Members and friends of the Lay Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary gathered on Sunday, as they do every Sunday, to pray the rosary. This week they also celebrated the birthday of the Blessed Mother.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Lay Servants celebrate St. Mary’s birthday
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Shown from left are Ada Magni, Chris Calore, secretary; George Yatison, Alex Partika, Donna Magni, treasurer; Maureen Roughsedge, vice president.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
The birthday cake is decorated with pink roses, an image of the Blessed Mother, and the words ‘Happy Birthday, Mother of God’
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Sharon Yale of Wilkes-Barre, at right, cuts the cake for distribution to about three dozen people who attended the birthday party for the Blessed Mother.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
As Sharon Yale began to slice a large marble sheet cake early Sunday evening, some of her friends passed out pieces with the familiar question, “Vanilla or chocolate?”
But this wasn’t an ordinary birthday party.
This outdoor gathering, held at Our Lady of Fatima Blessed Grotto on West North Street in Wilkes-Barre, was a chance for the Lay Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to honor the mother of Jesus on Sept. 8, the day the Catholic Church traditionally celebrates her birth.
“We love you, Mother!” a woman called out after about three dozen members and friends of the Lay Servants, as well as some passersby, sang “Happy Birthday,” focusing their attention on a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which is surrounded at the grotto by statues of three shepherd children.
The scene represents a series of apparitions that many believe took place from May through October 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, when the three young shepherds said a beautiful lady predicted the end of World War I and urged them to pray.
The Lay Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have taken that message to heart, and said their group has been praying the rosary at the grotto every Sunday since 1973.
“We’ve never missed, rain or shine or blizzard,” vice president Maureen Roughsedge said, noting that even on the snowiest Sunday “someone who lived nearby” was able to able to pray at the site, where several religious statues, in addition to Our Lady of Fatima and the three young shepherds, are arranged in a 30-foot-tall rock cut.
“We pray for our legislators and politicians and our country,” said Chris Calore, secretary of the group.
“It’s so peaceful and so many graces have come from praying here,” Roughsedge added, noting people can stop by and pray anytime, whether the group has assembled or not.
Not only Catholics have been drawn to the site, Calore said, recallinga group of international travelers, in town because their children attended Wilkes University, who were fascinated by the word “Fatima” because it is the name of the prophet Mohammed’s daughter. “They stopped by and asked a lot of questions,” he said.
On Sunday evening, after the cake had been distributed, the group sang a traditional hymn, “Immaculate Mary,” and began to pray a 15-decade rosary, a meditative prayer that calls to mind 15 events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.
And Donna Magni read a list of many intentions — from an end to gun violence to protection from natural disasters to peace in war-torn areas of the world.
Anyone is welcome to come and pray the rosary with the group, which meets 7 p.m. Sundays at the grotto, located near King’s College Chapel of Christ the King.
“It’s beautiful,” JoAnn Sterbinsky said. “Prayers are answered here.”