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September 28, 2019
Dominican nuns to hold annual Rosary Sunday Devotions on Oct. 6
REGIONAL
By Rebecca Drake
The Monastery of the Mother of God is located at 1430 Riverdale St., West Springfield. (IObserve photos/Fred LeBlanc)
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Dominican nuns of the Monastery of the Mother of God in West Springfield will hold their annual Rosary Sunday Devotions on Sunday, Oct. 6, beginning at 1 p.m.
The Rosary Sunday Devotions date back to the earliest days of the local community’s foundation and include a homily by a guest priest, the blessing and distribution of roses, recitation of the rosary, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Founded in 1922, the cloistered West Springfield community was an offshoot of the perpetual rosary branch of Dominican nuns in the United States. The local community also eventually adopted perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The present form of the rosary is credited to St. Dominic, who, according to tradition, received the rosary devotion from the Blessed Mother, who appeared to him in the early 13th century and commanded him to preach the rosary. Some histories trace the elements of the devotion back to a much earlier time period, possibly apostolic times, when religious communities regularly recited the 150 Psalms of the Bible and used pebbles, knots or other ways of counting the prayers.
But it was the religious order founded by St. Dominic that promoted the devotion to the rosary, to which many miracles have been attributed over centuries of Catholic history
In a number of apparitions, the Virgin Mary herself has requested the praying of the rosary. Perhaps most well-known is the Blessed Mother’s request to the children at Fatima to add a short prayer to the rosary, now known as the “Fatima Prayer”: O my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
Dominican Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart prays in the nuns’ chapel at the Monastery of the Mother of God.
Dominican Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart, newly elected novice mistress of the West Springfield monastery, cites many “riches” received from the rosary, including strengthening of faith, finding peace and consolation, and, most importantly, entering into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
“Mary, the person closest to Jesus as his mother, wants us to draw close to her son as well,” said Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart.
For more information on the Rosary Sunday Devotions, call the monastery at 413-736-3639.
In addition to the special Rosary Sunday Devotions, the chapel at the Monastery of the Mother of God, located at 1430 Riverdale St., West Springfield, is open daily to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mass is celebrated at 7:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. The chapel is handicapped accessible. For more information, visit the website at www.vocationws.com.
Prayer Card Ministry
The local Dominican Nuns also have had a longtime ministry of making hand-colored and gilded prayer cards. These may be ordered by calling call 413.737.5947 or 413.736.4643 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. or Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(Editor’s Note: More on the Dominican Nuns and their ministry will be featured in the cover story of the October issue of The Catholic Mirror, the publication of the Springfield Diocese, which is scheduled to arrive in homes on or about Oct. 15.)