I prayed a prayer out loud quietly in the chapel while Dave stood by my side. I prayed for the Sisters, for all of the needs in that area, and for all who would receive the scarves. We then enjoyed a chat with the gracious and joyful Sisters.

MC_Chapel

If you have read any of my books you’ll know how much I appreciate those two poignant words, “I Thirst” painted on the MC chapel wall. I have observed those same two words painted on at least seven other MC chapels around the world. But, that might be another subject for another time.

For now, I’ll tell you that I was so happy to give the Sisters the “holy” scarves so that they could give them to the homeless and needy in their area. I let them know that I will be sending more scarves to them and that I’d visit again when I could.

We had to bid our good byes because I knew the Sisters needed to get back to their work.

“Come back anytime. You are welcome!” one Sister called out to us again as we made our departure down the front steps to our vehicle.

I’ll keep you posted about further journeys. I’ll keep scarves with me as I am out and about all throughout the cold Autumn days winter days ahead.

Pray for me please and all those I will meet who will receive these warm gifts. Thank you in advance!