Prayer is the raising of mind and soul to God and can be expressed in a liturgical setting as well as in smaller less formal groups. Devotions are a particular form of prayer, devoted to the veneration of a saint, in honor of the Trinity, the Sacred Heart, or the Blessed Mother.
The purpose of this group is to raise prayers to God for the intention of a person in need. Calling one of the contacts with a prayer request, starts a chain of calls to a group of volunteers who will pray for their intentions. The intention may be for the caller or for someone the caller knows who needs prayer. The group currently consists of 23 members. New membership is open to any prayerful person. Contact: 375-5673 or 375-4098.
The Rosary is a form of mental and vocal prayer centered on mysteries or events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Its essential elements are meditation of the mysteries and the recitation of a number (usually five) decades of Hail Marys, each beginning with the Lords Prayer and ending with a Glory Be to the Father. Introductory prayers may include the Apostles’ Creed, an initial Our Father, three Hail Marys and a Glory Be to the Father. At the end of the last decade, it is customary to say the Hail, Holy Queen and a prayer from the liturgy for the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary. You can pray and learn more about the Rosary on the Internet by clicking here or The Rosary Page emblem.
St. Ann’s Rosary Rally is an event that is held twice a year – May and October. The event normally consists of a procession from the Blessed Mother’s Grotto into the church with songs of praise, the rosary, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. May is the month dedicated to the Blessed Mother and October is the month of the Rosary. Everyone is invited to participate. Contact: Rob White, 375-2110.
The Stations of the Cross is a series of fourteen meditations on the sufferings of Christ. Around the inside walls of the Church are scenes that depict each of these meditations from His taking up of the Cross to His death, removal of His body from the Cross and His burial. A person making the Way of the Cross passes before these Stations, or stopping points, pausing at each for meditation. If the Stations are made by a group of people, only the leader has to pass from Station-to-Station.
The Stations originated, remotely, from the practice of Holy Land pilgrims who visited the actual scenes of incidents in the Passion of Christ. Later, the Stations of the Cross evolved in connection with a strong devotion to the Passion in the 12th and 13th centuries. Franciscans, who were given custody of the Holy Places in 1342, promoted the devotion widely; one of them, St. Leonard of Port Maurice, became known as the greatest preacher of the Way of the Cross in the 18th century.
All are welcome to St. Ann’s Church to pray the Stations of the Cross during the Fridays of the season of Lent at 5:00 p.m. Contact: Fr. Denis Ssekannyo, 375-2110.