Intercede for me and pray for my spiritual sons and daughters so that we may have a stable foundation of contemplative prayer and a ministry of healing the afflicted. Mary, my dear mother in heaven, I am deeply, deeply grateful for your protection and eternally humbled by my priesthood. Please keep me close and give me strength to walk with everyone who comes for confession and spiritual guidance. An icon representing the Feast of the Protection of the Theotokos.

Today we remember that third day after the death of the Theotokos when St. Thomas the Apostle arrived and asked to have one last look at...

It was Mary who, having lived a life of piety, prayer, faithfulness, and giftedness, said "yes" to becoming the bearer of God into the...

Place us under the protection of your veil Theotokos Like all those caves, grottos, and underground churches Which heard all the prayers...

My dearest Mary, Theotokos, I bow before your splendor and glory. As a sign of your bodily assumption into Heaven and your love for my...

Oh, how the Apostles must have cried! When she, whose soul magnified the Lord, tasted death. Oh, how the Apostles must have been stunned! When Thomas, my dear Thomas, begged to behold Her face once more. Instead of her beauty and Without her loving countenance, Another tomb was found empty. Shock took over and doubt sunk in ...hard and fast... But she, who was without sin, Yet, still in need of Salvation, Kept in constant prayer, For those faithful servants who Served her Son

Why do I take the man-made paths Twisted and turning With fits and stops along the way? Overgrown with brambles Created by a mind Built by its own importance Fleshed by a heart Stirred by the demons lurking beneath. Intercede for me all you saints! Show me, Most Holy Mother! The way back to the path Your Son spoke into existence Trod by His own feet Washed by His own blood Resurrected by His own Ascension! Illumined by the Holy Spirit! This is the path of deification Born of

It is getting late and My head hangs low. It is darker now and My tears begin to flow. It is desperate all round so My hands grasp Because they know. The divine language of love, Played on a rope Made of silence. With humility and love, I implore you. Give me shelter, So I may pray through the nights. "O Mistress, Empress and Lady, Defend all who are in danger and misfortune Or weak from many sins, And who stand before your holy Icon Praying with tears, humility, repentance,

With head bowed, Back bent, and tired feet, I crawl to you on hands and knees. With eyes swollen, Parched mouth, and Prayer rope in hand, I whisper the words, One more time. Your enemies are boundless O Christ, Yet, you offer An inexhaustible cup that Never runs dry? Forgive me, a sinner. You gave yourself Mary Most Holy, As the birth giver of God. And now you provide A refuge to me? "Rejoice, for the angelic powers and the human race rejoice because of you! Rejoice, for your

Mary, Most Holy, and Mother of my God. My model, My refuge, and My love. I seek, and With humility, I ask To approach your Life-Giving Spring? With all my heart, I pray... Revive, Restore, and Renew me. "O Lady graced by God, you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason, the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring. I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension, to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out, 'Hail redemptive wa