That the prayer Hail Mary is known in Latin as the Ave Maria. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the first part of the prayer praises God for the gifts he gave to Mary as Mother of the Redeemer; the second part seeks her maternal intercession for the members of the Body of Christ, the Church,
of which she is the Mother. Hail Mary, or Rejoice, Mary, the greeting of the angel Gabriel opens this prayer. It is God himself who, through his angel as intermediary, greet Mary. Our prayer dares to take up this greeting to Mary with the regard God had for the lowliness of his humble servant and to exult in the joy he finds in her (CCC, 2676). It is so important that we take are prayers and petitions to our Blessed Mother, Mary. She is a powerful intercessor who intercedes on our behalf to her son, Jesus. Whether it be one Hail
Mary or the entire rosary, embrace this prayer as we abandon ourselves to the will of God as we unite our prayers together with her: “Thy will be done.”
Mary, pray for us!

That the origin of Mother's Day goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans? However the roots of Mother's Day can also be traced back in the United Kingdom where a Mothering Sunday was celebrated before it reached Canada. The day is meant as a day to thank all Mothers. To thank them for the gift of life, their love, their support, and for, quite simply, being a
Mother. Our faith also teaches us that we are still united to our Mothers who have gone before us to be with God. It is through prayer that we can communicate with our Mothers, all those that have gone before us, and our
God. We can also seek comfort knowing, again through faith, that our Mothers are united to us, for they too are praying for us here on earth while we continue our earthly journey. By praying to our Mothers in heaven, and to the
Virgin Mother Mary, they take all of our prayers to the feet the Jesus, who takes them to our loving God. We can also seek comfort in our faith with the knowledge that when our journey on earth ends, we will be reunited with
them in heaven, where they are very much alive. On this Mother’s Day, let us give thanks for the precious gift of our Mothers, and may God bless each of them abundantly, today and always.

That Confirmation strengthens the work of the Holy Spirit begun in Baptism? While the majority of us received this sacrament many years ago, it is always good to remind ourselves of the significance of this beautiful sacrament. If you are like me, I appreciate the spiritual significance of it now more than at the time it was conferred upon me, likely because I have grown in my faith. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Confirmation completes the grace of Baptism by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which seal or “confirm” the baptized in union with Christ and equip them for active participation in the worship and apostolic life of the Church. Through the anointing with oil, the “sacred chrism”, Confirmation confers a seal upon the recipient. Why a seal? A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal ownership. This seal marks our total belonging to Christ. So what does all this mean? Confirmation assists us to conform more closely to Christ. It calls the person to accept a sense of mission to be sent out to the world to be a living, vital witness to the teachings of Jesus, our Lord. Let us pray for all of our Confirmation candidates and for each of us as the body of Christ. May we be reminded of our call to mission, and to embrace it with passion and zeal as the hands and feet of Christ here on earth!