‘Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with you.’ (Lk 1:28)
The Angel Gabriel greeted our Blessed Lady with this salutation, and during this past month of October, the month of the Rosary, the Sisters in Guyana were able to pray this prayer each day at a different family’s home. Each year, the Sisters try to spread the devotion of the Holy Rosary within the families in the little village of Charity, Guyana. This year, in response to Pope Francis’ request to pray the Rosary daily, along with the St. Michael prayer and the Sub Tuum, the families united together to implore heaven for peace in the world and for the needs of the Church. In the sun and the rain, each day Sr. Gloria placed Our Blessed Mother’s image in her bicycle basket and headed to the destination.
The highlights of the visits were many. One young man offered his Rosary for all the young people addicted to drugs and alcohol, and following the Rosary, the Sisters went outside and encountered an 18-year-old boy who had been given a drug in the form of a pill, and all were witnessing the side-effects of this drug. They were able help him and send him safely home. One Saturday, the Girls Group from the parish traveled by boat up the river and down the creek to one of the girl’s homes. All together, the 13 girls and 10 members of her family prayed and meditated on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary on the dock by the water. The girls gathered beautiful flowers to place at the feet of our Blessed Virgin Mary. The girls enjoyed this pilgrimage immensely. The following Saturday, we had a procession with Our Lady to an elderly woman’s home and prayed together with her and her family.
Although her grandchild and daughter-in-law are Hindu, they also joined us in prayer. Another visit was to a Venezuelan Family who shared about the help they were giving to the Venezuelan Immigrants who are taking refuge in Guyana.
We know that in sharing the love of our Heavenly Mother, she will use us as her little instruments to plant the love of her Son, Jesus Christ, in the hearts of the people. We give thanks for the month of the rosary and remember that “the family that prays together, stays together.” (Servant of God Fr. Peyton)
SSVM Missionaries in Guyana