Most Reverend Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal granted the imprimatur for the title, prayer and image on the holy card of Our Lady of Littleness on January 6, 2018 — Little Christmas and the feast day of little St. André! Archbishop Lépine’s unwavering support for the unborn, the elderly and all those in the cross-hairs of the culture of death has been a tremendous inspiration and encouragement to me. What a joy to see him at the March for Life in Ottawa. He graciously came forward for a picture and offered his blessing. He has been very encouraging of our humble Eucharist for Life Family Mission through the years. What wonderful bishop, in need of our prayers. “Our Lady of Littleness, pray for Archbishop Lépine!”
Author Archives: Janis Clarke
Holy Spirit Rosary Patrol
Imagine walking into a schoolyard holding high a crucifix, with Rosaries dangling from your arms as kids coming running and crying out, “Can I carry the Cross?” Yes, they actually come running. And they plead for their turn to carry the Cross. As a matter of fact, the last week of school I decided we would stay in a circle and pray the Rosary during recess, but as the children gathered they insisted on marching. I love to carry the Cross as I walk through the school and pray for the students, smiling at them as we pass each other in the hallways. One student stopped me and asked why I carry the Cross everywhere I go. (I smiled as I imagined him picturing me walking through Safeway with the Cross.) I told him it is because I love Jesus and want all the students to know how much He loves them. Up to that point I had no idea what the students were thinking of me walking around with a big crucifix. His response stunned me. “Miss Clarke, I think you have move faith than anyone else in this school.” What amazed me most was how this simple act of carrying the Cross through the hallways and schoolyard impacted this young man. I am so little and my faith, so weak. But what a powerful confirmation of the need to step out in faith and lift high the Cross, literally!
Canadian March for Life 2019
Our Lady of Littleness on Parliament Hill for the March for Life 2019!
What a joy it was to march and pray the Rosary with members of Eucharist for Life Family Mission and Our Lady of Littleness on behalf of all the little ones this past May. Eucharist for Life Family Mission, founded in Montreal in 2006-7 has been meeting monthly for over 12 years praying the Rosary and worshiping Christ in His Eucharistic Presence for Priests and the unborn. It has been such a joy to watch these children grow in faith, and love for the Lord and others. They are so quick to pray at the drop of a hat for those in need. Little ones are so filled with goodness and light.
Youth&Aged for Life
Rosary Mission, in collaboration with the Little Sisters of the Poor, has launched a new initiative called “Youth&Aged for Life” that unites young people with the elderly in fellowship, prayer and song for a culture of life. Our regular meetings in Washington include a moment of catechesis, updates on local pro-life initiatives, singing and praying the rosary together. Every meeting concludes with food and fellowship to help cultivate bonds of friendship between the youth and elderly. We will soon establish a template that could be adapted to serve families, parishes, schools and homes for the elderly across North America. We have begun introducing “Youth&Aged for Life” to other Little Sisters’ homes and to a local high school in Washington. Stay tuned for more!
Tiny Hats for Tiny Heads
Eucharist for Life is a family mission I founded in 2007. Here is a recent report from Mary Prillo, a wonderful woman of faith who leads the monthly gatherings in Montreal. Why not begin a mission like this in your community? www.eucharistforlife.org
At our monthly Eucharist for Life gathering at Loyola High School in Montreal on Feb. 3rd, I announced with great joy the desire of our new archbishop, Mgr. Christian Lépine, to consecrate our city to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is part of his response to the call for the New Evangelization. He said we must first put our city under the care and direction of the Lord. Then he called on our priests to make Eucharistic adoration available in all parts of the city. He said we can’t bring Jesus close to others if we are not close to Him ourselves. He also asked priests to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation more readily available so that people can come and experience the joy of being in right relationship with the Lord. He stated that this is a prerequisite to presenting the Lord to others. The consecration of the city is to take place at the end of the Year of Faith, in November, on the feast of the Christ the King. The children of EFL might be invited to sing a song at the Mass during Communion!
We then gathered in the chapel for praise and worship. I shared from the 1st reading of the day, Jeremiah 1: 4-5 which says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I consecrated you.” We then asked the Lord to change hearts in this city so that everyone might cherish, respect and protect life, especially at its most vulnerable stages. We also prayed that the Lord would mightily bless his priests as they lead us all in greater holiness.
Stephen (14 yrs) then led us in a reflection to prepare for Lent. The children acted out the scene from the Agony in the Garden and then we prayed that mystery of the Rosary together. We prayed for the courage to say as Jesus did, “Father, not my will but yours be done.”
The children had a great time playing with their dads in the cafeteria. One of the mothers shared that her daughter (7 years) had a great idea for an activity: a knitting loom that could be used to make infant hats. Each family could take one home and work on it between gatherings. We could then donate them to Forty Days for Life. Brian, from Forty Days for Life was there and he was very pleased to receive the 1st hat!!
I pray that the Lord mightily bless all who are reading this, and I invite you to join us in praying for the unborn and for priests.
God bless!
Mary Prillo
Evangelizing with Our Lady in DC!
As Darkness Closes in..
All Hands on Deck for the New Evangelization
Be Creative! Be Brave! Give God Permission to Use You!
We went back to DC today to share the Good News in the streets. At first it was really difficult. And no one wanted a rosary. The place felt cold and unfriendly. I wanted to run away. Then something amazing happened. As we approached a homeless man in Dupont Circle, my friend Brian said, “This guy will respond…., he is one of God’s little ones.” The man greeted us with a big, beautiful smile and welcomed us. “Of course I’ll take a rosary!” As we talked with him, I felt a heaviness lift as joy filled my heart. Then I noticed the song blasting from his CD player: “People Get Ready!” After that, everything turned around. People responded with warmth, and many were eager to receive rosaries.
God has something incredibly beautiful for each one of us to contribute to the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization! He waits for our tiny “yes”, our humble efforts, and our few loaves and fishes. Then He moves in and does something fantastic and mysterious through us that blesses the whole world. So beautiful!
Watch Video and Share: http://youtu.be/Pcr053hfY-k
Calling All Catholics!
Calling All Catholics to Collaborate with Conclave Cardinals through prayer and fasting! Call down “lightening bolts” of grace on the Vatican, the Cardinals and the entire Conclave! Don’t settle for spectator status. This is the Year of Faith! Jump in! Move those Mountains! Pray up a tsunami of grace to usher in a pope who will lead us into the New Evangelization to take the world by storm with love, love, love!
I have a profound sense that the Lord, particularly through Pope Benedict’s request for prayers yesterday, is calling us to pray for the extraordinary events unfolding in Rome right now. The Lord is inviting us into the very heart of the action and I believe He wants us to know how profoundly our prayers will influence the results of the conclave and the decision of the cardinals. If we take this seriously I believe we will be amazed! The key, right now, is to pray for Pope Benedict and the next pope. Why not pray a novena for Pope Benedict until February 28th, and then pray several novenas for the next pope (including the cardinals and the conclave) until the white smoke rises from the Vatican?
Pray for Pope Benedict/Next Pope
We are the Body of Christ. Our prayers, actions, words, sacrifices and suffering united with Christ, our Head, make a difference. A HUGE difference. Make all the difference. Since Pope Benedict’s resignation I have a growing sense of urgency. I sense that we are moving into a time when it is crucial for the little people (all of us:), the ordinary folks (all of us:) to rise up and take our rightful place as members of the Body of Christ. It is time for us to step into our respective roles (unique and unrepeatable) in the Father’s plan of mercy for this suffering world, most especially the children. Another way of putting it is that it’s time for the “Sleeping Giant” to wake up! A critical step right now is to become an active part of what’s going on in Rome by praying and offering little sacrifices for Pope Benedict and the next pope. I will be speaking about this today on Radio Maria with Fr. Peter Ryan, SJ and I have invited Fr. Robert Gendreau to speak about Pope Benedict. We will also pray a decade of the Rosary for this intention. Please join us, and call in and contribute your thoughts and insights. Online today: 4pm CT/ 5pm EST/(after today it will be available in the archives)
http://radiomaria.us/givegodpermision/
Blog for the New Evangelization
I just launched a blog for the New Evangelization in this Year of Faith: www.janisclarke.com My hope and prayer is that the stories will stir in people a hunger for intimacy with Jesus; for a deep, personal relationship with Him. I will also share stories on how to evangelize people we meet in our daily lives.
I hope this blog will draw people to Rosary Mission and be a source of encouragement for those who are already part of it. The time is most certainly ripe for a world wide Rosary revival. Please share this new blog with friends and family members. And please pray the Rosary, and invite others to pray it with you!
All the Father’s blessings!
Janis for Word for Life Rosary Mission
Prayer turns things around..
During my mission in England I had the privilege of meeting many holy people whose prayers are bearing great fruit. Among the incredibly holy priests I met is Fr. Soji, on my left, who began a small prayer group that now numbers 9,000 and is still growing! He is very devout, (reminds me of St. Francis) with an intense prayer life, and a heart of love for the whole world. Each one of us has a special place in the Father’s heart and a special mission, and our prayers are critical for this suffering world. “Blessed Mother, please ask Jesus to increase our desire to pray. Jesus, please teach us to pray in communion with you for the whole world. Please make this world a loving, safe place for families and children, and the whole human family.”