I have written about my work for the Living Rosary in ‘A Mystic’s Journal’- I am their French translator - but for some reason it never occurred to me to ask if any of you wanted to join. The Living Rosary Association was formally approved by Pope Gregory XVI and accorded canonical status on January 27, 1832.

Simply stated: the - decades of the Rosary are divided between - people, each person saying their one decade of ten Hail Mary’s each day. Each member also receives the Mystery connected with their decade to meditate on as they pray their decade. In return, every member shares in the Graces and prayers of the millions of others members of the Living Rosary who are praying their decade of the rosary each day. (As of 2010, the Living Rosary has over eleven million members, from all over the world.) There are no fees to join, bring only your heart with you.

The goal of the Living Rosary is the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.The Living Rosary was conceived by a woman born in France, Venerable Pauline Jaricot, in 1826. Pauline’s idea was that most people cannot complete an entire rosary of 15 decades each day, but one decade of ten Hail Mary’s seemed within the ordinary person’s reach. In addition, members of the Living Rosary would have an additional incentive to pray each day because 14 other people are counting on us to complete our one rosary.

Each member is assigned to a specific rosary comprised of - people - and given their own Mystery to meditate on as they say their decade of the rosary. As a member of the Living Rosary we pledge to say our decade every day, for the rest of our lives. We also say one Our Father and one Glory Be. We can also, if we wish, add the prayer given to the children of Fatima: "Oh my Jesus save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy."

If at some point you wish to stop saying your decade, we only ask that you tell us, so that we can assign your decade to someone else.

A priest once asked me if I became bored with meditating on the same Mystery each day. I answered: "Not at all." My assigned decade is The Nativity, and I have found that by meditating on the same mystery of the rosary each day, the various scenes associated with that mystery become more and more vivid and real to me. You could say that by focusing daily on the same scenes - in my case, Mary and Saint Joseph searching for an inn, the birth of Jesus, the long trek of the Magi, the angel appearing to the shepherds, the Heavenly choirs singing, the Magi following the star, the gifts from the Magi and so on - inwardly I find myself envisioning the same scenes until they become more and more familiar. Each scene I have associated with each bead of the rosary in my daily saying of the rosary deepens, and becomes more a part of my life.

Pope Leo XIII said, "There is nothing more excellent than that numerous voices pray without interruption from all parts of the world, simultaneously lifting up supplications to the Blessed Virgin Mary as they meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary."

If you wish to join the Living Rosary Association, either contact me through my website ( www.figarobooks.com ) or go to The Living Rosary of Saint Philomena website and sign up there. We will assign you your mystery, i.e. your decade of the rosary to say each day. It costs nothing to join and you will bring you many Graces. More importantly, you will be adding many flowers (prayers) to Our Lady’s beautiful and Holy Crown. I say that last sentence because one day I was walking towards the Church - and as I saw Our Blessed Mother’s statue on the outside of the Church, I heard my Heart say, "I will give you many flowers" - and I had no idea what that meant ... Not until many years later, when I began writing & translating letters and newsletters for the Living Rosary.

I hope you decide to join us in this special and valuable devotion!