Can. 1166 of the Code of Canon Law states,

“Sacramentals are sacred signs by which effects, especially spiritual effects, are signified in some imitation of the sacraments and are obtained through the intercession of the Church.” 

When a priest blesses a rosary, it becomes set apart as a sacramental object for the service of God. During the blessing, a priest may pray:

"Through the prayers and glory of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, in remembrance of the mysteries of the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, let these beads of the most holy Rosary be blessed and hallowed."

Typically, the priest will then sprinkle holy water on the rosary.

Here is Father John Paul Mary, EWTN Employee Chaplain, blessing a rosary:

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Now, your rosary has been dedicated to a sacred purpose! This blessing reminds us that our prayers are united not only with the Blessed Virgin Mary, but also with our brothers and sisters across the global Church.

As Pope Leo XIII once said of the rosary,

“(The Rosary) is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”

So, if you’ve never had your rosary blessed, consider doing so next time you’re at Mass! It’s a simple yet beautiful way to dedicate one of history’s most beloved devotions to God.

This story is about more than soccer. The 20-year-old Scotsman has become a symbol of grit, faith and identity, a young player whose rise is fueled not only by talent but a deeply rooted Catholic faith that he says has helped shape both his character and his career.

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The moment that summed up his passion occurred during Scotland’s first World Cup match against Haiti, when Gannon-Doak prevented a corner from their opponents. He went viral for his celebration, as if he had just scored the winning goal at the World Cup. In that instant, it felt less like a routine defensive play than a glimpse of how much this team, this tournament and this moment meant to him.

Born in Dalry, Scotland, a small town of 5,000 people, Gannon-Doak began his professional career as a pro-soccer player with Celtic F.C. in Glasgow, Scotland. This is the first sign that Gannon-Doak is a Catholic in the deeply divided United Kingdom. Because of the religious divide Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, historically has two professional soccer teams, the Celtics who have a Catholic history and the Rangers who emerged as a club representing the Protestant community.

With the rich Catholic history surrounding his career, it is not surprising that Gannon-Doak’s faith is deep-rooted, much like his career. Wearing a medal of St. Michael in the BBC’s A View From The Terrace, he explained: “It’s the Archangel St. Michael, the Archangel of Protection. Basically, it keeps all evil away from you.” It was a simple explanation, but a revealing one: for Gannon-Doak, faith is not decoration or habit, but protection, grounding and presence.

He also described the emptiness that can come with the professional game. “People, they think it’s all luxury. It’s not. It’s actually quite boring,” he said, summing up the repetitive isolation of life away from home: “Wake up, train, go home. Wake up, train, go home.” For a teenager living alone so young, that routine could become lonely, and he admitted, “I just felt God calling me.”

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Injuries deepened that dependence on faith. After three surgeries and multiple setbacks, he said, “When I came to God, I started to feel a bit better and started to feel stronger, and started coping better with things.” That turning point appears central to how he now understands adversity. “He’s never going to abandon you,” he said, adding that faith helped him see that “something positive is going to come out of it.”

Now, instead of seeing setbacks as dead ends, he treats them as part of a larger purpose. “Setbacks aren’t really setbacks anymore. It’s just part of the plan,” he said. He also reflected on the moral pressure that comes with success: “The higher the levels you go up and the more money you start to earn… it’s very easy for it to go to your head. And I think God just keeps you grounded, keeps you humble.”

For him, that may be the heart of his witness. He prays before games, reads the Bible, and sees soccer as a gift rather than an ultimate goal. “Football [soccer in the US] is not the be-all and end-all,” he said. “It’s the most important thing to me in my life, to be honest… I feel that’s part of God’s plan to prepare me for something.” The pro-soccer player has even tattooed Biblical scenes on his left arm. He has the gates of Heaven along with the Bible verse Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", on the outer forearm and the Crucifixion of our Lord, on the inner forearm.

For Scotland supporters, Gannon-Doak may be a rising soccer star. But for anyone listening closely, he is also something more: a young man trying to live faithfully under pressure, convinced that talent is temporary but purpose is not. As he reminded BBC viewers: “I pray before every game… Footballers who are religious are starting to see that we’ve been blessed with a platform to do the right things, to be good role models. I believe that it puts us where we are for a reason.”

Preaching before the procession, Portland's Archbishop Alexander K. Sample emphasized Christ's kingship and the Church's mission to bring Him to the world. 

Recalling a solemn rite he had celebrated only days earlier, the archbishop said:

"I told the ancient enemy, Satan, that this land does not belong to him. It belongs to Christ. And today we will take Jesus and proclaim Him our King. He is the Lord, the sovereign above all governments, and His kingdom we proclaim. As we carry Him through the streets, it symbolizes our call to bring Jesus to the people of our communities."

The Feast of Corpus Christi was also chosen by the archbishop for the consecration of western Oregon to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in union with the U.S. bishops' decision to consecrate the nation during the observance of America's 250th anniversary.

During the Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, Archbishop Sample consecrated western Oregon and its missionary renewal to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, entrusting to Him the renewal and unity of priests, the strengthening of Catholic education and faith formation, and the renewal of parishes through evangelization and care for the poor.

Joining the archbishop for the celebration were Portland’s Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith, more than 50 priests and deacons, dozens of religious brothers and sisters, and 150 altar servers.

The 2026 celebration marked only the second year that the cathedral parish's Corpus Christi procession had been organized as a wider archdiocesan event.

More than 3,000 faithful participated in last year's procession during the Jubilee Year of Hope, helping reestablish the celebration as an annual gathering for Catholics throughout the Portland metropolitan area and beyond.

Pilgrims traveled from across western Oregon to take part. St. Alice Parish in Springfield, located more than 100 miles from Portland, chartered five buses to bring 300 parishioners to the cathedral. More than 500 members of the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal attended, dressed in red and sang throughout the procession in Spanish.

Long before the 2 p.m. Mass began, St. Mary's Cathedral had reached capacity. Twelve priests heard confessions in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese in the adjacent cathedral school, where overflow seating had been arranged. More than 500 faithful followed a livestream of the liturgy there and received Holy Communion.

By the conclusion of Mass, thousands had already gathered outside, awaiting the ringing of the cathedral bells as Archbishop Sample emerged from the cathedral with the Blessed Sacrament.

The gathering reflected the remarkable diversity of the Catholic Church in western Oregon. 

Nearly half of the participants came from Hispanic, Asian, and African communities. The first reading at Mass was proclaimed in Spanish, while the epistle was read in Swahili.

Stretching more than eight city blocks, the procession wound through Portland's Pearl District.

Catholics from diverse cultural backgrounds accompanied the Blessed Sacrament while singing hymns in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Latin, presenting a striking sight in a neighborhood that is both among the city's least religious and markedly less diverse than the faithful gathered in procession. 

As the faithful passed by shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings under police escort, many passersby stopped to ask what was taking place. Some paused in curiosity, while others took photographs or simply watched in silence. Among them was a visiting couple from Poland, surprised to encounter such a large Eucharistic procession in the United States. 

Following the procession, Archbishop Sample imparted Benediction outside the cathedral as many of the faithful knelt on the pavement in adoration.

Visibly moved, he briefly thanked the crowd for their witness and encouraged them, saying, 

"Let this only be the beginning of the work Christ has entrusted to all of us."

The Church reminds us that the saints were not perfect people, nor were they untouched by human suffering. Many of them endured profound interior battles, but they found in God the strength to persevere. Because of this, they can be powerful intercessors for those experiencing mental health struggles today.

Here are some saints who can accompany you with their intercession in times of suffering:

1) Saint Dymphna

Saint Dymphna is the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness, anxiety, and depression. According to tradition, she was a seventh-century Irish woman who fled her homeland to protect her faith and purity and was eventually martyred in what is now Belgium. Over time, many faithful attributed miracles and healings to her intercession, especially those related to mental illness and emotional suffering.

2) Saint Flora of Beaulieu

Saint Flora entered the convent of the Hospitaller Sisters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, where she endured profound spiritual trials and a long period of depression that affected her relationships with the other nuns. With the guidance of a compassionate confessor, she grew spiritually and received remarkable mystical graces.

3) Saint Hildegard of Bingen

A Benedictine nun of the twelfth century, Saint Hildegard received divine knowledge through visions concerning illnesses and their remedies. In her writings, she developed treatments and advice for various ailments, including those related to sadness and depression.

4) Saint John of God

Saint John of God founded a hospital for the poor and dedicated his life to caring for the sick and marginalized, serving them with extraordinary personal sacrifice. As the patron saint of healthcare workers, many faithful seek his intercession during times of depression and emotional suffering.

5) Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

The young Carmelite nun wrote that during her childhood she suffered from an illness with symptoms similar to depression. She later recounted finding comfort and spiritual healing through experiencing the “Smile of the Blessed Virgin,” whom she lovingly called the “Virgin of the Smile.”

6) Saint Margaret of Cortona

After a youth marked by family hardships, troubled relationships, and deep emotional wounds, Saint Margaret experienced a profound conversion through an encounter with God's mercy. With the help of the Franciscans, she transformed her suffering into a life of prayer, penance, and service to the poor and sick, becoming a powerful witness of hope and spiritual renewal.

7) Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

A wife, mother, and later widow, Saint Jane Frances de Chantal endured the grief of losing her husband and two of her children. She found strength through prayer and the spiritual guidance of Saint Francis de Sales. Together, they founded the Order of the Visitation, and she devoted her life to caring for the sick and deepening the spiritual life of others.

8) Saint Louis Martin

Saint Louis Martin was an exemplary husband and father who, together with his wife, Saint Zélie Guérin, raised a deeply Christian family. After his wife's death, he endured great suffering, including a decline in his mental health during the final years of his life. His patience and trust in God continue to inspire those experiencing emotional pain.

9) Saint Raphael the Archangel

Saint Raphael was sent by God to accompany and protect the young Tobias on his journey. His name means “God heals,” and for this reason he is considered a patron of physicians and healers. We can seek his intercession for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

If you are struggling with mental illness, do not hesitate to seek professional help.

God also works through doctors, counselors, and therapists who can support you on your path to healing. At the same time, you can ask for the intercession of the saints, who sustain you from heaven through their prayers and example.

What other saints do you know who experienced interior struggles and can inspire us today?

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French nun of the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady. Jesus appeared to her four times in Paray-le-Monial, France, revealing his love for humankind through His Sacred Heart. The Catholic Church celebrates her optional memorial on October 16.

Below are excerpts from the four revelations in Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque’s autobiography.

First Revelation from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Dec. 27, 1673

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:

“One day…I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, when I felt myself wholly penetrated with that Divine Presence, but to such a degree that I lost all thought of myself and of the place where I was, and abandoned myself to this Divine Spirit, yielding up my heart to the power of His Love.

“He made me repose for a long time upon His Sacred Breast, where He disclosed to me the marvels of His Love and the inexplicable secrets of His Sacred Heart, which so far He had concealed from me. Then it was that, for the first time, He opened to me His Divine Heart.”

“It seems to me that this is what took place.”

Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:

“My Divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular that, being unable any longer to contain within Itself the flames of Its burning Charity, It must spread them abroad by your means, and manifest Itself to them (mankind) in order to enrich them with the precious graces of sanctification and salvation necessary to withdraw them from the abyss of perdition. I have chosen you as an abyss of unworthiness and ignorance for the accomplishment of this great design, in order that everything may be done by Me.”

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:

“After this, He asked me for my heart, which I begged Him to take. He did so and placed it in His own Adorable Heart, where He showed it to me as a little atom which was being consumed in this great furnace, and withdrawing it thence as a burning flame in the form of a heart, He restored it to the place whence He had taken it saying to me:”

Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:

“My well-beloved, I give you a precious token of My love, having enclosed within your side a little spark of its glowing flames, that may serve you for a heart and consume you to the last moment of your life; its ardor will never be exhausted, and you will be able to find some slight relief only by bleeding.

“Even this remedy I shall so mark with My Cross, that it will bring you more humiliation and suffering than alleviation. Therefore, I will that you ask for it with simplicity, both that you may practice what is ordered you and also to give you the consolation of shedding your blood on the cross of humiliations.

“As a proof that the great favor I have done to you is not imagination, and that it is the foundation of all those which I intend further to confer upon you, although I have closed the wound in your side, the pain will always remain. If before, you have taken only the name of My slave, I now give you that of the beloved disciple of My Sacred Heart.”

Second Revelation from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: July 2, 1674 – Feast of the Visitation

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:

“The Divine Heart was presented to me in a throne of flames, more resplendent than a sun, transparent as crystal, with this adorable wound. And it was surrounded with a crown of thorns, signifying the punctures made in it by our sins, and a cross above signifying that from the first instant of His Incarnation…”

“My Divine Master revealed to me that it was His ardent desire to be known, loved, and honored by men, and His eager desire to draw them back from the road to perdition, along which Satan is driving them in countless numbers, that induced Him to manifest His Heart to men with all the treasures of love, mercy, grace, sanctification, and salvation that It contains.”

“This Heart of God must be honored under the form of His heart of flesh, whose image He wanted exposed, and also worn on me and on my heart.

“He promised to pour out into the hearts of all those who honor the image of His Heart all the gifts it contains in fullness, and for all those who would wear this image on their persons He promised to imprint His love on their hearts and to destroy all unruly inclinations.

“Everywhere this holy image was exposed to be honored, He would pour forth His graces and blessings. This blessing was, as it were, a final effort of His love. He wanted to bestow upon men during these final centuries such loving redemption in order to snatch them from the control of Satan, whom He intended to destroy.”

Third Revelation from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: First Friday Devotion, July 1674

“One day, as I knelt before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar…Jesus Christ, my sweet Master, presented Himself to me, all resplendent with glory, with His five wounds shining like so many suns.

“From all parts of His Sacred Humanity there issued flames but especially from His adorable breast, which was like a furnace.

“Opening it, He showed me His loving and lovable Heart as the living source of those flames. Then he revealed to me all the unspeakable marvels of His pure love, and the excess of love He had conceived for men from whom He had received nothing but ingratitude and contempt.

“‘This is more grievous to Me,’ [Jesus] said, ‘than all that I endured in my Passion. If they would only give Me some return of love, I should not reckon all that I have done for them, and I would do yet more if possible. But they have only coldness and contempt for all My endeavors to do them good. You, at least, can give Me the happiness of making up for their ingratitude, as much as you can.”

“First, you are to receive me in the Blessed Sacrament as often as obedience will allow, no matter what mortification or humiliation it may entail. Moreover, you are to receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of each month, and every night between Thursday and Friday I will make you partaker of that sorrow unto death which it was My will to suffer in the Garden of Olives.

“This sorrow will reduce you, without your understanding how, to a kind of agony more bitter than death. To join with Me in the humble prayer which I then offered to My heavenly Father in agony you are to arise between eleven and twelve o’clock, and remain with Me upon your knees for an hour, with your face to the ground, to appease the anger of My Eternal Father, and to ask of Him pardon for sinners.

“You will thus share with Me, and in a manner soothe the bitter grief I suffered when my disciples abandoned Me and I was constrained to reproach them that they could not watch with Me even for an hour. During that hour you are to do what I will teach you.”

Fourth Revelation from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Jesus Establishes the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, June 1675

“One day, during the octave of Corpus Christi, when being before the Blessed Sacrament, I received from my God extraordinary proofs of His love.

“As I earnestly desired to make some return of love, [Jesus] said to me: ‘You could not show me greater love than by doing what I have already so many times demanded of you.’

“And [opening] to me His Divine Heart: ‘Behold this Heart which has so loved men that It spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love. And in return, I receive from the greater part of men nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of Love.

“But what is still more painful to Me is that even souls consecrated to Me are acting in this way. Therefore I ask of you that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be dedicated as a feast in honor of My Heart, and amends made to It in an Act of Reparation offered to It and by the reception of Holy Communion on that day, to atone for the outrages It has received during the time It has been exposed on the Altars.

“‘I promise you that My Heart will open wide and pour forth lavishly the influence of Its Divine love on all who will render and procure for It this honor.'”

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You! ❤️‍🔥

June 13 is the Church’s memorial of the miraculous Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost items, the poor, and travelers.

The Catholic Church attributes many miracles to this 13th-century saint, one of which proved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist to a heretic.

Saint Anthony fought and taught against heresies, including the Cathar heresy, which denied Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist. Toulouse, France, was the central point of this heresy, and St. Anthony participated in multiple public debates against it.

During one debate, a man named Bononillo challenged St. Anthony’s belief in the Eucharistic presence.

Bononillo said,

“If you can make my mule bow down before what you call the Body of Christ, I will believe.”

St. Anthony tried to convince him in other ways but saw no other option.

Bononillo then decided to starve his mule for three days.

On the third day, St. Anthony celebrated Mass in the city’s public square. After Mass, Bononillo went before St. Anthony and offered his mule food, while St. Anthony carried a consecrated host.

St. Anthony said,

“Mule! Come here and show reverence to your Creator!”

St. Anthony held up the Eucharistic host, and rather than accepting Bononillo’s food, the starved mule bowed down and knelt before the Eucharist. 

Once Bononillo saw this, he also bowed and knelt before the Eucharist. Many other heretics converted that day.

Learn more about Saint Anthony's Miracle of the Mule below:

Prayer to St. Anthony

O wonderful St. Anthony, glorious on account of the fame of your miracles, and through the condescension of Jesus in coming in the form of a little child to rest in your arms, obtain for me of His bounty the grace which I ardently desire from the depths of my heart. (State your intention)

You who were so compassionate toward miserable sinners, regard not the unworthiness of those who pray to you, but the glory of God that it may once again be magnified by the granting of the particular request (State your intention) which I now ask for with persevering earnestness. Amen

Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Prayer source: EWTN

A quiet parish in Dudley, Massachusetts, is quickly becoming one of America's most intriguing Catholic pilgrimage destinations.

The National Shrine of St. Andrew Bobola, which holds a first-class relic of the Polish martyr, attracts visitors from across the United States and Canada, and several visitors report remarkable healings and answered prayers.

"Three miracles happened after the dedication," shrine rector Father Krzysztof Korcz said during a recent interview with EWTN's Father Mitch Pacwa. "People were praying in the shrine after the dedication, and they were healed from some kind of cancer. This is the time of investigation."

While the parish itself was established as a “mission church” in 1954, the church was elevated to a shrine on May 11, 2025, and is the only shrine dedicated to St. Andrew Bobola in the United States. This 17th-century Jesuit saint is very much beloved in Poland; however, many American Catholics are only now discovering his extraordinary story.

Who is Saint Andrew Bobola?

Born in 1591, St. Andrew Bobola entered the Society of Jesus and spent his priesthood preaching, hearing confessions, and catechizing Catholics throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He became known for bringing fallen-away Catholics back to the faith and bringing unity amongst Christians.

His missionary work resulted in severe persecution.

During a Cossack uprising in 1657, Father Bobola was captured and subjected to horrific torture. He refused to renounce his Catholic faith, and in the end, was martyred.

"He could rescue his life," Father Korcz explained. "They wanted to give him freedom, but they wanted him to deny his Catholic faith. And he said, 'No. I am a Catholic priest. I was baptized in this Church, and I want to die in this Church.'"

St. Andrew Bobola’s heroic Catholic witness is one of the most powerful examples of faithfulness ever. In fact, Father Mitch Pacwa explained that he “was the most tortured saint” in Church history.

"When they did the Congregation for Saints study, they said he was the most tortured saint in the history of the Church," Pacwa said. "Think of his competition. His competition included the North American Martyrs who were tortured horribly and many other saints throughout history. And they said, 'No, this guy was tortured more than anybody else.'"

Yet today, his martyrdom isn’t the only thing attracting pilgrims to the shrine - it’s the miracles being reported after they visit!

Visitors continue arriving to pray before his relic and seek his intercession. Some have traveled thousands of miles after hearing testimonies of healing.

Father Korcz believes Saint Andrew's growing popularity is no accident.

"I think St. Bobola wants to show more signs," he said. "He wants to remind us that God exists. He is encouraging us that sainthood is our vocation."

The priest also pointed to St. Andrew's own struggles before becoming a saint.

"When he entered the seminary, he was the troublemaker," Father Korcz said. "Even the rector wanted him to leave. But he asked for one last chance and went to the chapel to adore Jesus. He put everything in Jesus' hands, and Jesus shaped him during this adoration."

For Father Pacwa, the saint's message is especially important in a secular society.

"St. Andrew had done the same kind of thing in his time," he said. "People did not know their faith. In the face of ignorance, you make your own ideas up."

As devotion to this powerful saint spreads, the shrine hopes to expand with a prayer garden, Stations of the Cross, and retreat facilities. Father Korcz requests that the faithful pray that the vision becomes a reality.

"I believe that St. Bobola is going to bring pilgrims into the shrine," he said. "Just pray to St. Bobola, write your petitions, and ask for the graces you want to receive from God."

More than three centuries after his brutal martyrdom, St. Andrew Bobola continues to lead souls to Christ. This time, he’s doing it from a small shrine in Massachusetts where reports of healing, conversion, and renewed faith inspire pilgrims worldwide.

Saint Andrew Bobola, please pray for us!

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Saturday following the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In honor of this beautiful memorial, discuss this little-known sacramental that every Catholic should know about.

Many miraculous healings and conversions are attached to this sacramental dedicated to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart.

Our Lady gave us the Green Scapular through Sister Justine Bisqueyburu of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. After several visions, Our Lady presented the Green Scapular on Sept. 8, 1840.

Our Lady appeared with her heart engulfed in flames in one hand and the scapular in the other. The scapular consisted of green cloth attached to a green cord.

One side of the scapular displayed her apparition. The other side depicted a heart set ablaze and pierced with a sword, “with rays more brilliant than the sun and clearer than crystal.

Inscribed in an oval around Our Lady’s heart were these words: 

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.”

At the time of the apparition, Sister Justine heard interiorly that the scapular “should be shared with the world as an instrument in the conversion of souls.”

Pope Pius IX approved this sacramental in 1863 and again in 1870. He said,

“Write to these good Sisters that I authorize them to make and distribute it.”

A priest should bless the scapular, and the devotee should wear it, saying the inscribed prayer regularly and with confidence.

To help another person obtain grace, the devotee may secretly place the scapular in a home, for example, and pray the inscribed prayer with confidence for the individual.

Here’s a photo of the Green Scapular:

My Personal Experience with the Green Scapular

Several years ago, my Grandma nearly died after a medical emergency. She had a small likelihood of living and was in critical condition.

Just before leaving my house, I quickly grabbed the Green Scapular so I could give it to her at the hospital.

When we got to the hospital, my mother placed the Green Scapular under my grandma's pillow. Within hours, her condition improved. She went home a few days later and lived for several more years.

Here’s another story about how one man discovered the miraculous Green Scapular:

“Let me tell you the story of how I discovered the Green Scapular. This is my only way of trying to spread a true and tender love of Her Immaculate Heart and of paying my debt to Her. Some years ago, before penicillin was in use, I was lying in a hospital very ill with pneumonia. I began to hemorrhage and the doctors decided to operate as a last resource. Then a little nun came into my room.

“‘Father, have you great faith in the Mother of God, especially in Her Immaculate Heart? If so, you can be cured.’

“‘How, Sister?’

“‘Through the Green Scapular.’

“‘What is that?’

“‘Four years ago, Father, I was operated on for cancer. I was so filled with it, that they just closed me up and sent me away to die. Then I prayed to Our Lady of the Green Scapular; grew tired of waiting to die and came back to work. I am cured, Father. Do you want me to give you a Scapular?’

“‘Please, Sister.’

“With that, she put one over my head. A feeling of tremendous confidence poured into me and the bleeding stopped. Two days later, in the X-ray room, they asked me when the hemorrhage had ceased. When I replied that it was a matter of a couple of days, they expressed great surprise.

“‘You have a wound that is six months healed and there is no other mark.’

“Today even the scars are gone. No wonder I speak of an unpayable debt to Her Immaculate Heart. Since then I have done everything possible to foster this devotion. To my great joy and amazement, those to whom I have spoken of the Green Scapular have become more zealous than I. Never have I seen the equal of the faith and confidence of these new apostles of Mary.”

(Testimony by Robert A. Macdonald, C.Ss.R.)

Click here to purchase a Green Scapular from the EWTN Religious Catalogue.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death! 

Many saints promoted this devotion, including Saints Margaret Mary Alacoque, Gertrude the Great, Francis de Sales, Gemma Galgani, Therese of Lisieux, and many more.

So, if you want to be a saint, fall in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the veneration of the Heart of Jesus is a way to adore the incarnate Word and His love, “which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins.” (CCC 2669)

Below are 10 quotes from the saints honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

1) “The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to drown our folly, an ocean of mercy to those in distress, an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty.” - Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

2) “We are weak, but by the Heart of Jesus we shall become strong; by the charity of the Heart of Jesus we shall triumph over death and hell, and in the Heart of Jesus we shall find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” - Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus According to St. Gertrude by Fr. André Prévot 

3) “O Jesus, Your Sacred Heart is an ocean of mercy; I immerse myself in it, trusting in Your infinite compassion.” - Saint Faustina

4) “Surely it is a source of profound consolation to know that we are loved so deeply by Our Lord, who constantly carries us in his heart.” - Saint Francis de Sales

5) “The wounds inflicted on his body have disclosed to us the secrets of his heart; they enable us to contemplate the great mystery of his compassion.” - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

6) “What joy one experiences when one abandons oneself into the arms of Jesus! The faithful soul becomes his dearest child. He opens his arms to receive it, and presses it to his most Sacred Heart.” - Saint Gemma Galgani

7) “Ever since I have been given the grace to understand also the love of the heart of Jesus, I admit that it has expelled all fear from my heart.” Saint Therese of Lisieux

8) "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary." - Saint Gertrude the Great

9) “Love overcomes, Love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice!” - Saint Bernadette Soubirous

10) "No matter what my sufferings may be, I will never complain, and if I have to undergo any humiliation, I will seek refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus." - Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception

I had no idea what lay ahead. Like a young man on the day of his wedding, I knew the "I am" (the ordination equivalent of "I do") or "I ams" changed everything. It is wonderful that the last "I am" adds, "with the help of the grace of God." 

Hearing our newly ordained make his promises brought it all back to me. Seeing him wipe a tear from his eye during it all reminded me of how overwhelming and powerful that moment was.

In all my time in the seminary, I struggled with the idea of whether I was worthy of such a moment. But as I told a young man thinking of seminary, "You are not, and you never will be; were God to only call the worthy, then He would have no one to call." The closest we get to worthy is being open to God's transforming grace. That is what He looks for. Openness.

After all, before every reception of Communion, do we profess our unworthiness yet acknowledge God's ability to heal us through the Blessed Sacrament? 

As I said on the weekend of First Communions, the children had not come to a graduation where they had earned the right to take Communion; rather, in their prep it was about training to remain open (which is why First Confession comes before First Communion). 

I said the same of our confirmandi and our neophytes. I say the same for Fr. Hartman and myself: we received the grace of Holy Orders not as a reward for making it through seminary, but because we have shown an openness to said grace. 

Ordination is not a graduation any more than matrimony is... it is the beginning of a life-long covenant of fidelity and ongoing conversion and openness.

That is necessary. 

As a priest, there are days of joy and days that crush me. There are days I rejoice I said “yes” and days where it seems like the way of the Cross. Openness to grace is what gets me through those latter days and helps me get back up again, find a confessor, and remind myself Our Lord didn't moan and whine His way down the Via Dolorosa. The last few months have been difficult; however, God provides.

So to the young men reading this who are perhaps contemplating seminary, if not in full sprint mode fleeing from it...

What God wills, He provides for. Trust Him.

You are not worthy. That is OK, as God already knows that, yet is undeterred.

Seminary will not make you worthy; it will make you open to grace.

Trust Him.

Trust matters most when we are under fire, under stress, isolated, and confused. When Jesus called Peter out of the boat to walk on water, He neither stilled the waves nor the wind. When Peter faltered, Jesus pulled him back again. Trust Him.

So, I will celebrate my 29th anniversary the best way I can... by watching a young man begin a journey I started decades ago. 

I am aware that by the time he reaches his 29th anniversary, I probably will have been called from this life. I wish him joy, peace, and for him to keep his contagious fervor he already has.

This article originally appeared on Facebook.