Our Blessed Mother has among her requests to her children to fast, performs acts of abstinence, go to communion and pray ceaselessly for the conversion of this world, always asked us to say the Rosary. If you do not know how to say the Rosary, here is an article that will help you to do soThe Fifteen Decades of the Rosary

Find time for prayer no matter how busy we are - it will help you to be focused during the day - the Lord frequently answers if we pray with the heart

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "YOU DIDN'T ASK."

I wanted to see joy and beauty but the day toiled gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "BUT YOU DIDN'T SEEK."

I tried to come into God's presence;
I used all the keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided, "MY CHILD, YOU DIDN'T KNOCK."

EFFICACIOUS NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

I> O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you". Behold, I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of ...

Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory be to the Father ... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you". Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of ...

Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory be to the Father ... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III, O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away". Encouraged by your infallible words, I now ask for the grace of ...

Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory be to the Father ... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and ours.

Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

Each of us have a guardian angel, and priests have two guardian angels to watch over them. Let us say this prayer every day to your guardian angel and especially in times of need --

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom his love commits me near,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

A Clock Script by: Cameron Gregory

This is the number of visitors that have come to our web site since October 1999

The Virgin Mary's monthly message to the world, given at Medjugorje on Christmas Day, December 25, 2002

"Message of December 25, 2002":

Dear children!

"Dear children! This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials for all those who desire to follow the way of peace. Because of that, little children, again I call you to pray, pray, pray, not with words but with the heart. Live my messages and be converted. Be conscious of this gift that God has permitted me to be with you, especially today when in my arms I have little Jesus - the King of Peace. I desire to give you peace, and that you carry it in your hearts and give it to others until God's peace begins to rule the world. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Please feel free to David and Nancy Ferrao if you would like to contact us.

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What is your name? Where are you from? What is our E-mail address? Have you any comments about our home page? Do you like to travel? Do you have any deep and spiritually uplifting personal experiences you would like to share with us that challenges your faith or make you realise the wonder of God's presence on this earth?

We wish all our friends a
Happy and Blessed New Year

"May St Joseph make you always more dear to the Child Jesus"

From David and Nancy Ferrao

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Christmas has just gone, the first Christmas of the new millinieum. Let us remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior who came into the world as a child to save men and obtain for them the joys of eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Ask Jesus to make us hungry not for material possessions but with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and the fear of the Lord.

Ask also for the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and imperance and the capital virtues of humility, liberality, chastity, meekness, temperance, brotherly love and diligence.

THE NINE DAY NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT-ask the Holy Spirit for the gifts of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control

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Do you know how much our prayers as well as masses said for them and good works done will help the souls in purgatory gain an early release from purgatory to join Our Lord. Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said!
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in our homes and within our families. Amen."

OUR TIME OF GRACE - JUBILEE INDULGENCES AND GRACES FROM THE FATHER

As we were told in Sister Emmanuel's January 1, 2000 Report, according to our "January 1st tradition", in picking up the name of a Saint "Children of Medjugorje" received St Catherine of Genoa, with the task of praying for the souls in Purgatory during this Jubilee Year. (Catherine was an Italian mystic who, like Vicka, saw Purgatory and shared powerful insights about her experience). The sentence we received comes from the Gospa : "Dear children, I'm asking you to pray day after day for the souls in purgatory. By doing this, you yourselves will obtain intercessors who will be able to help you in your life." (June 11, 1986).

This is providential! Our Lady told us through Marija on the first day of the Great Jubilee in her Christmas message, "This is the time of grace!" Certainly the deceased aren't excluded! But here we see the reality of the Gospa's words: "I can do nothing without you! Help me!" For example, only we can gain the indulgence (she can't)! And what's required is so simple! One can't help but think, for example, of what was required from Naaman, the Syrian general in order to be healed - being told to walk in and out of the Jordan seven times... it was so simple he almost didn't do it!

The Holy Father has made gaining this Jublee Indulgence each day of this Holy Year incredibly simple, too. (Don't be mislead by any long lists.. note that we're only being given examples, and "etc.," at the end means others that aren't mentioned in the list are OK too.) That we take advantage of this indulgence is much on the mind and heart of the Holy Father. The Church needs help from the souls in Purgatory.

The Holy Father tells us that during this Jubilee year we are to receive exceptional graces! (In Moses' time, the Living God instituted for his people Jubilee years where debts are remitted, prisoners freed etc., (Lev. 25). In the Jubilee 2000, the Church offers us an incredible opportunity: the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence each day! We can dedicate it to any deceased soul who, if in Purgatory, will then be brought straight to heaven! (Don't worry, if that person isn't there, Our Lady uses the indulgence for someone else.) We can also choose to give our indulgence to Our Lady for her to decide who gets out! Think of how much joy this possibility gives her - to be able to choose any soul in Purgatory each day that we give her our indulgence and immediately bring him/her straight to heaven! Note that the Holy Father says "such an offering constitutes an outstanding act of supernatural charity..."

May each one of us make good use of this time of grace!

INDIVIDUALS CAN GAIN THE JUBILEE INDULGENCE FOR THEMSELVES OR FOR A SOUL IN PURGATORY. (If given for a soul in Purgatory, the pope says, "such an offering constitutes an outstanding act of supernatural charity, in virtue of the bond which, in the Mystical Body of Christ, unites the faithful still on pilgrimage here below and those who have already ended their earthly journey.")

CONDITIONS FOR GAINING THE JUBILEE INDULGENCE (Only one indulgence can be gained each day)

(1) Reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist... "The whole Jubilee journey, prepared for by pilgrimage, has as its starting point and its conclusion the celebration of the Sacraments of Penance and of the Eucharist, the paschal mystery of Christ, our peace and our reconciliation."

A) Go to Confession "Each member of the faithful.... can receive or apply the gift of the plenary indulgence during a suitable period of time, even daily, without needing to go to confession again. It is fitting however that the faithful should frequently receive the grace of the Sacrament of Penance...." (Our Lady's advice, for instance, that her children go to confession once a month would no doubt fulfill this particular requirement in order to receive the indulgence every day during that month...)

B) Go to Communion "Participation in the Eucharist.... should properly take place on the same day as the prescribed works are performed."

(2) the reception of the Sacraments must be accompanied by

A) Prayer for the intenions of the Pope: at minimum one Creed, one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be "The witness of communion with the Church, manifested by prayer for the intentions of the Roman Pontiff..."

B) Acts of charity and penance: Any act of charity or penance that is real for the individual offering it will work!: "The plenary indulgence of the Jubilee can also be gained through actions which express in a practical and generous way the penitential spirit which is, as it were, the heart of the Jubilee. This would include abstaining for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g., from smoking or alcohol, or fasting or practicing abstinence according to the general rules of the Church and the norms laid down by the Bishops' Conferences) and donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor; supporting by a significant contribution works of a religious or social nature (especially for the benefit of abandoned children, young people in trouble, the elderly in need, foreigners in various countries seeking better living conditions); devoting a suitable portion of personal free time to activities benefiting the community, or other similar forms of personal sacrifice."

(3) The faithful can gain the Jubilee indulgence:

A) In Rome if they maker a pious pilgrimage to one of the Patriarchal Basilicas,"

B) In the Holy Land

C) Visiting a church or place in your diocese designated by your bishop... "the Cathedral Church" or "other Churches or places designated by the Ordinary " of their own diocese, participating in a liturgy there, or to pray there "and spend some time in pious meditation."

D) "In any place, if they visit for a suitable time their brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty ... as if making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them..."

E) Those not able to leave their house can gain the plenary indulgence of the Jubilee "by spiritually uniting themselves with those carrying out the prescribed work..." The document states: "Those who for whatever reason are not able to leave their own house, can carry out , in lieu of a visit to a certain Church, a visit to the chapel of their house; should even this be impossible for them, they can gain the indulgence by spiritually uniting themselves with those carrying out the prescribed work in the ordinary manner and by offering to God their prayers, sufferings and discomforts."

Many souls are released from purgatory into Heaven on Christmas day. Our Blessed Mother has also said that whose who die on Saturday will be especially blessed and if they are worthy of the kingdom of God, our Blessed Mother will especially pray for their souls to be committed to Christ immediately after their death. Saturday is the day specially set aside for Our Blessed Mother. Let us pray hard for the Holy Souls in Purgatory that their stay in Purgatory will be a short one as our prayers can aid them in their journey of purification and the remission of their sins committed during their mortal life thus in order to see God. In return, the Holy Souls will always pray for us during our life on earth and at the time of our death and we shall gain merit in the eyes of God.

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Jesus says to us always

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Our Blessed Mother with the infant Jesus

The Good Samaritan man in the bible helps the passing traveller beaten up by robbers and attends to his wounds and recovery.

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Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the successor of St Peter

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Read about the first pope in the Catholic Church, St Peter, also known as Simon Peter, one of the apostles who followed Jesus throughout his ministry and who finally died as a martyr after Christ ascension into heaven About the life of St Peter while he was on earth

FORMULA FOR LIFE

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, do not lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Do not let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realise you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone.
9. Open your arms to change, but do not let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you will be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. do not bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you have never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for one another exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Call your mother.
20. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Our Holy Father declares the year 2000 as the Jubilee Holy Year

What Is a Holy Year?

In the Roman Catholic tradition, a Holy Year, or Jubilee is a great religious event. It is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin, it is a year of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. A Jubilee year is above all the year of Christ, who brings life and grace to humanity.

The origin of the Christian Jubilee goes back to Bible times. The Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people: "You shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim the liberty throughout the land, to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. This fiftieth year is to be a jubilee year for you: you will not sow, you will not harvest the un-gathered corn, you will not gather the untrimmed vine. The jubilee is to be a holy thing to you, you will eat what comes from the fields."(The Book of Leviticus 25, 10-14) The trumpet with which this particular year was announced was a goat's horn called Yobel in Hebrew, and the origin of the word jubilee. The celebration of this year also included the restitution of land to the original owners, the remission of debts, the liberation of slaves and the land was left fallow. In the New Testament, Jesus presents himself as the One who brings the old Jubilee to completion, because he has come to "preach the year of the Lord's favour" (Isaiah 61: 1-2).

It is interesting to note that in almost every country, time is counted as before and after Christ's coming into the world, although today few people may realise the reasons for this calculation. For Christians then, the Jubilee of the year 2000 is especially important because it will be a celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ (apart from differences of exact chronological count.) What is more, it will be the first Holy Year which marks the turn of a millennium, since the first Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. For Christians then, the Jubilee of the Year 2000 should be a great prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Incarnation of His Son and the Redemption He brings.

The Jubilee is called Holy Year, not only because its begins, is marked, and ends with solemn holy acts, but also because its purpose is to encourage holiness of life. It was actually convoked to strengthen faith, encourage works of charity and brotherly communion within the Church and in society and to call Christians to be more sincere and coherent in their faith in Christ, the only Saviour.

A Jubilee can be "ordinary" if it falls after the set period of years, and "extraordinary" when it is proclaimed for some outstanding event. There have been twenty-five "ordinary" Holy Years so far: the Year 2000 will be the 26th. The custom of calling "extraordinary" Jubilees began in the 16th century and they can vary in length from a few days to a year. There have been two extraordinary jubilees in this century: 1933 proclaimed by Pope Pius XI to mark the 1900th anniversary of Redemption and 1983 proclaimed by Pope John Paul II to mark 1950 years since the Redemption carried out by Christ through his Death and Resurrection in the year 33. In 1987 Pope John Paul II also proclaimed a Marian year.