Recent Popes and the Holy Rosary

Have YOU prayed the Holy Rosary?

In Malaysia, there is a saying in the Native Malay language which goes:

Sembahyanglah anda sebelum anda disembahyangkan.

Translated, it means 'Pray, before you are prayed for'.


In Malaysia, it is tradition to pray the rosary at the someone's funeral wake.
So, let take that saying to heart and pray the Holy Rosary, especially during this month, the month og October dedicated to it before it is prayed over us.

Happy praying!

Bloggers Choice Awards 2008

Many thanks to those who had taken the time to cast their votes for me for the 2007 Bloggers Choice Awards. I'm humbled and honoured.

It turns out that I received a total of 26 votes and was on page 10 under the Best Religion Blog category. Which was pretty good considering the many great blogs out there and I'm happy to be in such illustrious company. Many thanks to those who voted for me.

But the voting for 2008 awards is now open and if you like this blog, have found it interesting or informative and have the time, do click here or on the logo below to cast your vote. You can also vote by clicking the logo on top of the sidebar at anytime. Do also vote for the many other great Catholic blogs out there, of which many can be found on my sidebar.



Thanks a bunch!

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima at IC

Ok, I guarantee that this is really, really the last post on Fatima =) Really.

At Casa Andrew, we have a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima as you can see in the altar dedicated to her in my home.

And where in many other parishes, there is usually a Grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, in my parish, our Marian Shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, a testament to the Portuguese heritage of many of the Eurasians whose ancestry is Portuguese who live in my parish who brought along their great devotion to her from the homelands.

We have Masses on the outdoor altar at the Shrine every 13th day of the month to commemorate the apparitions at Fatima.

But as this is the month of October it was a little bit grander. Throughout the whole of this month (as well as in May), before every Mass, the Holy Rosary was led by the various ministries and apostolates of the parish and also the cell groups.

On the 13th of October, the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, the celebrations culminated in a grand candle lit procession where an old statue of Our Lady of Fatima, shown above decked out with roses on its processional pedestal.

Before Mass, the Holy Rosary was prayed, as we meditated on the Joyful Mysteries. Then, after the anticipated Sunday Mass, the procession began as the altar servers and the flower girls processed before the Statue of Our Lady which was born in procession by members of the Chinese and Tamil Apostolate.

Note the incense rising before the Statue as it passes through the Church portals. As I've told the servers many times before, if I can see my hand in front of my face, they're not using enough incense =)

The procession, followed by the people bearing lighted candles, then made it's way around the Church.

Unfortunately, I was unable to witness all of this personally as I was leading the chanting of the Litany of Loreto during the procession with fellow cantor Mark Yeoh.

In the photos above and below, you can see the little lights of the candles help by the people.

The procession then made it's way back into the Church for the Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.

After the Mass, the roses and flowers from the Processional Canopy was distributed to the people to bring blessing to their homes. I was fortunate to obtain a white rose which was put in a brass vase in front of the Statue of Our Lady of Grace on the main altar in my home. This is the first thing you see when you come through the door and in fact, can be seen from the street.

I've never posted on this altar before but look for it as it's coming soon in an issue of Sacred Spaces in Casa Andrew =)

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis.

The New Building in front of the Basilica of Fatima

Because our good friend Arch had such tender words (which I share) for the new building which was constructed in front of the Basilica of Fatima, I'm posting this series of photos showing the dedication of the building by Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State on the 12th of Oct this year.

Endure... err.. I mean enjoy =)


A veritable icon of inculturation, if there ever was one. Inculturation of alien culture, that is. Although the intent of the architect was not to overshadow the Basilica, but still.... is this the best they could come up with?




The appeal of Holy Father Benedict XVI: “Never forget the Pope!”

At the Shrine of Fatima, on the morning of October 14th, a time of great joy was had in union with Holy Father Benedict XVI, at the conclusion of the celebrations commemorative of the 90th Anniversary of the Apparitions. The International Mass, celebrated in Most Holy Trinity Church, after a procession with the Statue of Our Lady from the Little Chapel of Apparitions, was presided over by the Secretary of State of the Vatican, His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.


The Holy Mass was attended by 38 groups of pilgrims from 15 countries and a lot of parishioners from parishes neighboring the Shrine of Fatima.
Thousands of other pilgrims, which the new church couldn’t welcome despite having almost nine thousand seats, followed the ceremonies on television screens placed outside the new church.
At the end of Mass, with the help of the media, in this case the television, the faithful present in Fatima welcomed with great joy the television images coming from St. Peter’s Square, during the Angelus prayer led by Holy Father Benedict XVI.



It was an emotional time lived spiritually and fraternally in several countries, which was made possible by live television broadcasting.


Speaking in Portuguese, the Holy Father said: “I willingly extend to all those pilgrims gathered at the Shrine of Fatima, Portugal, this Blessing of Mine given to all those praying here with Me the Angelus prayer – whether physically present or united to Us by the media. There (in Fatima), since ninety years ago, the appeals of the Virgin Mother continue to echo, calling Her children to live their own baptismal consecration at every minute of their lives. Everything becomes possible and easier if we live that entrustment to Mary made by Jesus Himself on the Cross, when He said: “Woman, behold Your son!” She is the refuge and the way which leads to God. The daily recitation of the Rosary is the tangible sign of that entrustment.



While I salute the Pontifical Legate, His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Most Reverend Bishop of Leiria-Fatima and all the Portuguese Bishops, as well as all the other bishops present and each and every pilgrim of Fatima, let me urge everybody to renew personally their own consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to live this act of devotion by a live ever more conformed to the Divine Will and in spirit of filial service and devoted imitation of their Heavenly Queen. Never forget the Pope!”




You can read more about it here:

1	Church of the Most Holy Trinity – Iconography Prototype of the Crucifix of the altar of Most Holy Trinity Church by Catherine Green, Ireland Artists...
2	Main Entrance – Main Door and Side Upper Panels, by Pedro Calapez In interview to the Press Center of the Shrine of Fatima, Portuguese plastic artist Pedro Calapez, author...
3	First Stone, donated by John Paul II, will stay in front of the Altar Since the Shrine of Fatima thought that the First Stone of Most Holy Trinity Church, donated...
4	Interview of the author of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, the Architect Alexandros Tombazis In interview to the Press Center of the Shrine of Fatima, the author of the project of Most Holy Trinity...