Sunday, November 4, 2012

St. Andrew Chaplet

I received a wonderful gift in the mail last week: a St. Andrew Chaplet. It was handmade by a blogger named Becky who has a rosary shop on Etsy. Yes, I have linked to her before, very recently, in fact, but I think you should see this wonderful chaplet that she's made especially for those couples trying to conceive.

Becky and I will be praying the chaplet together (though long distance) starting November 30th, and it would be awesome if you joined us! How beautiful is this prayer?

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God!
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

---

On a related note, it struck me recently just how many saints are out there for people trying to conceive, women longing to be mothers, and men yearning to be fathers to pray to. Whose intercession have you asked or had recommended to you?

-St. Andrew is fairly new for me, but apparently this is a long-standing tradition for those TTC.
-St. Gerard as the patron of mothers. I've always wondered how a man got this job. Anyone know the story?
-St. Joseph for fathers.
-St. Gianna, who I get the impression is especially invoked in high-risk pregancy situations.
-Sts. Anne and Joachim, Mary's parents, who tradition says were infertile.
-Mary, in her many titles. Our Lady of Guadalupe was recently recommended to me. If you're a particular fan of Mary's many titles, I highly recommend the Loreto Litany. It's really lovely.

I'd love to learn more, so please feel free to share your favorite saints!

-January

9 comments:

  1. I can think of a few for childless people:

    St Henry II (of course)
    St Cunegonda
    St Rita of Cascia
    St Catherine of Genoa

    And she's not a saint (yet), but Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur is my spiritual BFF.

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    1. I love that you have a spiritual BFF :). And I just looked her up and I can see why she'd be the one! Praying for you and your DH.

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  2. Venerable Mother Luisita, OCD. She was a Carmelite sister who was married and never able to have children. When she was widowed she became a Carmelite and fled w/ her order during the persecutions in Mexico in the 1920s. She established the Carmelite sisters here in Los Angeles. She has helped many a couple conceive and the sisters have a wall of baby pictures from her intercession.

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  3. I'll be joining you in the chaplet!

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  4. I love the St. Andrew Chaplet and give away free chaplets every year. But oh my goodness Becky's are SO BEAUTIFUL, they put mine to shame. Granted I only know how to make the twine ones, but I love the purple beaded ones. How sweet she sent you one! I will have to check out her etsy site.

    Here are a couple posts I have done about the St. Andrew Chaplet if you are interested in reading more.

    2010 - http://joybeyondthecross.blogspot.com/2010/11/got-prayer-st-andrew-christmas-novena.html

    2011 - http://joybeyondthecross.blogspot.com/2011/11/st-andrew-novena-aka-christmas.html


    Also, some other great saints for IF are St. Anthony of Padua, Our Lady of the Snows, St. Elizabeth (St. John the Baptist's mother - dealt with infertility). Today (11/5/12) is actually her feast day! Yeah!!! Another saint - St. Hannah, mother of Samuel. And Elisabeth Lesuer ROCKS!!! Can you tell I like Elizabeth's...hmm! :)

    I am super excited to pray the St. Andrew Chaplet this year as well for the same intentions - for another child this side of Heaven and for all my friends that are struggling with primary or secondary infertility.

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    1. That's awesome! And I agree, the St. Elizabeths are just generally amazing. :) I only caught the end of your saints series, but it was so informative. I love that being Catholic means we get all these saints to help us on our way.

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  5. St.Dominic Savio is the patron saint for women who are having difficult pregnancies. There is a story that although he was living in a boarding school (St.John Bosco's Oratory), he told St.John that he needed to go home for a while because his mother needed him. He took a train (mind you, this kid is only about 12 years old at the time), and just as he arrived, his mother was in the middle of a very difficult child birth that would have killed her. He gave her a special cloth and told her, "You will be okay now", and she miraculously lived. That scapular is used today for women in dangerous pregnancies; I had one myself with my last pregnancy.

    Thanks for the shout out for my chaplet--it was my pleasure and I can't wait to do the novena with you!

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  6. I did the St. Andrew Novena last year, but would you know ... I didn't realize he was related to infertility!!! Yes, I should face palm now. :-) My grandma had sent me holy cards with the St. Andrew novena on them and I did pray the novena, but your post is the first that I realized what his connection is! Awesome! count on my praying for you during this year's novena!!!
    I love the Elizabeth's in the Bible ... St. Anne & Joachim & of course, St. Joseph (who I had to include in Luke's names due to him being the foster father of Jesus)!
    What a beautiful chaplet that Becky makes!!!!!

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