A Story of Love and Submission

Dear Fr. Thomas,

My grandparents, James and Laura Jones, were married at the Church of the Holy Rosary on April 27th, 1957. To love someone so much, that you give your entire being, and your whole heart to them, is something I've always dreamed of! As the granddaughter of a couple who chose to do that, and under the loving gaze of Our Lady of the Rosary, I'd like to share a bit of my own story as a testament. A testament that those who truly love, always find themselves at the feet of our Holy Mother. 

From the very start of our relationship, my better half, James, and I have only sought to live out God's will for us. At your wonderful recommendation, we prayed the 54-day novena to Our Lady of Pompeii for her guidance, and for the protection of our future. We currently attend St. Thomas More in Sanford, and seeing as Jacksonville is only a hop, skip, and an hour and half car ride away, we took the opportunity to make a "pilgrimage" the day after our novena ended! 

With one heart, we traveled to the radiant image of Our Lady of the Rosary at St. Michael's, as a final act of thanksgiving and submission. Being able to pray in front of Our holy Mother who has interceded so much for us was a tremendous blessing!

While we were at St. Michael's, we celebrated the beautiful feast of Corpus Christi together with the very welcoming and generous people of the parish. Later, James and I stepped away to see the paschal candle that I had the honor of painting this past Easter, and to my surprise, the gold paint had oxidized and turned green! Sorry Fr. Thomas!

Our Pascua Pilgrimage colleague, Alex, so graciously gave us a tour of the church that will very soon be consecrated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, and the very same site where my grandparents vowed to love each other forever!

To walk down the bride's aisle, to stand in the spot where they exchanged vows, to pose for a photo  under the historic carving of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, just as my grandparents had, was so surreal, and such a privilege.

Fr. Thomas, your strong faith and leadership is made clearly evident in the lovely people of St. Michael's, and in the beautiful restoration of a Church that has seen so many souls turned to God and His Blessed Mother! 

Thank you Fr. Thomas, and all you holy faithful at St. Michael's! James and I will carry your examples with us as we continue to discern God's vision for us! Please pray for us, as we pray for you!

Our Lady of Pompeii, pray for us!

Maria S.