2017 LENTEN
PASTORAL
THEME: STARTING
WITH THE BLOCK ROSARY
INTRODUCTION
1.
UNDERSTANDING THE ROSARY PRAYER
1.1 Etymology and Origin
1.2 Content and Method
1.3 Biblical Foundation of the Words
of the Rosary
1.4 The Catholic Church and the
Custom of Venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary
2
THE BLOCK ROSARY CRUSADE
2.1 What is Block Rosary?
2.2 The Impetus of the Apparitions
of Our Lady of Fatima
2.3 History of Block Rosary Crusade
in Nigeria and Igboland
2.4 Formulation and Order of Daily Prayers
3
SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOCK ROSARY AND THE APPARITIONS IN FATIMA
3.1 Children and Mary
3.2 Efficacy/Power of the Rosary
3.3 Victories of the Rosary
4
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER FATIMA APPARITIONS (1917-2017): THE WORLD NEEDS THE BLOCK ROSARY NOW
4.1 Cause for Hope - Our Lady of the
Rosary
4.2 Sin Is Destroying Our World!
4.3 The Struggle between the Forces
of Good and the Forces of Evil in Our Times
4.4 The Spate of Global Terrorism
and Culture of Violence
5
CONCLUSION
5.1 Help to Promote the Block Rosary!
5.2 Reinforce the Family Rosary!
5.3 Never Abuse the Rosary and
Marian Devotions!
APPEdNDIX
INTRODUCTION
"The prayer of the Rosary is perfect because
of the praises it offers, the lessons it teaches, the graces it obtains, and
the victories it achieves"
Pope
Benedict XV (1914-1922)
Devotion to the Rosary is taken very seriously as one of the most notable features of
our Catholic tradition and spirituality. Of
all prayers, the Rosary is one of the most beautiful and richest in Divine
grace and heavenly blessings, because we have the mysteries of our salvation
summarized in it. That is, in the Rosary, we relive the gospel story of the
joys and sorrows and glory, which made up the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our Mother Mary. Through the Rosary, therefore, we come to love our Lord and
our Lady, more and more. The Rosary is also a powerful spiritual weapon,
especially when it is said publicly. In fact, down through the ages, the
efficacy and victories of the Rosary over sin and enemies of the gospel inspire
us with such confidence that the force of Rosary can still change our
beleaguered world. In all these, the Block Rosary Crusade, more than other
groups in the Church, has been very fundamental and highly committed in
propagating the Rosary devotion across the world. Through this group, we have a
great insight on the importance of our devotion to Mary. Our Mother Mary, like
her Divine Son, is very pleased to have people gather together in prayer. Jesus
expressly recommended prayer to his apostles and disciples by promising that
whenever two or three are gathered together in his name, he would be there in
their midst (cf. Matt. 18:20). The Block Rosary Crusade members come together
in prayer as a group not only in the name of Jesus, but also in the name of His Mother, Mary. In
this way, the group is at the forefront of those emphasizing the need to honour
our Lord’s Mother and at the same time rely on the power of her intercession in
our daily prayers. And this they do more bravely, more devotedly and more
publicly. In point of fact, it was the renewed emphasis and thrust on the
Rosary by the 1917 Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima that accounted for the
emergence and boom of Block Rosary in the Church. And today, most of us are
living witnesses to the fact that those who begin their Christian life as Block
Rosary Members and truly live up to its noble ideals are often better off in
terms of its Catholic identity, moral, catechetical and doctrinal instructions,
good neighbourliness, social cohesion and other numerous benefits that are
essential for integral and authentic Christian formation. And these virtues
follow them from cradle to the grave.
Against
this backdrop, I wish our 2017 Lenten Pastoral to focus on the Block Rosary and
the urgent need for us all (children, youths and adults) to return to the
source, to revive and actively participate in that starting point of our faith,
so as to reap its attendant positive fruits. Thus, our title - STARTING
WITH THE BLOCK ROSARY - aptly summarises the target and intention of
the Pastoral. Corollary, this Pastoral underscores our renewed effort in the
promotion of Marian Spirituality and Apostolates in our Diocese. We remain ever
convinced that the Blessed Virgin Mary, being our Mother, will never abandon
us, her beloved children: "servus
Mariae nunquam perit" - "the slave/child of Mary will never
perish".
Above
all, as we look forward to the enthralling and spiritually refreshing events lined
up for the Centenary Celebration of Our Lady of Fatima (1917-2017) cum the 2017
National Marian Year in the Nigerian Church, it is also a privileged moment for
us to reflect on how we have been faithful to Our Lady's clarion call to 'Prayer,
Penance
and Sacrifice
(the core of Fatima Message). Incidentally, this
all-important message rightly squares with the message of Lent on Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving,
as well encapsulated in the Gospel reading of Ash Wednesday (cf. Matt 6:1-6.16-18). Again, Lent, like the
Rosary, helps us to recall and relive the events and mysteries of our
salvation: the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And
so, the call to repentance and spiritual renewal characteristic of this holy
season of grace particularly challenges us to emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary
in her "Ten Principal Virtues",
namely - her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her
continual prayer, her universal mortification, her divine purity, her ardent
charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom. In the spirit of the season and the signs of
the times, therefore, let us start all over again with the Block Rosary.
1.
UNDERSTANDING THE ROSARY PRAYER
1.1
ETYMOLOGY AND ORIGIN
In history, rarely does a devotion
appear suddenly. The divine pedagogy often takes centuries to prepare souls to
receive it. Hence, the Rosary stemmed from the habit of the early Christians of
joyfully thanking the Blessed Virgin Mary for all the uncommon benefits she had
brought mankind. All sorts of salutations flourished in the piety of the clergy
and the laity. Mary has both the joy of motherhood and the honour of virginity.
No one else has been seen to possess a like privilege, neither before nor after
her. The contemplation of Mary, her
privileges and the favours she bestows on her children was considered a joy
exceeding all other joys. It was this joyful piety that gave the name of the
"Rosary". In the Middle Ages, the symbol of joy was the rose. To
crown one's head with a garland of roses (a chaplet) was a sign of joy. In
Medieval Latin, the term for "a crown of roses", "a garland of
flowers", "a bed of roses", "a garden of roses" is
"rosarium"[1].
Thus, "Rosarium" was fittingly applied to Mary, the "Mystical
Rose" of God[2] and "Cause of our joy " in bringing
us Christ[3].
The salutations - Hail Marys - were conceived as so many spiritual roses
presented to her by fashioning for her a crown, a chaplet. In return, Mary
would place upon the heads of her children an invincible diadem of roses, of
spiritual graces. St. Louis De Montfort calls the Rosary, "The
Mystical Rose Tree of Jesus and Mary in life, death and eternity"[4].
Some traditional legendary material
indicates that St. Dominic (d. 1221), an eminent theologian, received the
devotional Rosary from an apparition of Mary. This story is traced to a 15th
century Dominican priest and theologian, Alan de la Roche. However, the Rosary
finds its chief liturgical source in the Psalter or OT book of 150 psalms as
distributed in the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office. In an effort to make the spiritual riches of
the liturgy accessible to all the faithful, especially the largely illiterate
Christian population of the time, a "Psalter of the Laity" emerged in
medieval Europe, whereby the laity were
required to say 150 Our Fathers, and later 150 Hail Marys, in their daily
prayers. When the Irish monks and missionaries divided the Psalter into three
sets of fifty psalms each, the lay people were equally required to say fifty
Our Fathers or fifty Hail Marys in their Psalter of Jesus and Mary. Another
Carthusian, Henry of Kalkar, divided the Hail Marys into decades with an Our
Father between each decade. To count these prayers in their proper sequence,
strings of beads were used as a material aid, hence the origin of Rosary beads.
Also, by not having to keep track of the count mentally, the mind is free to
meditate on the mysteries. The Rosary became an established popular prayer form
in the Church only after many centuries of significant development of the
devotion.[5]
Over the centuries also, the Rosary
has been promoted by several popes as part of the veneration of Mary in the
Roman Catholicism. Their central point has been that the Rosary represents the
Church's emphasis on "participation in the life of Mary, whose
focus was Christ", and the Mariological theme "Ad
Jesum per Mariam" - "To Christ through Mary", taught
by Saint Louis De Montfort[6].
Reiterating this view, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), widely acknowledged as
"the Rosary Pope", says: "The Rosary is a vital means to participate
in the life of Mary and to find the way to Christ".[7]
On this score, many theologians view Mariology as inherently in Christology.
The Catechism
of the Catholic Church is very emphatic on this point: "What the Catholic faith believes about Mary
is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary
illumines in turn its faith in Christ" (CCC n. 487). With the establishment of an official Catholic Rosary
Confraternity and numerous papal indulgences for praying With the establishment of an official
Catholic Rosary Confraternity and numerous papal indulgences for praying the
Rosary, the Rosary became a highly popular devotion in many places. And since
the 16th century, the month of October has been annually set aside for the Holy
Rosary. In 1716, an official feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (formerly Our Lady
of Victory) was permanently placed on the Church's liturgical calendar, which
is still celebrated every year on October 7.[8]
1.2
CONTENT AND METHOD
As a Catholic devotional prayer, the Rosary could be said
mentally or vocally, in private or in communal settings. It is said on a string
of knots or beads made up of five sets called decades (group of ten). The components
and normal sequence of the Rosary prayer are as follows: the Sign of the Cross,
the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles' Creed, one Our Father, three
Hail Marys, one Glory Be, the decades (each having one Our Father, ten Hail
Marys, and one Glory Be), and Hail Holy Queen. Other common pious additions
include the Fatima Decade Prayer that follows the Glory Be, Litany of Loreto in
Honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary said after Hail Holy Queen , and other
traditional Catholic prayers, as occasions warrant. In each decade, thought is
given to one of the mysteries of the Rosary, which recall the main events in
the lives of Jesus and Mary. Based on a long-standing custom, the complete or
standard Rosary of fifteen mysteries was established by Pope Pius V in 1569. He
grouped the mysteries in three sets: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful
Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. In October 2002, Pope John Paul II, in
his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae,
recommended an additional set of five decades called the Luminous Mysteries or
the Mysteries of Light, bringing the total number of mysteries/decades to
twenty. With this fitting addition, the Rosary becomes, all the more, a
meditation on all important moments of salvation history. However, the usual
practice has been for the faithful to recite one cycle (i.e. five decades)
daily, which is the requirement of the Catholic Church to gain its plenary
indulgence (Theology 907 -908). Following the 2002 inclusion of the Luminous
Mysteries, the order of days allotted to the mysteries was adjusted as follows:
Joyful
Mysteries - Mondays and Saturdays
Luminous
Mysteries - Thursdays
Sorrowful
Mysteries - Tuesdays and Fridays
Glorious
Mysteries - Sundays and Wednesdays
1.3
BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF THE WORDS OF THE ROSARY
The Rosary is scriptural prayer
because of its biblical derivatives. In this consideration, our focus is on the
Hail Mary because, among the
constituent prayers of the Rosary, it has generated the most heated debate and
controversy from non-Catholics and detractors of Mary, even when this most
popular salutation was taken directly from the Gospel, from the episodes of the
Annunciation and the Visitation, which everyone knows: "Hail,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Luke 1:28). "Blessed
art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke
1:42). These two salutations of the Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth to Mary formed
the first part of the Ave Maria. According to common opinion, they were joined
together around the 11th century. The second or petition part beginning
"Holy Mary, Mother of God" was formulated by the Church and added to
the first part in the Middle Ages.[9]
1.4 THE CHURCH
AND THE CUSTOM OF VENERATING THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Our reflection on the Rosary in a
way goes with a pertinent question: Why do Catholics venerate or honour the
Blessed Virgin Mary? In response, we must first understand that Mary is
honoured by the Catholic Church with a special devotion distinct from and
higher than that given to the other saints. This kind of honour is called hyperdouleia, which means
'superservice', to distinguish it from douleia
that is accorded to other saints, and latreia
(adoration) which is due to God alone. And so, the veneration of Mary consists
mainly in giving her reverential respect, dedicating her name and titles to
churches, arts and places, and invoking her to intercede for us, celebrating
the feasts and memorial of certain mysteries that she is involved in and
singing praises to God in her honour. From the ancient times, she is honoured
with the titles 'Mother of God', 'Queen of Heaven', 'Advocate', 'Helper',
'Benefactress', and 'Mediatrix' (CCC n. 971; cf. Lumen Gentium nn. 62, 66). Catholics are, thus, encouraged to pray
the Rosary daily in her honour. For "The Rosary is a priceless treasure which is
inspired by God" (St. Louis De Montfort).
Catholics
honour Mary because of her great privileges; God honoured her above all
creatures by bestowing upon her the highest dignity in the history of the world.
As earlier noted, the Bible as well as Tradition highlight Mary as an
extraordinary person who played a significant role in the history of our
salvation. In the first place, she was conceived without sin (the Immaculate
Conception). Both the Angel and Elizabeth called her "blessed among
women" (Luke 1:28, 42). Mary herself prophesied that henceforth all
generations would call her blessed (Luke1:48). In order to fulfill the
Scripture, we join also in venerating Our Lady. Joseph honoured Mary when he
took her as God directed, cared for her and provided for her (Matt 1:18-25). Mary
was uniquely blessed and was chosen for the highest honour because she conceived
'God-in-human-form', the Saviour of all mankind and gave birth to him through
the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus honoured Mary as well as Joseph when he
went down to Nazareth and was subject to them (Luke 2:51). Jesus honoured her
by being with her for thirty years and the his love to her on the Cross when he
left her to the care of John (John 19:25ff). John also had a vision of how she
was crowned the Queen of Heaven (Rev 12:1-6). We honour her because Jesus
obeyed her words. He performed his first miracle at her request, by changing
water into wine (John 2:1-12). Above all, we honour her because she is the
model of Christian believers. Mary was totally open to God and His word in her
life.
Since all Christians, according to
the Bible, are members of the mystical body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27; Eph 5:30),
and Christ is the Son of Mary, it follows that Mary is the Mother of all
Christians in the order of grace. Again, by virtue of our adoption by Christ
(Gal 4:4-7; Eph 1:5), Mary is our Mother in faith. She is the new Eve. And as
our Mother, we owe her a duty, according to the commandment of God (Ex 20:12;
Deut 5:16; Matt 19:19; 15:4-8; Mark 1:19; 7:10; Eph 6:2), to honour her. Hence,
it is absurd to claim that Mary finished her role as soon as she gave birth to
Jesus. "Mary is the masterpiece of God's creation. Is the artist jealous of the
praise given to his masterpiece? The praise given to Mary goes to God. By
honouring Mary, we are honouring God".[10]
In venerating and honouring Mary, therefore, the Church
holds on to the following four doctrines:
Name
|
First
Magisterial Definition
|
Dogma
Content
|
1.
Perpetual Virginity
|
Baptismal symbols since 3rd
Century
|
Mary was a Virgin before, during
and after the birth of Jesus Christ. She is Ever Virgin.
|
2.
Mother of God
|
Council of Ephesus (431)
|
Mary is truly the Mother of God (Theotokos), because of her unity with
Christ, the Son of God.
|
3.
Immaculate Conception
|
Pope Pius IX (1854)
|
Mary, at her conception, was
preserved immaculate from Original Sin. She began and ended her life
immaculate.
|
4.
Assumption into Heaven
|
Pope Pius XII (1950)
|
Mary, having completed the course
of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
|
2
THE BLOCK ROSARY CRUSADE
2.1
WHAT IS BLOCK ROSARY?
Block
Rosary Crusade is a movement, a pious society, or an apostolate in the Catholic
Church that lives and propagates the urgent message of Our Lady of Fatima. It
is a grassroot association that embraces Catholic Priests and Lay people of the
type specifically sanctioned by the New Code of Canon Law (cf. Canons 298-301).
In the Church's usage, the military term ‘Crusade’ denotes a campaign against
something believed to be bad; an action to recover what is holy captured by the
unholy. Hence, the Block Rosary Crusade is the gathering of people, adults as
well as children, from nearby blocks, houses, streets, wards or villages at a
particular open place or compound with the sole aim of using the most effective
weapon recommend by Our heavenly Mother, Our Lady of Fatima, the Queen of Peace
to recover or recapture the souls lost by sin to our mortal enemy, and bring
them back to God our Father for reconciliation. This basic unit where members
called ‘Block Rosary Crusaders’ gather daily is called 'Centre".
2.2 THE IMPETUS
OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA
The Block
Rosary Crusade, being association of Catholics who fight evil and sin with the
Rosary under the auspices of Mary, was founded by Our Lady of the Rosary herself
during her apparitions in Fatima. This historic event of our time happened in
1917 at Portugal a country in Europe. Our Lady appeared six consecutive times
between May 13th and October 13th to three children hailed from the little
hamlet of Aljustrel, in the parish of Fatima. They were Jacinta Marto, a little
girl of seven, Francisco Marto her brother, aged nine, and their cousin Lucia
dos Santos, aged ten. These little mountain shepherds could neither read nor
write, but being brought up in a Christian manner, they could pray and had
learned their catechism assiduously. Lucia had made her first Holy Communion. In
her sixth apparition on October 13th 1917, Mary declared herself, Our Lady of
the Rosary and required a chapel to be built at Cova d'Iria in her honour. The
chapel was erected for prayer in accordance with the ardent wish of our
heavenly mother and it remains the first ever Block Rosary Crusade Centre that
existed before it spreads all over the world. Hence Lucia, Blessed Francisco
and Blessed Jacinta became the first members of this noble Society.
Mary's apparitions
to these our beloved predecessors brought about what is generally called the Fatima
Message, a universal message of deep
concern, a practical plan for world peace, a promise of Heaven. In fact, it is
Heaven’s interventions to save us from persecution, martyrdom, war, enslavement
or annihilation. Above all, it is a way to save our souls from Hell. She emphasized the need for praying the
Rosary devotedly everyday and making sacrifices for sinners. Hence, the Block
Rosary does not want to fail our Lady in this regard. It gathers her members
daily, come sun, come rain at her various centres at the same time, with the
sole intention of love of Jesus, conversion of sinners, and to make reparation
for the offences committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate
Heart of Mary. And as well, for preservation of the Catholic faith, as practised
by our forefathers the Apostles, for the good of our Holy Father the Pope, all
our Bishops, our priests and religious, our parents and guardians, for all
Christians, for the holy souls in purgatory, and for consecration and
conversion of Russia, so that peace of God may be brought to the world and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary triumphs.
Given the
efficacy of the Fatima Message, a compelling power of circumstances arose, the
propagation of this message. Hence a movement is necessitated. Therefore, Block
Rosary Crusade was given birth. The Block Rosary, therefore, being a
providential means of restoring the virtue of neighbourliness and charity in
places where persons, living side by side in homes or apartments have been
nothing more than strangers to each other, concerns herself in bringing this vital,
urgent and most important message of Our Lady among the faithful, with a view
to arousing everywhere a renewal of the Christian life of Prayer,
Penance
and Sacrifice.
Block Rosary Crusade is a free society. The membership is free to all, provided
the devotee is ready to submit to its spirit of love, prayer, and sacrifice,
the spirit of Jesus and Mary.
On
her own part, the Church understood almost instinctively the capital importance
of this religious movement of Fatima and has been committed to promoting it
over the years.
2.3 HISTORY OF
BLOCK ROSARY CRUSADE IN NIGERIA AND IGBOLAND
It has been said that the fasted and largest growth
ever in the 2000 years history of the Christianity is taking place in Africa.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria shares in and contributes to that tremendous
growth. So it was also in the various organs, associations and societies in the
Nigerian Church. The serene breeze of the Rosary prayer itself gently blew into
Nigeria with the coming of the Catholic missionaries in the 19th century. Many
Catholic families and individuals learnt how to say the Rosary in the catechism
classes, and this prepared the ground for the future blossoming of the Block
Rosary. The genesis of her metamorphosis
began just like a family rosary prayer.
Block
Rosary was started by Mr. Eusebius Ogizu of Urualla in Ideato North Local
Government Area of Imo State, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with
some members in the year 1956 at No. 29 Arondizuogu Street, Aba. Later in the
year 1958, it was transferred to No. 21 Arondizuogu Street in Ndiegore Catholic
Mission (an out station of Christ the King Parish) now our Lady of Lourdes
Parish, Aba. The society was an offshoot of Mr. Oguizu’s CCD (Catechism of
Catholic Doctrine) work in which he introduced praying the Rosary and reciting
the litany of Blessed Virgin Mary after teaching Catechism. Eusebius began the
Crusade with only twelve children. Strange enough, the society at its inception
had no name. It could be describe from the way its activities were carried out,
teaching of Catechism and praying the Rosary and Litany from street to street
and yard to yard every evening. Mr. Eusebius had a little hand bell with which
he used to summon members to prayer. Later on, he got a pamphlet from America
in 1958 entitled ‘Weekly Block Rosary”,
from which he named his movement Block Rosary, with the motto "Prayer
and Penance”, as directed by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.
Before too long, the group began its
initial expansion and another nearby centre was opened in 1958. With the
creation of this second centre, there arose the need for some guiding rules for
the members, which was immediately executed. From the 1960 onwards, more
children, youths and adults became interested in the society and more centres
were opened in various streets of the town. Within a short time, the centres
numbered thirteen and this increase made it impossible to continue holding
meetings in private houses. The members, therefore, decided to hold the meeting
in Our Lady of Lourdes Mission premises. In 1961, the first parish officials
were elected. They did marvelous work and made the best out of Block Rosary
Crusade through the help of Rev. Fr. T. Watsh, who gave them encouragement in
all their doings, especially when there was crisis in the Crusade in 1962. It was through his help and the order given by Most Rev.
A. G. Nwedo, CSSp, Bishop of the Diocese, that gave the officers the courage
and strength in defeating all obstacles that came through their way then, and
Block Rosary Crusade continued moving smoothly till date. In the same 1962, the
society continued its expansion to other towns and villages. In 1965, new
executives were elected and they drove the expansion beyond Aba, so that by
1967, at the wake of Nigeria-Biafra war, the Block Rosary Crusade had spread to
many places like Abagana, Nnobi, Urualla, Nnewi, Osina, Ajali, Obodoukwu,
Igbere, Ama Okwe-Item, Ezinihitte - Mbaise, Umunkpei, Mbutungwa, Ehime, Obowo,
to mention but a few. They also sent letters and personal encouragement to the
newly established centres.
When the war eventually broke out
and became intense in 1968, the towns became deserted. Yet, some members who
fled to different parts of the country were courageous enough to establish
centres wherever they stayed, since they sought Mary's help and protection to abate
the crisis. Although some of those who championed the spread could not survive
the war, the good news was that the
society was expanding even amidst the war. After the war, in late 1970, Block
Rosary, like every other thing in the Eastern States, went into a lull because
of fear and excruciating hardships across the Igboland. The lull lasted till
almost the end of 1971. In 1972, while the Crusade was being inaugurated
different dioceses of Nigeria, a committee of Umuahia Diocesan Block Rosary
Crusade was formed. It was led by the founder, Mr. Eusebius Oguizu, and their
chaplain, Rev. Fr. B. I. Nwolu, who left no stone unturned to foster the
progress of Block Rosary. About the same time,
Diocesan Block Rosary Crusade was formed in other dioceses: Onitsha,
Enugu, Owerri, Portharcourt, Abakaliki, Ikot-Ekpene, Calabar, Ogoja, Awka,
Orlu. Okigwe, Ahiara, Aba, Benin, Lagos, Kaduna, etc. The apostolate continued
to spread spontaneously and with phenomenal rapidity among the mass of the
faithful and particularly among the young.
With this development, a thought of
unification was conceived. And so, the Eastern Dioceses
decided to come together as one body, and this led to the formation of
Imo-Anambra States Council of Block Rosary Crusade in September 1977. The name
was changed to East Ecclesiastical Province of Block Rosary Council on 4th
December, 1977. Later the name was finally changed to Onitsha Ecclesiastical
Province of Block Rosary Crusade, and their officers duly elected. Kaduna and
Lagos Ecclesiastical Provinces were also formed and their officers duly
elected. As time lapsed, what was once a flame became a fire and spread to
virtually all parts of Nigeria. This conflagration of the Crusade again brought
the idea of unification and formation of a National Council of Block Rosary
Crusade. And this idea was actualized on the 11th of May, 1985, which was the
day a new National Lay Apostolate was born with aim of propagating the message
of Our Blessed Lady of Fatima. Ever since then, the National Council has been
meeting on a yearly basis on the weekend of after the 1st Sunday of May. The
first National Congress of the Block Rosary Crusade was held at St. Patrick
Cathedral, Akwa in Anambra State, with the theme: “Son Behold Your Mother”
(John 19:27).
Indeed, like the story of the
mustard seed, the Block Rosary Crusade planted in Igboland has grown to become
one of the greatest lay apostolate organizations in the Nigeria. It has come a
long way with towering achievements in the socio-religious life of her members.
2.4 FORMULATION
AND
ORDER OF DAILY PRAYERS
The Block
Rosary prayer is not just a conglomeration of Our Fathers and Hail Marys. It is
also more than the recitation of the Rosary in private. Even so, the Rosary
forms the central point of the five conditions of Fatima Message:
1.
The Daily Recitation of Rosary
2.
Daily Sacrifice for sinners
3.
Communion of Reparation on the First
Saturday of every month
4.
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary
5.
The steady wearing of the Brown
Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
These five
conditions are in one the Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as requested
at Fatima. For the Crusaders, they are the powerful weapons of grace and
salvation. Based on these conditions, the standard method of praying the Rosary
daily in the Block Rosary Crusade is as follows:
1.
Opening Hymn – Our Lady's Anthem
2.
Opening Prayer – The Sign of the
Cross
3.
Reparation Prayer
4.
Invocation of the Holy Spirit
5.
The Apostle’s Creed
6.
One Our Father and Three Hail Marys
7.
Glory Be to the Father...
8.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
9.
Hail Holy Queen
10. Litany of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
11. Catena
12. Prayer to St
Michael the Archangel
13. October Prayer to
St Joseph (in the month of October)
15.
Act of Consecration to the Blessed
Virgin Mary
16.
Prayer for a Happy Death
17.
The Memorare
18.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
19.
Prayer Taught by the Angel to the
Three Children at Fatima.
20.
The Sign of the Cross
Today, we are grateful to God that we have the prayer
manuals of Block Rosary in both local and international languages, and very
much available in our sacramental shops.
3
SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOCK ROSARY AND THE APPARITIONS IN FATIMA
3.1
CHILDREN AND MARY
Evidence
of history seems to favour claim that our Mother Mary has special love and
preferential option for children. Mary's visit and help to Elizabeth showed her depth of love not just for
Elizabeth alone, but also for the child John, who leapt in her mother's womb in
acknowledgement of Mary' love (Luke 1:41). Her love for her child Jesus was
also not in doubt. In several crucial cases, Marian
devotions have not been started with decrees issued in Rome, but by sensus fidelium, nay the religious
experiences and visions of simple and modest individuals, in many cases
children. A good example is the case of Saint Juan Diego. As a young man in
1531, he reported an early morning vision of the Virgin Mary in which he was
instructed to build an abbey on the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico. Also, a simple,
14 year old peasant girl of no significant education, Bernadette Soubirous
reported her vision of a woman in white, who said, "Que soy
L’Immaculado concepciou" -
"I am the Immaculate Conception". The three Portuguese
children, Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta Marto and Francisco Marto, were equally young and without much education
when they reported the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. Again, Mariette
Beco was twelve years old when she reported Marian apparitions in 1933 in
Banneux, Belgium. Recounting their experiences, these children created strong
emotions among numerous faithful, who independently adopted practices and
devotions. Their faith and beliefs influenced priests and the higher levels of
the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
We
know that the Spirit blows where and how he wills. Yet Mary's preference for
these little figures must have undoubtedly been based on their childlikeness,
that quality of guileless openness that Christ declared is one of the
conditions for attaining salvation (Matt 18:3). She counts on their virtue of
humility and readiness to do God's will without any selfish interests of their
own. Mary's choice also goes to buttress Jesus' words: "Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you, because you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned and revealed them to mere children"
(Matt 11:25). "Let the little children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such
belongs the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 19:14).
Hence, Our Lady challenges us not only to
love and care for children, but also to have predilection for childlike
innocence and attributes. Above all, it challenges all parents to rededicate
themselves to authentic and responsible parenthood. Hear the CCC on this: "Parents have the
first responsibility for the education of their children in the faith, prayer,
and all the virtues. They have the duty to provide as far as possible for the
physical and spiritual needs of their children. Parents should
respect and encourage their children's vocations. They should remember and
teach that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus" (CCC nn. 252-253). On this score, we could be quite
certain that the parents or families of the little visionaries did the needful
in rearing their children in godly, prayerful way. The family, therefore, plays
an indispensable role as St. Pope John Paul II reiterates: "In
the family, which is a community of persons, special attention must be devoted
to the children by developing a profound esteem for their personal dignity, and
a great respect and generous concern for their rights. This is true for every
child ... (especially) the sick, suffering or handicapped"
(John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris
Consortio, n. 26).
The rights and dignity of
children everywhere must be protected within religious, social and juridical
systems. The first right of the child is to be born in a real family, a right
often violated by proliferation of abortions and unwholesome development in
genetic technology. Other unresolved problems that infringe on children's
rights include: lack of healthcare, poor feeding and malnutrition, inadequate
shelter, little or no formal education, trafficking in children, child labour,
the phenomenon of 'street children', the use of children in armed conflicts,
child marriage, sexual exploitation of children, over exposure and
indiscriminate access to modern and sophisticated instruments of social
communication, and every kind of violence directed to these most defenceless of
human creatures (cf. John Paul II, Message for the 1996 World Day of Peace, nn.
2-6). These are criminal acts that must be effectively fought with adequate
preventive and penal measures by the determined action of the different authorities
involved. On their own part as the beloved of Mary, " Children owe their parents
respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance. Filial respect fosters
harmony in all of family life" (CCC n. 251).
3.2 EFFICACY/POWER OF THE ROSARY
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