Ordination, JP2, Mother Teresa & Frassati Time!

Whoa! Where have I been!? Recovering from a beautiful, holy weekend – that’s where. I hope everyone has been well!

I was blessed, once again, to visit St. Michael’s Abbey for Vespers and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Friday evening before attending the ordination of two new priests and a deacon on Saturday morning. The Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano was packed for the newly ordained Fr. Nathaniel, Fr. Alan and Deacon fr. David, and it was a beautiful celebration by Bishop Vann, Abbot Eugene Hayes and a great number of other priests from both inside and outside the Order.

The first two St. Michael's Abbey ordained priests (Fr. Leo and Fr. Robert) blessing the two last St. Michael's abbey ordained priests (Fr. Nathaniel and Fr. Alan). Photo by Rick Belcher Photography.

First blessing from Fr. Alan

First blessing from Fr. Nathaniel

After the mass I went to the reception and received first blessings from both of our new priests! I hadn’t met either of them before – but let them know that I would be entering the Order soon and that I would be praying for them. They were both so kind and I was humbled when they expressed gratitude for the sisters I will be joining. I even got to have a wonderful conversation about St. Faustina and vocations with the mother of another confrere (whose family was visiting all the way from Canada!) while we were in line for our blessings. I am so blessed to be entering this amazing Norbertine family. 

The on Sunday I went to the TLM here in Fresno for the first time in a few weeks – where Fr. Beaugrand, FSSP celebrated mass for us. He gave a beautiful homily on the importance of continually growing ever more deeply in love with Our Lord. We can never be satisfied with our faith and good works, my friends! Heaven forbid I ever consider that I am doing enough… not even for one moment. We are called to Christian perfection and we must strive for this unceasingly, lest we grow lukewarm. It is amazing that these priests travel all the way from Sacramento a few times a month to celebrate the traditional rite here in the valley. I am so thankful for them.

Mother Dolores Hart, OSB - Being interviewed by our
diocesan news station's Colin Dougherty at
Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fresno! 

Sunday night here in Fresno we were also graced with a visit from Mother Dolores Hart, OSB – who is currently out on tour doing book signings. It was beautiful to hear a bit of her story – how she made the transition from Hollywood to a cloistered monastery – and a little about what life has been like for her since her entrance. The life she lives in her convent is quite similar to the life that I will be living in mine, and most of what she said really hit home, but I knew it would. She is a beautiful soul and I hope the Lord will use her book as an instrument to bring about a small amount of awareness about monastic life and the beauty of committing one’s life to the Lord in prayer.

This is the final day of Leg 4 and asking St. Cecilia’s intercession during the 99-Day Novena Relay! She has been working hard for us in heaven and I’m sure she will continue to do so. But oh boy tomorrow we kick off Leg 5 and guess who’re coming to our assistance… Bl. John Paul the Great and Bl. Teresa of Calcutta! Deo Gratias! They really came through for me in the months leading up to my marathon and I know that they are going to intercede for you in amazing ways as well! Umm also, how amazing is this…

Today is Day 1 of the international novena to 

BL. PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI (Litany Run’s patron saint)! In 9 days it will be July 4th and his feast day. Wow! 

This post from Chris, who runs FrassatiUSA.org, really hit home for me today. Chris talks about the struggles and challenges of persevering in the FrassatiUSA ministry which was founded to provide support to young adults who want to foster faithful community the way Bl. Pier Giorgio did with his friends. These struggles deal mainly with finances – which of course is something that I understand. The tone of this blog post is one of all-too-familiar exhaustion, supported by a strong foundation of hope and trust in the Lord. It seems that while moral and prayerful support for FrassatiUSA is abundant, financial support is less than.

I know that I have written posts that sound similar to it over the past few months. Posts where I may sound like I am admitting defeat or losing hope at times. I pray I have been prudent in how much I share with you all about the spiritual struggles that come with the uncertainty of a financial pursuit such as Litany Run, and such as Chris’s effort to gain support for FrassatiUSA. To be honest, this pursuit is sometimes overwhelming and yes, moments of doubt do creep in. But I pray that the Lord will strengthen me and that, like the end of Chris’s post – I always leave you with the assurance that I trust in God’s plan and timing, and that hope always remains even when situations seem almost impossible. For me I suppose that is maybe a little dramatic. I know my loans will be paid off with time, even if it takes longer than I’d like. But for FrassatiUSA the very real possibility that the ministry may have to significantly cut back on available resources due to lack of funding… well that is something I will definitely be keeping deep in the heart of my prayers.

Because of this wonderful the Lord established a devotion to Bl. Pier Giorgio in the hearts of several of my friends and me, through this novena to him last fall. Since then he has grown to be such a friend to me and has become a very powerful presence on my journey to entering religious life. This patron saint of young people is a shining beacon of light for our generation and we can all learn so much from his short but holy life. He was fervently devoted to Our Lord in the Eucharist and settled for nothing less than living out his faith, proving himself to be a man of the beatitudes through every moment of his life. May we all desire for our love of God to be manifested through our charity toward His children the way Bl. Pier Giorgio’s was. Please join me in this novena to him as we prepare for his feast day on July 4^th! I hear there are going to be fireworks and everything.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been as consistent with updating about my entrance/training/financial status. There has been much going on lately! Half marathon training is right on track and I’m halfway into Week 2 of my official training. Haha – my “long” run on Sunday was fun… 4mi and started at 7:30am. It’s a relief not to be training my body for a 5:30am start time anymore. God is good and he is making me stronger every day. Tomorrow is a recovery day and I’m really excited about it. During my last visit to the priory Mother Mary Augustine gave me a list of things I need to prepare to bring when I enter. I’d like to have all of these things prepared for August, even though at this point I still have a mountain of debt to overcome. I’ve set up a WISHLIST page on litanyrun.com where you can email me if you’d like to receive a list of items I need. Maybe instead of donating to my student loans, you’d like to donate an item I will use for the rest of my life in the cloister (or at least for my first few years as a novice…)! In less than a month I will return to the priory for the dedication of the new house and poooossibly be meeting some of my future postulant sisters. As of right now it sounds like I am the only one set to enter in August (God willing) but there may be more joining later in the year. Please keep us all in your prayers! I am waiting for some loan payments to be put through and I will update you on my currently needed amount very soon! I am also trying to keep that number updated as regularly as possible on the homepage of litanyrun.com. 

Remember that you can always help me with a small gift like $5, $10 or $15 if the Lord moves your heart to do so at www.gofundme.com/litanyrun! 

I am praying for you! God bless you!

Calling on St. Cecilia

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the amazing men out there who have ever made a sacrifice for their children. Which is all dads of course. My own father has worked his patootie off my entire life to be able to give me and my brother everything that we need. I am so blessed to come from such an amazing family. Thank you St. Joseph for protecting us! Please keep my brother safe on his deployment so that he can come home and begin a family of his own. My parents need grandbabies! :).

My friends, my heart is so happy to share with you that a few days ago I relaunched www.litanyrun.com. It's got a new look and new information about my entrance status... and plans to run the Water to Wine Half Marathon in northern California on August 11th! Another opportunity to invoke the angels and saints for your prayer requests, to run for my vocation, and to give God glory through physical sacrifice for the salvation of souls. As of today my debt is down to $35,947. My 8-week training begins tomorrow! Deo gratias!

Tomorrow we also beging Leg 4 of the 99-Day Novena RELAY - praying for vocations and our own personal intentions. We're heading for 99 days toward the Feast of St. Augustine and my currently assigned entrance date! 73 days go to! Along with Our Lady of Fatima, St. Benedict, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Evermode, we will also ask the special intercession of St. Cecilia for the next 9 days.

I was blessed to spend five days with the Nashville Dominicans last summer. What a beautiful active community. The Order of Preachers will always hold a special place in my heart, as I felt called to join them for much of my discernment. My heart was set for a very long time on becoming a teaching sister and evangelizing the culture through making young people aware of the beauty of religious life through my being a living breathing example of one in love with and totally committed to God, in the world. But it was actually during my trip to Nashville that my heart was awakened to the possibility that I might not be called to active religious life.

As music played, Cecilia sang to God, 

"make my heart immaculate that I might not be put to shame." 

(Cantantibus Organis)

You see, for all the beauty of life as a Dominican, (and believe me... IT. IS. BEAUTIFUL...) for me there was still something missing. For five days I was surrounded with literally hundreds of the most passionately faithful women I have ever come across. Their love of God and desire to serve Him, each other, and the lay faithful - was inspiring to say the least. I admire the work they do and their fidelity to our Beloved. I actually went there with every intention to apply for entrance if I felt it was what the Lord was calling me to do. But after a weekend of prayer and fantastical times with many of the sisters, the vocations director felt it wasn't the best time for me to apply just yet. And while at the time I was a bit caught off guard by her advisement, in retrospect I view that week as one filled with beauty ... and yet one that was, for whatever reason, still a little unsettling and something not-quite-right. I remember feeling throughout the week that I always wished there was a little bit more time for prayer, or that I could stay in the church just a little bit longer, or that there was maybe just a little more time for silence. Don't get me wrong! They are VERY prayerful and spend A LOT of time with the Lord. I just found myself wanting even more of it, for some reason. To my own surprise, the grandeur of the gorgeous church and splendor of the grounds (which are, of course, meant to aid in the sisters' pursuit of quiet contemplation), were perhaps just a little overwhelming for me. I found myself meditating on my desire for poverty and simplicity during that weekend. Of course now we know it was because the Lord is calling me to the cloister. But maybe it took a visit to one of the most beautiful and wonderful active orders in America for me to realize that I am called to a quieter life.  

But St. Cecilia (the patroness of the Nashville Dominicans) remains close to my heart as she is the patron saint of musicians and, if you have been following my story, you might know that I went to school to be in musical theatre and have enjoyed being in church choirs all my life :). I love singing and can't wait to enter a life where I am singing the praises of the Lord for much of every day. 

Please pray through this blessed saint that all aspirants to the priesthood and religious life who are hoping to enter their communities this year will be provided with whatever they need to do so! That we may begin to sing a new song to the Lord with our while lives and entire beings. And pray for our peace of heart - that, should the Lord want us to wait a little longer, they will trust that He has great work for us to continue in the world for a while longer. 

God bless you!

Quick Update / Upcoming Announcement

Greetings brothers and sisters! Happy Feast of St. Anthony of Padua! Did you know that he was ordained as a Canon Regular before transferring to the order of Friars Minor? The prayer life he had to back up his awesome preaching must have been tres cool.

Are we really almost halfway through June already? Wow time flies. I spent this past weekend at the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph with my future sisters, (and some of my future brothers too… the Novices from St. Michael’s Abbey came for a day-visit!). I’m so happy to tell you that they’ve moved into their new building! Praise Jesus that they are finally out of the old trailers that were, according to Mother, quite run-down and not very good for their health. I had a beautiful weekend of peace, prayer, and too much feasting. Ok well really, I actually tried to practice a bit of temperance… but it was really lovely to have three Feast days in a row! Feast of St. Norbert on the 6^th, then the Sacred Heart of Jesus, then the Immaculate Heart of Mary! What a blessing to be there and pray with the community for the whole weekend. Every time I go there, I go fully expecting not a whole lot to happen. But at the end of every visit I leave having experienced so much grace that I feel quite silly for underestimating Our Lord so much.

Friends, I am happy to tell you that even while my debt remains substantial in these last final few months, I think that the Lord is confirming for me – more and more through many graces and blessings – that the time to enter is at the end of August this year. I know that I still have a long way to go to pay off my loans, but I know that if He wants me in the convent this fall, He will make Himself known in the hearts of those who are able to assist me, and all will be resolved in time. I am so thankful for this peace He has given me about it all, and I pray that those who are in similar situations to me are at peace with His desire for their entrance date as well. But since I so strongly believe that August 28^th is the day I am meant to enter, it’s time to plunge into my next and potentially final fundraising effort.

On Friday at 3pm I will announce my effort for the next two months, and launch my new/updated website. Please check back then for information on how you can help me (or spread the word if you’ve already helped) and please continue to keep me and all aspirants in your prayers. Especially the growing number of good men who have been accepted into St. Michael’s Abbey for postulancy in August!

May God bless you and keep you holy. 

Beautifully and Wonderfully

Yesterday as I was walking into my office I noticed the brightest rosebush I think I’ve ever seen. The color of the flowers was so intense that my first reaction was to think that they must be the result some man-made genetic manipulation. (Well okay, my first reaction was really more like, Oh em gee! I want to take a picture of that!! …What do you want? I’m a lady with a camera…) But then immediately following that I felt horrible, recognizing how sad it was that my first reaction was suspicion in assuming this beautiful object of nature couldn’t really be natural. What a tragedy to underestimate the generosity of Our Lord – to think, even for a moment, that He wouldn’t have designed these roses with such breathtakingly brilliant color. 

I was reminded of a talk I heard just after Christmas last year, during a holy hour which was held as a response the USCCB’s Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty. One of the themes of this talk was the dignity of human life, and what stood out to me most was focus given to our being made in the image and likeness of God. And how absolutely and utterly amazing that is.

Our Lord must be, without a doubt, the most beautiful of all beings in existence. What a privilege it is, for each of us, to be able to look into a mirror and see the reflection of one created to reflect the beauty of the Creator! And similarly, to be able to look into the eyes of another and see a person placed in our path by God, for the purpose of shedding light on His infinite mercy and generosity in creating each of us so uniquely – yet with a likeness unto Himself that we will not fully understand until we stand before Him and behold the Glory of His image. What a joy it must be for the people whose lives are so enveloped by the Holy Spirit – that they are able to look into the eyes of another and recognize the presence of Our Lord on earth! I must admit that, as much as I desire God use me as His instrument in the salvation of souls, I often struggle to recognize His presence in the people that I meet.

Yet He is in everyone, and His beauty is made manifest through all created things. He has nestled Himself at the center of our souls, my friends. There He sits, and waits for us to discover and embrace his love and unfathomably merciful design for our lives! What a privilege – that God resides in the depths of our hearts.  If only we were able to see this clearly each time we encounter one of His children. To look at each person and see one made in His image before seeing anything else. Oh that my first reaction to each person I meet could become, “Wow… you are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God!...” How intense would that be? Dream big, my friends.

Through the delightful experience of passing this beautiful rose bush, I was reminded how willing the Lord is to present us with extraordinary beauty in the midst of what seem like so many ordinary days. I walked into my office this morning and there it was again, just as brilliant and breathtaking as it was yesterday. And I imagine it’ll be the same tomorrow… unless the incoming heat wave gets to it before I get to work. I am learning to appreciate that every moment of life and every situation I find myself in - is a gift. If the Lord is at the forefront of our minds then it will be much easier to see Him in everyone and everything. The question is, how do we get Him to the forefront of our minds?! Well I guess that’s where prayer comes in, as always and of course.

Today begins the second “leg” ofthis “99-Day Novena Relay” that is leading up to the Feast of St. Augustine, and my potential/tentative entrance date. I now begin to refer to this date as “potential” and/or “tentative,” as the countdown clock passes 90 days and a couple of my upcoming fundraising efforts are being put on hold or pushed back for various reasons. The reality that my entrance date may have to be pushed back begins to set in, and I am making preparations in my heart and mind to continue working and fundraising through the fall and probably longer. This too, contains much beauty and is a gift from the Lord, my friends! God willing I now have the opportunity to put even more trust in Him than I ever have, and to live every day in anticipation of the extraordinary plan he has for my life. I don't know what He has planned for me just yet... but I know its gonna be good :). 

So please, if you haven’t already, join me and my friends in praying through the intercession of Our Ladyof Fatima for all good things to happen, through St. Benedict for humility andin difficult times, through Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati to live the Beatitudes,and through Sts. Norbert & Evermode of the Order of Premontre. I am asking all these saints for their intercession in helping me see the beauty of God in every moment of my life, and for generosity in my own heart – that I may have the strength to pour out my entire being to do the will of the Lord… whatever that may be.

We pray for vocations and all our personal intentions through August 28^th. I'm continuing to run and pray for all of your personal intentions 4 times a week. Discerning doing another marathon ::coughORhalfMARATHONcough:: in the fall if I'm still around. If you're new here and haven't read about my vocation and running effort yet, please visit www.litanyrun.com. God bless you and make you into saints! 

CHANGE OF PLANS - Let's make it a RELAY!!!

The 99-Day Novena, which began on May 21st and leads up to the Feast of St. Augustine, has now become a 99-Day Novena RELAY! Sign up for any of the 11 leg(s) of the relay you wish, by commenting on the FB Event page: "99-Day Novena RELAY". Tell me which leg you’ll be praying and throw your prayer intentions up on the wall too so that others can join in when you begin! Please invite your family and friends! 

Kickoff Leg: May 21-29
Special invocation: Saint of your choice!

Leg 2: May 30 – June 7
Special invocation: ST. JOAN OF ARC & ST. AGNES 

Leg 3: June 8 – June 16
Special invocation: ST. FRANCIS of ASSISI

Leg 4: June 17 – June 25
Special invocation: ST. CECILIA

Leg 5: June 26 – July 4
Special invocation:  BL. POPE JPII &  BL. TERESA of CALCUTTA

Leg 6: July 5 – July 13
Special invocation: ST. MARIA GORETTI

Leg 7: July 14 – July 22 
Special invocation: ST. MARY MAGDALENE & ST. PETER

Leg 8: July 23 – July 31
Special invocation: ST. JUDE

Leg 9: August 1 – Aug. 9
Special invocation: ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX

Leg 10: Aug. 10 – Aug. 18
Special invocation: ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE 

Leg 11: Aug. 19 – Aug. 27
Special invocation: ST. AUGUSTINE

August 28 special invocation: 
ST. JOSEPH & ST. MICHAEL the ARCHANGEL



The relay has begun!! Get Prayin!! 

Incline my heart...

[began writing at 5:30am] 

It’s almost 6:00am on the second day of this 99-Day Novena and already the Lord has presented me with a most spectacular assemblage of graces and challenges. I don’t know how its been going for you so far… but I can tell that the next 98 days are going to be interesting.

I won’t go into detail about how wonderful the last 24 hours have been, but one of the many beautiful things that happened yesterday was that I received, in the mail, a generous donation accompanied by a letter, written by a woman who probably had no idea how much I needed to read what she wrote. I am so thankful for her generosity in helping me with my debt, but more than that I will be eternally grateful for her words. She wrote to me about her appreciation for my pursuit of religious life and gave me her prayer requests. But she wrote something that struck me intensely, “It is not an easy life you are choosing and even if you decide it’s not for you, you still gain as you will have had wonderful experiences and me wonderful people and gained many graces.” I cannot deny that this sentence has touched my heart profoundly.  

So much has been going through my mind lately. Spending the majority of my time focusing attention on fundraising and whether or not I will have my loans paid off in time for the Feast of St. Augustine, (not really worried, per se, for I know that I will be ready to enter at the time the Lord has appointed for me to enter… but really just focusing on how I can best do the Lord’s will so that He can accomplish this through my efforts in the world), has left me somewhat hesitant to write about my own personal discernment and where I am in that, at this point. But I feel I do owe it to you, my friends, to let you know how greatly appreciative I was to read of this woman’s compassion for me and people like me, regardless of what may happen in the future.

You see my friends, my heart is inclined, more and more each day, to doing the will of God – whatever that may be. When God says, “Jump” I do not wish to ask, “How high?” … for that is irrelevant. He has commanded me to jump, and I will jump – how high is of no consequence at all and I know that I will ascend only as high as is fitting to His desires. I only wish to be consumed by His love and to be a vessel He uses to shower this love upon others. Right now I feel called to enter the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph and stay there until He calls me Home, offering my life and prayers for the world without the limitations of any specific region or district – to which my Gospel-spreading-efforts would likely be confined if I were called to remain in the world. Right now I feel called to pursue a life that benefits man beyond these limitations. I desire for my efforts to spread throughout the whole world through my separation from it and pursuit of perfecting my prayers from the solitude of the monastery, so that they can be offered more purely for the salvation of souls.

But my friends, while I do recognize this passion in my heart and have a fervent desire to enter religious life right now, I would be doing you a disservice if I, for one second, presumed to know the will of God, and whether it is His intention for me to remain permanently at the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph. Through all our good intentions we must be prudent, and so I must admit to you that for the rest of my life I must be absolutely open to His will – which calls for my continued discernment and openness to the possibility that He may someday call me out of that particular community - possibly to a different one, or possibly out of religious life altogether. The thought of this is more than slightly unnerving, (which is where trust comes in and perseverance is needed more than ever to maintain peace of the heart), for at the present time I feel a great call to detach from the world and pursue great union with God – that the presence of His Son might increase in my heart and He may use me to win souls. But if I am to be a good and faithful servant, I must also remain aware that there are some whom He calls to live a life of detachment and solitude for only a time – to grow in holiness so that they may bring the Love they have discovered back out into the world. Through the increasing generosity of young people these days, vocations to the priesthood and religious life have been growing and many have entered over the last decade or so. But out of the many there are a number who have spent their time growing in perfection with the Lord for as long as He wished, and then responded to His call for them to leave their respective communities and carry Christ, who has settled in their hearts and developed His home in the depths of their souls, back out into their ministries and families outside of religious life. 

"Many are called, but few are chosen..."

This is a very real possibility and I must remain honest and open about it. Up until now I have been very careful not to convey any doubt that my vocation is to aid in the sanctification of souls through entering the Order of Premontre, for it is quite true that I do not have one ounce of doubt that the Lord is calling me to enter. But I must now protect your heart by acknowledging that He may someday call me out of the Order and back into the world before I take my final vows. Should that be His will, my hope is that you would view me as never having deceived you by stating that I know it is His will for me to become a solemnly professed canoness. Do I believe in my heart that that is His will? Yes, I very much do. And I pray for perseverance through whatever trials He may present me with on my journey to become His bride, if that is truly His will. But if it is not, I pray for understanding. Both on my part and the part of all you generous people who have helped me thus far.

Please understand how hard it is for me to write these things, my brothers and sisters. I know it may hinder my efforts to raise money. But I felt called today to be as honest and open with you as possible, and you must know that I strive to respond to God’s desire for every moment of my life. Needless to say, I was deeply impacted by the woman's letter and felt it was God giving me permission to write about these things with honesty, and plead for your continued generosity in helping me pursue religious life, understanding that you are supporting my discernment, which at the present time is leading me to strongly wish to respond to the Lord's desire that I enter. For the peace of my own heart I am very thankful that many of those who have donated rather substantial amounts to Litany Run, have themselves gone through periods of discerning religious life at one point or another - and so I am thankful that they have some level of understanding and compassion for these things I have written. I must admit that it is a relief to write them. It is my prayer that everyone who has supported me thus far does not now, nor will ever feel misled in any way as to my true and honest intentions. For now, I press on in the pursuit of entering my vocation in August, giving my whole life to God and remaining in the monastery for the rest of my days. Please pray through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, for the conversion of sinners beginning with me, and that young people may desire to pursue their vocations to sainthood with eagerness and a quiet, humble desperation worthy of the Lamb.

99-Day Novena

99-Day Novena

through the intercession of

• Our Lady of Fatima, for All Good Things to Happen

• St. Benedict of Nursia, for Humility and in Difficult Times

• Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, to be a Christian of the Beatitudes

• Sts. Norbert & Evermode, for Bold Obedience & Leadership

Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this favor that I so earnestly seek.... (State your request here...)  which I ask of you in this novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of all people. 

Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom. Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers  and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore.  Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. 

Father, You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in service of the poor and the sick. Through his intercession, may we, too, walk the path of the Beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in society.

Awake O Lord, in Thy Church the Spirit by Whom Sts. Norbert & Evermode, Thy Confessors and Bishops, were guided in order that, filled with the same Spirit, we may love what they loved, and live as they taught us. We ask all these things through Christ, Our Lord. 

Amen.

Now in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Most Chaste Spouse St. Joseph, pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be…

Or a full Rosary if time permits it…