The rosary is my favorite prayer and my favorite form of prayer.

Growing up I prayed the rosary with my family. I would occasionally pray the rosary or parts of by myself. I recall leading the rosary before Mass, as an altar boy, here at Presentation of Mary.

As a very young adult I turned to the rosary when I first started working full-time and going to school at night. Life at this time seemed overwhelming and out of my control. I started praying the rosary in the car on my way to work and on my way to school. At first, I was counting the Hail Mary’s on my fingers. This meant I’d often loose count of the Hail Mary’s, did I say five, or ten or fifteen? I soon found that praying and meditating on the rosary, — and Mary’s protection, guidance, and intercession —, brought peace and guidance to my life.

Over time, I grew more in love for the rosary. The rosary is a beautiful meditative prayer. It combines vocal prayer and the physical action of rosary beads, with meditations on the life of Jesus and Mary. The vocal prayers are powerful and can themselves be another great source of meditation.

The repetition of the prayers and holding the rosary in my hand has a relaxing and calming affect that draws me deeper into prayer and meditation.

St Louis de Montfort tells us, “Since the prayers of the Rosary come from such excellent sources — from Our Lord Himself, from inspired Scripture, and from the Church — it is not surprising that the Rosary is so dear to our Blessed Mother and so powerful with heaven.”

I pray the rosary every day now and sometimes several times a day. I usually pray just one set of mysteries but at times I will pray all four mysteries. This is beautiful because it brings the entire life of Jesus and Mary together.

I carry a rosary with me everywhere I go. In fact, I carry two rosaries so I can loan one to someone or even give one away.

The prayer of the rosary is wonderful because it can be prayed anywhere. I pray it sitting in my favorite prayer spot or in church, but I also pray it when I am walking, in the car, on airplanes, and in taxis. Mostly I pray it by myself or with my wife, but the rosary can be prayed with a group of people.

I know many of you reading this already have a devotion to the prayer of the rosary. But if you don’t or if you have been away from it for awhile October, the month of the Holy Rosary, is a great time to start praying the rosary.

If you don’t know how to pray the rosary there are many websites that have instructions. There are also phone apps, such as Relevant Radio or Laudate, which have recorded versions of the rosary that you can pray along with.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Pray for us.

-Deacon Mike Braun

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) begins this fall.

Do you, or someone you know, wish to join the Catholic Church and/or receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist for the first time as an adult or learn more about your Catholic Faith? Preparation for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults begins on November 8th.

Registration forms can be found here, on our website, or in the back of church. Contact Kay Mottaz at 651-842-6022 or email her at kmottaz@presentationofmary.org with any questions.

Join us at 10am on Saturday, October 1st outside the Kennard Street Entrance with your furry, feathered, or scaled friends for the Blessing of the Animals in honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Faith Formation classes will be starting Sunday, October 9th and will take place in the Parish Center after the 9:30am masses on Sundays. Registration forms can be found on our church website or picked up in the Kennard Street entrance or at the Parish Office. A tentative schedule of classes can be found here - please note this is not final and may be subject to change. Confirmed schedules will be distributed in classes. Questions? Email fr.ly@presentationofmary.org.

It will be October 18th at noon. The menu is penne pasta with meatballs, salad, Italian bread with butter, and cookies for dessert. Cost for lunch is $13. Entertainment is a Barbershop Quartet. Please bring hats, scarves, and mittens to donate to those in need (both adult and youth sizes). Register by Friday, October 14th by calling Teri Garrity at 651-303-2145.

The Eucharist is the heart of our faith, and it is through our ministries that we experience the pulse of parish life. Come be a part of this great parish by joining a ministry or group that interests you or matches your unique talents. The Ministry Fair will return the weekend of October 15-16, following all Masses in Kenney Hall. It’s a convenient way to see the wide array of ministries and groups that make up Presentation of Mary Church and School, speak directly with representatives, and get to know your fellow parishioners and school community. Try this: Make it your goal this year to find one new thing that interests you and sign up.

We’ve been waiting for you!

Join us on Saturday, October 22nd from 8am-2pm. Come for the whole day or just an hour! There are jobs for everyone so bring the whole family! Lunch will be provided. RSVP not required, but helpful. If you have questions call or email: Rick Bidwell, 651-260-7032; rickbiddy@comcast.net.

On Saturday, December 3rd, from 8:00 am—1:00 pm in Kenney Hall, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the American Red Cross are hosting a blood drive. Please join our mission and schedule an appointment today! To make an appointment, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/ or call Barb Swanson at 651-395-0453.

Appointments only. No walk-ins. 

Materials for our Parish Stewardship Renewal are being mailed to your homes. Over the next couple of weeks, please pray about your role in our parish.

Next week we will hear from one of our parishioners who will share what stewardship has meant in their life.

Starting October 1st, the school will be sponsoring a small billboard on the corner of Suburban and While Bear Avenues.

Take a minute to drive by and see our students' smiling faces! Or, even better, snap a picture of it and post to your social media to help us reach even more people!

Our soccer season has begun and volleyball won't be far behind. Check out the game schedules to pick which games you want to attend!

Do you or someone you know have an interest in being a substitute teacher at our school? We would love to have you! Anyone that's interested should contact Principal Sue Lovegreen at slovegreen@presentationofmary.org or 651-842-6032 to inquire.

Presentation of Mary's 5th Annual Beer Bust is coming! It will be on Saturday, October 15th from 2-6pm at Roddy's Bar & Grill in North St Paul. Tickets are available at the school or parish offices, or by contacting Mary Davini or Tracy Aguirre. Cash or checks accepted, please note you'll need exact change - we don not have change at the school or parish office.

If you have any items you'd like to donate (tickets to events, gift cards, sports memorabilia, them baskets, booze, beer, wine, etc.)

contact Mary Davini or Tracy Aguirre.

We hope to see you all there - it's always a blast!

Please save the date for Saturday, October 29th from 6pm-9pm for our family-friendly Halloween party! We are back inside the gym and will be offering hot food, snacks, glow-in-the-dark items, games for younger and older kids, dance music later in the evening........and potentially a haunted house!!

Do you know anyone looking for a welcoming community and an excellent academic environment for their children? Presentation of Mary School welcomes children from infancy through eighth grade. Visit our website at presentationofmaryschool.org for more information.

The Loaves & Fishes Ministry provides hearty and nourishing meals to those in need at Dorothy Day, and hopes to continue to offer this much needed service far into the future. Donations are accepted to help cover the cost of food for meals. If you would like to learn more about how to donate, or about getting involved in the ministry, please contact the Parish Office at 651-777-8166.

Protection of Youth: All employees, and volunteers who interact with minors, are required to complete and maintain safe environment credentials (E3) through the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To ensure successful completion of these requirements or if you have any questions regarding our safe environment practices or would like more information on what is needed to volunteer, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator: Kay Mottaz @ 651-842-6022 or email kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

To learn more about reporting suspected abuse, please also visit: www.safe-environment.archspm.org/report-abuse/Report.