The Little Rose Newsletter The Voice of the Rose Ferron Foundation of Rhode Island Volume 5 Issue 1 December 2020 The year 2020 has in some ways suffered for us. made time appear to stand still. The As the Bible tells us, when an halting of worship during the Lenten angel of the Lord appeared to the season of 2020 made it feel like we shepherds, the glory of the Lord were to endure a never ending lent. shone around them, and they were Despite that, we find ourselves look- terrified. But the angel said to them, ing at the calendar and realizing “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you Christmas will soon be here. tidings of great joy that will be for all One thing has remained constant the people. For this day, is born to here at the Rose Ferron Foundation you a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Glory - our commitment to prayers of repa- transcending time and space. Specifi- to God in the highest; and on earth ration every Friday and first Sunday of cally, prayers of reparation take us to peace to men of good will.” the month. We have tried to accom- the foot of the cross of Jesus as He is Through the reading of Sacred modate those who cannot attend in crucified. There we stand with His Scripture we can transcend time and person by posting our prayer program mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and space. We can see, along with the on our website. If you would like a see what sin has done. Only by being shepherds, a tiny, helpless, newborn copy, we can mail one to you for a present to Jesus in prayer, can we Baby Boy and together bear witness to small donation. offer our love to soothe and console the King of Love born on Christmas All forms of prayer have a way of Him and give thanks for all He has day for each one of us. Words From the Foundation President The Two Trinities first Sunday of the month. Please plan Ave Maria! a trip to join us if you are able. Fixing and stop- I have always prayed the “Litany ping leaks appears to of Humility” with my family. See have been the theme page four to read portions of writings for this third quarter by my son Paul when he was sixteen. of 2020. Our next Additionally, devotion to Little Rose door neighbor installed a much-needed directs one to know the great drain pipe to direct water away from importance of humility. our building instead of towards it; Buildings are made of matter and breaking ground in our courtyard to human beings have corporeal bodies; remove old asphalt to allow for proper both decay over time. When God drainage; we repaired and purchased sent Jesus to us on that first Christ- “Light of the World” new windows to stop the leaking of mas day, He freely gave to man His drafty, cold air so our heating system Divine Nature, elevating us toward a can be more effective. higher nobility. In this way we be- As we fix the leaks in our building, come Divine through Jesus—an we continue to pray for the leaks in amazing thought to realize and our Catholic family as reported in this ponder as we celebrate this Advent “Christmas also reveals the full meaning of issue on page two, an article on Faith and Christmas season! every human birth, and the joy which accompa- and the Family. All of us can help in Yours with “little Rose,” nies the birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the repair of those leaks by our contin- the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every ued prayers. We remain open and David P. Ethier child born into the world.” ~ Pope St. John Paul II have a prayer service every Friday and Page 2 The Little Rose Newsletter Roses, Thorns & Prayer This story has run the course of cause, even torn clothing if they catch just about a hundred years as of this just right. When you add this togeth- writing. Marie Rose Ferron accepted er with our Thorn Tree, you see the her suffering to include a crown of “never enough thorns” that Little thorns stigmata. She asked her third Rose spoke about, continues on here cousin, Rose Myette, to created a do- at her Foundation in Woonsocket, mestic “chapel of thorns.” The prayer Rhode Island. of the Rosary is the glue that binds The relocation of our 'Domestic this story together. One evening after Chapel of Thorns' is ongoing and ever the Ferron and Myette families prayed changing as we progress with needed the Rosary in 1928, when Little Rose building improvements. If you have was 27 and Rose Myette was 17, Little visited us in the past two years, the Rose looked at Rose Myette and said: next two years promise to be a com- “Rose, I have a lot of work for you to pletely new experience as we expand. do. And it’s going to take a long time. It is a slow process that comes with all And there can never be enough so overgrown as to become, well, a the pains of pruning a rosebush filled thorns!” “thorn in your side”...pun intended. with thorns. There you have it roses and roses The Rose Ferron Foundation of One thing that stands firm is our and thorns and thorns linked amid Rhode Island’s courtyard came with a commitment to praying the Rosary on prayer. Pain and beauty, joy and suf- few of these unruly rose bushes. In the first Sunday of the month, and fering joined as only prayer can. the process of trying to control the every Friday as time and construction If you have ever grown a rose growth, it takes a lot of time and dedi- allow. Please consider a visit to join bush, you know that either it will die cation to pruning—not to mention the us for prayer and to view our progress. the very first year or two, or become cuts and scrapes that those thorns will We ask that you call ahead to confirm. Once upon a time in our little city More importantly why have they of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, there abandoned Jesus as He was present in Former St. Ann’s Church, was a Catholic “parish family” that the Blessed Sacrament inside those Woonsocket, RI belonged to a church named St. churches? Perhaps the answer lies in Ann’s. Its two giant towers were our culture’s current degradation of called the “Towers of Faith and the family as a whole. Family” and could be seen from vari- Let this be a wake up call to all ous points in the city. It was indeed a remaining faithful Catholic families to most beautiful church with frescoes pray, pray, pray! Pray for Little Rose painted on the ceiling similar to those to intercede and bring back those who of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. are far from their former church fam- Unfortunately there is no longer a ilies. Our Mother Church is suffering “parish family” there; the church has but there is much power in prayer. been sold to an artist group which We are reminded of La Sentinalist maintains it as a secular institution. Movement that took place within the Sadly, this story is repeated Canadian population during Rose’s throughout our city of Woonsocket. lifetime. There was a great difference ~ Many of our Catholic churches, of opinion which led to members of Little Rose, please intercede for us including Little Rose’s former the Church being excommunicated. now as we pray that all hearts have a Catholic “parish family” of Holy Little Rose was asked to suffer for deep conversion back to the love of Family Church, have either closed or them and did so. All eventually God and Our Lord and Savior, Jesus mergers have taken place. returned to profess their obedience to Christ, and Holy Mother Church Where have the families gone? the Catholic Church. throughout the world. Amen. Volume 5, Issue 1 Saint Francis & the Nativity Page 3 the Infant Jesus in His arms!! The In 1223, on Christmas Eve, a townspeople marvel as Infant Jesus is man who we now know to be St. placed in the manger. All are silent. Francis was drawn to the idea of Was it an instant or an eternity? God trying to re-create the scene as it has once again been revealed to simple must have looked on the night Our townfolk as joy and wonder filled the Lord was born. Can we visualize night. him going around the town of We do know from many writings Greccio asking townfolk if he could about this first re-creation of the borrow a donkey here and couple Nativity of Our Lord that many in lambs there? Can we imagine the attendance, including Francis himself, expressions on their faces when he did see the Holy Infant Jesus. Later in asked them to bring their animals life, Francis would receive the wounds with them to celebrate midnight of Jesus in his feet, hands and side. Mass in a stable on the hillside? If it Jesus was brought to life through were not for Francis’s popularity as a Francis from birth to crucifixion. holy man with an unusual preaching Francis preached that “the safest style, many in the area could have remedy against the thousand snares thought he may had gone mad. he only have that little manger surround- and wiles of the enemy is spiritual joy.” Instead, we must consider, that love ed by animals—leaving each person in Perhaps here, as we think about his for Francis coupled with a curiosity attendance the ability to enter into the first Christmas creche, we see his to know what he was up to had scene with their senses - feeling the chill; reasons for wanting to bring to life the gotten the best of them.