I began the 54 Day Rosary Novena on March 3rd and then, just a few days later, received this beautiful rosary (won in a Twitter giveaway) pictured above. The creator is entering Carmel to embark upon her vocation as a nun. That alone makes it special but I love this rosary for other reasons as well.
I love the fact that it is a St. Therese of Lisieux rosary, with relic. And I was very moved by the centerpiece - because it taught me about the martyrs of Compiègne: a group of sixteen nuns who were executed during the French revolution because they would not renounce their vocation.
About the Carmelites of Compiègne (martyred in 1794): "On 17 July they were... sentenced to death by guillotine. Providentially, they were wearing their outlawed religious habits, since their only secular clothes were being washed on the day of the trial." - From Carmelite Nuns UK Website
I have a pretty typical American mongrel pedigree (English, Scottish, German and Native American) so I don't feel a strong connection to any of the countries my ancestors left behind when they came to America. But for some reason I keep making connections to France in my journey of faith.
Our Lady of Lourdes played a role in my conversion. I chose St. Jane Frances de Chantal as my confirmation saint because I was a young single mom (like her) when I became a Catholic. I picked St. Joan of Arc to be the patron saint of my business because I so admired her devotion and courage. I have recently been reading content by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and other related (oftentimes French) SSPX resources.
And I keep tripping over St. Therese of Lisieux - in my readings, at flea markets and, now, in this rosary.
Realizing, through all this, how little I knew really about my confirmation saint, I started reading a bit about the Salesians (an order founded by St. John Bosco and connected to St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantel) this week.
One of the first things I stumbled across was the fact that St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (of Sacred Heart of Jesus fame) was a member of this same order. This is of interest to me because I love the Sacred Heart devotion and St. Margaret Mary. I also think it's interesting that St. Jane Francis's great spiritual friend, St. Francis de Sales, is the patron saint of writers).
This is not to say - of course! - that French saints (or Catholics) are any better than those from any other country. But I am beginning to think that at this point in my spiritual journey there may be something I'm meant to learn from them.
I will be sharing more on this in the weeks and months to come!
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