Come, Contemplate with Mary the Face of Christ

Holy Rosary Shrine is dedicated to fostering union with Jesus through Our Blessed Mother and her Holy Rosary. Central to our mission is beautiful and reverent worship, preaching His Word, devotional and evangelization events, and service to those in need. Staffed by the Franciscans of the Poor Christ, we offer extended hours for the Sacrament of Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, retreat days and Franciscan and Marian spiritual formation. The Shrine has a rich history of being home to many different ethnic groups in the "Immigrant City" of Lawrence, Massachusetts which continues to this day.

Confession Times

Confession Times

Information about confession times and days and how to make a good confession.

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How to Pray the Rosary

How to Pray the Rosary

The Rosary Center & Confraternity. Promoting devotion to the Rosary for more than 500 years.

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Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Letter from St. John Paul II about the importance of the Holy Rosary.

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From the Friars: By Your Words You Will be Condemned

The Bible and Church Teaching have much to say about the right use of our gift of speech. Our Lord Himself said: “on the day of judgement men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mt 12:36-37)

There has been much media attention recently to comments made by President Trump regarding the ongoing war in Iran. On April 7th he posted on social media: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. … God Bless the Great People of Iran!” Even if the threat is understood as an exaggeration in order to extract concessions, such speech cannot be justified. The moral law is not suspended in war. It is gravely evil to intentionally kill civilians, let alone destroy a whole civilization.

Apart from political bickering, this controversy can be an occasion for all of us to examine our speech. Fierce public discourse and the prevalence of offensive language in the culture are symptoms of drifting away from God. Our ability to speak is an important part of being a creature in the image and likeness of God. Controlling the tongue is one of the most difficult but essential things in the spiritual life. St. James is especially strong in his letter about the need to bridle the tongue which he calls a fire adding, “how great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!” (Jas 3:5)

Picture of the Palisades fire

The Palisades Fire, by CAL FIRE_Official – Public Domain, Link

We all have memories of words that have hurt us or built us up. I remember vividly when my High School football coach called me a name that I cannot repeat. It still stings 50 years later. Jesus tells us that whoever calls his brother a fool will be liable to the hell of fire. (Mt 5:22) And St. Paul teaches: “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying…” (Eph 4:29)

If we are to evangelize others as Jesus commands us, we must first preach by example, including virtuous speech. Let us speak the truth in love. (Eph 4:15)

Pax et Bonum.
Fr. Peter