Deacon Mike's Page

I am Deacon Michael Montemurro. It is an honor to share some thoughts and information about myself, my family, diaconal ministry and military service. I grew up in New York City, with my parents, two sisters and a brother. It was a blessing to be part of our family. My parents provided a loving, nurturing faith filled home. My siblings were a close and supportive part of my life. My dear parents were the first and best teachers about God and the Church. We received a Catholic education and were active participants at our parish church. I received a Catholic education at a local university.

In 1967, l was inducted into the U.S. Army and subsequently served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Like any Veteran who served in a war, it was difficult being away from home and loved ones. Personally, it was the help of God above all, along with the prayers, love and support of my family, and the Church that helped me immensely. I also felt that my strong faith and trust in God played a significant part in coping and persevering while in Vietnam. During May, as we remember and reflect on Memorial Day, may we pray and express our deep gratitude for those Veterans who fought and gave their lives for our country. They are our true heroes. May they rest in peace.

My family would often visit relatives in Berkeley Heights and I became familiar with Little Flower Church. It was during our visits here that l happily met, dated and married my wonderful wife Pam. We were married in 1972, and have been blessed with five children and eight grandchildren.

l have always been connected and active in the Church and upon hearing that the Archdiocese of Newark would be starting a Permanent Diaconate program I started my discernment process. l was interested but prayed and discussed it with Pam. I met with our Little Flower Church pastor who over time gave his approval. By the grace of God, l was accepted as a deacon candidate. Gratefully, l successfully completed the training program and was ordained in 1977.

Now what is a deacon? While all the baptized are called to share in the mission of Jesus Christ according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, those who are ordained also offer service in a way proper to the sacrament of holy orders. A deacon’s ministry entails proclaiming, preaching and teaching God's word, assisting the bishop and priest at the liturgy, assisting at funerals, ministering to the sick and dying, leading the community in prayer and in sacramental liturgies, baptizing, witnessing marriages and exercising administrative leadership in the church. If l may end by saying, the deacon is the “bridge between the Church and the laity.” It is truly a blessing to serve as a married deacon at Little Flower Church. May God bless you all.

Dear Little Flower friends:

March is the month devoted to St. Joseph as the feast of St. Joseph is on March 19th. St. Joseph holds a revered and pivotal role, recognized as one of the most important saints in the Catholic Church. This is because he exemplifies the value of a righteous and humble life and a complete and total surrender to the Lord. As the earthly father of Jesus Christ and the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph played a crucial part in the Holy Family. His significance lies not only in his familial role but also in his unwavering faith, righteousness and humble obedience to God’s divine plan for him. He is a powerful intercessor for various aspects of life and is the patron saint of fathers, workers, immigrants, and a model for those seeking guidance in their daily struggles. Many turn to St. Joseph in times of need, seeking his intercession for employment, family matters, and spiritual guidance. St. Joseph is admired for his obedience to God, his unwavering faith, and his role in protecting and providing for Mother Mary and Jesus. May we strive to follow his way of obedience. In our daily interactions, may we seek out ways we can stand strong, like St. Joseph, in steadfast surrender to the Lord. St. Joseph, protector of the church, pray for us. May God bless you all.

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10

Our experience of being married for 52 years.

To begin, our dear parents set the example of loving, respecting and being devoted to each other, and providing us with a faith-filled Catholic upbringing. They also provided us with a sense of stability and confidence in our own future relationships.

We (Pam and Mike) met relatively young as some of the members of our family knew each other. From the outset, I admired Pam’s beautiful smile and friendliness. I felt at ease and comfortable talking with her. When we first started dating, we saw each other on weekends as she lived in Berkeley Heights and I resided in Manhattan with my parents and siblings.

After I completed military service, we became a steady couple, fell in love and were married on September 30, 1972 at the Church of the Little Flower.

Marriage, they say is the lifelong sacrifice and reflection of God’s unconditional and eternal love….a giving of oneself in service to the other. Our trust in God and our firm faith have gotten us through some of the most trying times, such as, the death of our dear parents and a sibling….and some health issues.

Our marriage has not been without its challenges. We have survived some bumps in the road. Yet, even with the ups and downs at times, we knew God was in control. We’re not the perfect couple. We still make mistakes. We have learned after 52 years that we are still learning…….such as, learning to be more understanding, forgiving, communicative and patient. Gratefully, we trust and love each other dearly.

We are thankful that God has blessed us with five children and eight grandchildren. We are also grateful for the positive influences of family, relatives, friends and the church community that have enhanced our relationship. As a married couple, we have similar morals and values…..to us that foundation is so important a key to a successful marriage…..it allows for differences of opinion with hopefully the understanding that we will always come back to the same foundation of trust. We further enjoy spending time together, praying together, worshiping together, and above all, placing God first in our lives. They were also special occasions when we attended a weekend marriage retreat.

One of the highlights of our marriage was celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in Italy including an outdoor papal audience accompanied by our brother and sister in law. And subsequently, we renewed our wedding vows at the Church of the Little Flower presided over by our pastor, Fr. JC Merino, and had a delightful parish reception. What a wonderful blessing for which we are most thankful. May God bless everyone.

What the sacrament of marriage means in the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, the sacrament of marriage (also called holy matrimony) signifies the sacred union between a man and a woman, representing the love between Christ and the church, where the couple publicly commits to a lifelong, faithful and indissoluble bond, receiving grace to love each other deeply and live out their marriage as a reflection of God’s love for humanity. It is considered a public sign of God’s love and a way to receive divine help in fulfilling their marital vows.

Key points about the sacrament of marriage:

· Symbolic meaning: The union of a husband and wife mirrors the union between Christ and the church.

· Grace received: Through the sacrament, couples are given the grace to love each other with the same love that Christ has for the church.

· Indissolubility: Catholic teaching views marriage as a lifelong commitment, meaning it cannot be dissolved by divorce.

· Openness to children: A key aspect of Catholic marriage is the openness to having children, considering procreation a natural part of the marital bond.

Lastly, in the New Testament, we see that Jesus reminds us that the same truths that were previously stated in the book of Genesis. Jesus says: “Have you not read that from the beginning the creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh?’ Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mt:19:4-6).

It is in these words of Jesus that we find the essence of the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic Church: a sacred union instituted by Christ, between a man and a woman.

May God bless you all abundantly!

Word of God Sunday

On Sunday, January 26, the third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we celebrate "Sunday of the Word of God." This special day, established by Pope Francis in September 2019, is intended to remind us of the gift that Sacred Scripture is to all of us. In his apostolic letter, Aperuit Illis, Pope Francis said,

The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers, and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet, the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his church in this world would remain incomprehensible.

Pope Francis envisioned that special attention would be paid to the Word of God during Masses celebrated on this day, as well as by catechists and all the faithful. The pope noted, however, that appreciation for Sacred Scripture should not be limited to just one day.

“We should never take God’s word for granted, but, instead, let ourselves be nourished by it, in order to acknowledge and live fully our relationship with him and with our brothers and sisters,” the pope wrote. This is a beautiful opportunity, then, to find your Bible, open it to a favorite passage, and appreciate the words and faith that have been passed on to us, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a Catholic deacon, the Word of God profoundly impacts my life by providing a foundation for my ministry, guiding my actions in serving others, offering comfort and strength during challenging situations, and often reminding myself of my calling to live a life dedicated to our blessed Lord’s teachings, particularly through acts of service and compassion toward the church community, providing missionary outreach and beyond. The Holy Bible provides a framework for a deacon’s role, outlining the importance of proclaiming the Gospel, preaching the Word of God, baptizing, assisting at the altar, and visiting the sick, which are core responsibilities of the diaconate.
As a married deacon through prayer and sacrifice I have committed to a unique vocation: blessed with a loving, supportive wife, our family of five children and eight grandchildren. Prayerfully reflecting on the Word of God, is a loving, dutiful reminder of my family obligations. I try to keep in mind and practice the words of Monsignor Richard McGuinness, the director of my deacon class...that the deacon’s family comes first ahead of church ministry.

I would like to end with the Jubilee Prayer 2025, by Pope Francis:

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity, enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your kingdom.
May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when with the powers of evil vanquished your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the jubilee reawaken in us, pilgrims of hope, a yearning for the treasure of heaven.
May the same grace spread the joy and peace of our redeemer throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed be glory and praise forever. Amen.

Christmas 2024

Although I could be wrong, I doubt there is anyone here today who has at one time or another found life burdensome. Maybe that is what you think of life right now. Most of us have the strength and the skill to deal with most of our problems, with God’s help. But sometimes, we just hit the proverbial wall, and we do not know what to do. There is a scene in the film, It’s a Wonderful Life, which is popular this time of year, in which George Bailey is, in his own words, at the end of his rope. George is in this state because of financial ruin, and the effect of all the sacrifices he has made, and the challenges he has faced over the course of his life. He is at home, taking his frustration out on his family, and at one point begins to climb the stairs to the second floor. He places his hand on the front post of the banister, and the knob at the top comes off in his hand.

George, bubbling over with emotion, looks at the knob as if it was the devil himself, and it seems to take all of his strength to put it back into place. Now, any of us may or may not have ever fallen as deep into despair as George Bailey. But all of us know what it is like to feel like we are at the end of our ropes. The crises our society faces, our own family problems, financial problems, personal failure, sickness….any or all of these things can afflict us from time to time. And Jesus has one answer to all of us, no matter what challenges we are facing….come to me. When we come to Jesus, we come to the one who has suffered more rejection, more apparent failure, more poverty, and a more humiliating death than anyone has ever done.

And yet, Jesus can rejoice and praise the Father. This is the secret power to which we become privy when we come to Jesus. We learn from Him how to persevere in joy and peace and love, no matter what we face in this life. We learn to cherish the good things the Father has given us. And more than all of this, when we come to Jesus and take His yoke on our shoulders, we find that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Him. As good as it gets for us to accept, and to know the joy and peace of Jesus, we need to share these gifts with others. Always, this will mean saying to those who are hurting, go to Him, in prayer, confession, and in the Mass. May we never fail to turn to Him in our sorrows, and may we never tire of bringing others to Him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Respect Life Month

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Little Flower Parish,
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church #2270
Created in the image and likeness of God from the very beginning of time, human life begins its journey on earth at conception and continues until natural death. We are called to be proper stewards over the gift of life that has been given to us. This ethic of life is the thread that unites all efforts to uphold the dignity and quality of all human life at all stages of existence. This involves many issues including:

Abortion, human cloning, IVF/ reproductive technology, contraception, stem cell research, unborn victims of violence, embryo/ fetal research
End of life issues and euthanasia
Capital punishment, health care, racism
Disabilities
Respect for religious liberty
International issues - poverty, discrimination, civil rights, immigration

As Catholics, we are called to embrace, proclaim and defend life. Every life is precious and must be loved and at all its stages, as life is a gift from God. We must share this message with everyone and those carrying the gift of life need to know that they are not alone and help is available.
At Little Flower, one of the ways that we live out this teaching about life is through our loving, prayerful, dedicated Respect Life ministry. Our primary mission is to be a resource to anyone facing a challenge on any of the issues listed above. Please contact us at respectlife.lf@gmail.com should you be in need of our help. You are not alone.
We also want to help educate Church of the Little Flower parishioners on the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church and as it relates to the full spectrum of life issues and to provide opportunities to advance a greater respect for life both locally and nationally. Our hope is to build a culture of life and of love through education, outreach, service and advocacy. The Catholic Church in the US celebrates Respect Life month every October and this year the theme is “I came so that they might have life” (https://www.respectlife.org/respect-life-month) and officially Respect Life Sunday is October 6, 2024.
Please prayerfully consider joining us, and learn how to talk with others about sensitive life issues, and become better at supporting family and friends. Learn to effectively advocate with others in our community about life from conception to natural death. And draw closer, a little at a time, to our Blessed Lord, who is always walking with us.
If you have any questions, or to find out more about our upcoming opportunities to support life please visit our website at https://www.littleflowerbh.org/respect-life or reach out to us at respectlife.lf@gmail.com. I’ve recently taken over as the lead for this much-needed ministry and I would be happy to speak with you about how you can learn more and get involved in taking a stand for life.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Deacon Mike

Childhood Memories - A walk down memory lane!

Dear friends,

As we approach the end of summer, I have been reflecting upon memories of my youthful experiences growing up in lower Manhattan. Perhaps some of you from that era had similar remembrances. Our three room tenement apartment in a six story walk up building was small and cozy consisting of my mother and father, two sisters, my brother and myself. In the 1940s and 50s, our apartment was not air conditioned, in the kitchen, was a small ice box, not

called a refrigerator, to store food, an ice block was delivered as needed and no washing machine or dryer. My dear mother used a washboard and hung the clothes on a clothesline out the kitchen window to dry. We listened to programs on the radio, such as, the Shadow Knows, Amos and Andy and the Jack Benny show. Years later, we had our first small screen TV with “rabbit ears” and three channels. There were other things I could mention, however, we were grateful for what we had in those days and we didn’t miss what we didn’t have.

And now for the fun part. The street outside our building was our playground. My sisters, brother and myself along our neighborhood friends, played such games as hopscotch, hide and seek, kick the can and stick ball. Stick ball consisted of a wooden broom stick, a pink rubber Spalding Ball, a manhole cover served as home plate, parked cars as first and third bases, another manhole or a glove as second. The batter had three chances to hit the ball and run the bases. If the ball was caught, it was an out ... need I say more. Another popular game was stoop ball in which there were three players to a side. A rubber Spalding Ball was

used to hit on the side of a building wall out into the street. If caught by any of the players, it was an out...if not, the hitter would run the bases and possibly score a run. We never broke a windshield or even...maybe dented the metal. The boys on the block including my brother and myself, enjoyed riding our homemade scooters around the neighborhood. The scooter was made using a 2x4 piece of wood, attached with old roller skates, and a wooden milk crate box set on top. Can you just picture that? Believe me...it was fun. Around the corner wasa candy store where we bought bubble gum with baseball cards, and one of my favorites to get there was an egg cream. My sisters had after school babysitting jobs, and my brother and I used our homemade shoe shine kits offering to shine shoes around the neighborhood and Washington Square Park.We attended Saint Joseph’s school only three blocks away with the Sisters of Charity as our teachers. And we attended daily services at Saint Joseph’s a short distance away. My brother and I were altar servers there when the Mass was said in Latin. One of the special highlights of my memory lane experiences occurred during the summertime. On occasional Sunday afternoons, our family took the subway to Coney Island. With a picnic lunch prepared by my mother, we enjoyed sharing it there on the beach. Afterwards, we walked along the boardwalk, went on some rides and enjoyed a Nathan’s hot dog before heading home. There are a host of other things that come to mind....perhaps another time I can share more. I would be delighted to hear from anyone anytime who wishes to share your memory lane memories.Thank you and God bless everyone.

Grow Closer to God through the Rosary

Dear friends,
When I was a child, my family began the practice of praying a Rosary together in the evening. It was a wonderful spiritual time together that I will always cherish and remember. As my faith evolved, I think there were years when the Rosary impacted my life more and more. The Rosary has helped me to grow closer to God. Did you know that the Rosary is the prayer of the Gospel? We don’t just say the words, Hail full of grace...we meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. The beads help us to keep count and timing while we do this. I read somewhere that the Rosary is the most powerful prayer you can say, second only to the Holy Mass. During my lifetime of praying the Rosary, I have seen, felt and experienced small miracles hidden in regular points of my day. Though it doesn’t work as fast as I would like, as with a culture of instant everything, it’s hard to wait. But God works in His time, not ours.

About four years ago, I was seriously ill, was hospitalized, and thank God, subsequently improved and recuperated at home over several months. Above all, I am grateful to God, and my dear wife Pam, family, and medical personnel, for all their tender loving care and support. And also the prayers and support of our church and parishioners. During this period, I was watching EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network and I began regularly watching Mother Angelica, a Franciscan nun and founder of this network. I was deeply touched by her loving and caring presence on her program. She courageously had been living and coping with ongoing back pain requiring her to wear leg braces most of her life along with other health issues.

I learned of her incredible suffering and her faith-filled response to it. Also I felt a great source of comfort and grace each day watching EWTN and praying the Holy Rosary along with Mother Angelica. This led me to a period of prayer that I don’t think I have since been able to match. To view and pray the Holy Rosary with Mother Angelica, please visit the website .

What is Divine Mercy?

Are you familiar with Divine Mercy Sunday and the Divine Mercy Chaplet?

The message of Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us...all of us. And He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.

The message and devotion to Jesus as the Divine Mercy is based on the writings of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to the Divine Mercy had begun to spread.

The great feast of Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated around the world the Sunday after Easter. It was established by St. Pope John Paul II in 2000, when he canonized Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. The feast of Divine Mercy is associated with the messages Jesus gave to St. Faustina in the 1930s of His unfathomable mercy for us all. These private revelations were recorded in her diary.

History of the Divine Mercy Chaplet

In 1935, St. Faustina received a vision of an angel sent by God to chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly, she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus’ grace within her. At the same time, she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly:

Eternal father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us (Diary, 475).

As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment (see 474). The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called “the Chaplet.” This time, “after having mercy on us” were added the words and “on the whole world” (476).

From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering it especially for the dying. In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary promises to its recitation. Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you (1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (687).

Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Prayed on ordinary Rosary beads, the chaplet of the Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to pray it after having received Holy Communion at Holy Mass.

It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter). It is likewise appropriate to pray the chaplet during the hour of great mercy, three o’clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ’s death on the cross). In His revelations to St. Faustina, our Lord asked for a special remembrance of His passion at that hour.

You can learn how to pray this powerful prayer here or pray in song each day with this video or most days at 3 PM at EWTN television.

My Experience with the Divine Mercy Devotion

It is an honor to say as a deacon in our parish, I have had the privilege and blessing to give a homily on Divine Mercy Sunday over the years and to assist at our 3 PM Divine Sunday service which includes all present praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It is a beautiful, inspiring, spiritual prayer which I feel draws me closer to our blessed Lord each and every time. Also much appreciation and gratitude is accorded to the members of the Respect Life Committee at our parish for their gracious time and effort organizing and participating in the Divine Mercy Sunday services and other parish and community events during the year. May God bless you all.

Bishop Fulton Sheen and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

In every time and place, God raises up women and men to meet the specific needs of his people. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is a perfect example. He was born May 8, 1895 in El Paso, Illinois and died December 9, 1979 in New York City. He was the oldest of four children born to Newt Sheen, a farmer, and his wife Delia. He received a Catholic parochial education, and earned a few doctoral degrees. Sheen was ordained a Catholic priest in 1919 and served as a parish priest in Peoria, Illinois until 1926. Later that year, he left to join the philosophy faculty at the Catholic University of America where he taught until 1950. Sheen was not only a respected teacher, but also a gifted orator. The rising popularity of radio in the early 20th century provided Sheen with an opportunity to gain a wide audience. In 1930, he began his 22 year radio career with his program, The Catholic Hour, which reached an estimated four million listeners at the height of its popularity.

Sheen was appointed to serve as auxiliary bishop of New York, which he did from 1951 to 1966. During most of his tenure in New York, he hosted a weekly television series, Life is Worth Living (1951 to 1957), that attracted about 30 million viewers! On that show, the bishop, often without a script and appearing at his characteristic chalkboard, discussed practical matters of faith and sharply criticized Communism. My family and I happily and eagerly watched his weekly half hour program, and from that point on, I became a devoted follower of Bishop Sheen and was greatly inspired by his life-giving Gospel message. He was a man that was so captivating, intelligent, and humorous, that with his simple chalkboard he could outperform other celebrity shows, such as, Milton Berle week after week.

What was his message and how is it relevant today?

He proclaimed over and over again that life is worth living and amidst confusion, he provides clarity on matters large and small. He taught in ways that were practical and hopeful, and we all need a little practical advice from time to time that fills our heart with the hope we need to walk the next mile of our journey.

Seeing Bishop Sheen

One of the highlights of my life was attending one of Bishop Sheen’s annual three-hour Good Friday service on April 8, 1977, at St. Agnes Church in New York City. It was a solemn, spiritually-uplifting experience.

Later that year, I wrote a letter to Bishop Sheen expressing my thoughts and feelings about his spiritual impact on my life and gratitude for holy ministerial priesthood. Within a short time, much to my surprise and thanks, Bishop Sheen sent me a letter graciously acknowledging receiving my letter to him (which I proudly have displayed at home).

Invitations for Today

Watching Life is Worth Living

Recently, I had the pleasure of viewing on You Tube one of the Bishop’s episodes on “Angels”. It really had a faith-filled impact on me as I have felt comforted and protected by my guardian angel every day. It is highly recommended to pray to our guardian angels and also tell them we love and are grateful to have them as God’s special messengers. The bishop’s Life is Worth Living series is available for viewing on the EWTN Catholic global network every Monday at 6:30 pm and every Tuesday at 5:30 am here.

Seeking Bishop Sheen’s Intercession

I invite you to pray to Bishop Sheen for help and guidance in our lives, and also God-willing, for his possible canonization which is in process.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus most simply because the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated during this month. This year, the solemnity falls on June 7th. The date changes each year because it is celebrated on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave, or the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost.

Bishop sheen was devoted to the Sacred heart of Jesus and composed this prayer titled:

Daily renewal of the consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at thy feet,

We renew the consecration of our family to thy divine heart. Be thou our king forever.

In thee, we have full and entire confidence.

May thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our works.

Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials, and our labors.

Grant us to know thee the more, to serve thee without faltering.

By the immaculate heart of Mary, Queen of Peace, set up thy kingdom in our country.

Enter closely into the midst of our families and make them thine own through the solemn enthronement of thy Sacred Heart, so that soon one may cry, may respond from home to home.

May the triumphant heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed and glorified forever.

Honor and glory to the sacred heart of Jesus and Mary. Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect our families. Amen.