Dear Friends of Our Lady,

As June follows the month of May, our Holy Mother always leads us to her Son, Jesus, and His Most Sacred Heart that we celebrate this month.

Almost by design, this month’s letter follows the story of the Rosary Congress in Philadelphia in the early 1990’s. I, too, was there, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. I have a profound memory of sitting in a darkened Cathedral praying the rosary and sitting before the brilliance of Our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I had committed my life to working for the protection of the unborn, but it was then that God solidified his plan.

Returning from working in South America two years earlier, I immediately and finally joined the Pro-life movement in Philadelphia. On my first outing God brought me to meet John Stanton and family, some of whom I knew from Catholic high school. My father had recently passed, and John will never know how important his kindness, his guidance, and his love of Ireland were to me. It was John who invited me to learn, to speak for and to stand for life and it was John who invited me to that first Rosary Congress. I have carried that memory for years hoping to have the experience again.

The years that follow include raising a family, continuing the pro-life work in various forms, and moving to St Augustine, Florida where the now National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is located.

In 2019, tasked with organizing, for the Diocese of St Augustine, a State Respect Life Conference, themed “In the Heart of Our Mother” the opportunity for a Rosary Congress presented as a natural preparation for this Conference dedicated to Our Lady and Life.

Bishop Felipe Estevez granted the petition to host our own Congress which continues today. At the same time, the diocese was actively participating in Marian Consecration.

In 2021, shortly after the conclusion of our third Rosary Congress, on October 11th, the feast day of Our Lady of La Leche, our bishop consecrated the entire diocese to our Lady, at the celebration of the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of La Leche.

We know Our Lady’s hand always extends to show us her son. His is the Heart of enduring love, mercy, and compassion, that tender love that extends to all of humanity.

In these days of deep emotion and turmoil surrounding life in the womb, there is no better and more necessary time to ask our Mother for her intercession.

I invite you to begin or share the Rosary Congress in your parishes and communities and know the power of this devotion. Our “yes” to participate in the rosaries, the holy hours, confession, the Eucharist, and making reparations will follow with blessings and graces. I pray for humanity during these trying days and for a profound conversion of hearts. I also pray for you that you actively seek Our Lady’s tenderness and protection within the Rosary Congress.

To Jesus through Mary,