The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary —31st May. The feast of the Visitation originated during the medieval period ,in 1263 St Bonaventure recommended it and the Franciscan Chapter adopted it . In 1389Pope urban inserted the feast in to the Roman calendar .The story of the Visitation is singular to St Luke´s Gospel ,in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. It is the second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary. The feast celebrates the visit of the Mother of God with the child Jesus in her womb to her elderly cousin Elizabeth who was also with child. When Mary greets Elizabeth who is 6 months´with John The Baptist,.The child in Elizabeth´s womb jumps for Joy in recognition of the Christ Child and is filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth too is filled with joy and cries out the words thatbecome part of the Hail Mary,» Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb». Mary in return responds with the Magnificat,beautifulof thanksgiving praising Godfor choosing her as the vesselbear his precious son. Through these two women God´s plan for the salvation of mankind is brought to fruition. John is the forerunner, the last prophet who prepares the way for Jesus, the trueof Heaven who is to redeem the world.
The solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – 3rd June. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be traced back as early as the Last Supper when Jesus allowed thedisciplerest his head upon his chest. Through the visions ofSt Mary, Margaret Alocoquea French nun of the Visitation order at the monastery of Paray -le Monial ,devotion to Sacred Heart became formalised in France inwas extended to universal Church in 1856 by Pope Pius 1X . As the 19thcame to a close, Pope Leo X11 had the whole of humanity solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Christ .In June 1675, Jesus requested to Saint Mary Margaret that the feast of the Sacred Heart be celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi in reparation for the ingratitude of men and for the sacrifice he had made for them.St Mary Margareta series of visions of whichto the Sacred Heart was at the centre.term «Sacred Heart»denotes the entire mystery of Christ,it is a mystery of loveprofound , so great ,that it is beyond our human conception. The five wounds of Christ on the Crosslinked to his Sacred Heart whichall our pain and suffering. The tender heart of Jesus continues to be wounded through man´s sins, disobedience, lack of faithingratitude.to the Sacred Heart calls for conversion,love gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to our Lord´ssaving work.novena to the Sacred Heart used by Padre Pio is usually started 9 days before the feast.
St. Boniface – 5th June Bonifacewas an Anglo Saxon peasant born in 680. In Crediton, in Devonshire ,he wasas a priest at the age of 30 in the diocese of Winchester. In 716 he left England to lead a Christianof Conversion and faiththe paganareas of the Frankish EmpireFrisia, Bavaria and Hesse.established the very first organised Christian communitiesmanyand bishopricsGermania of which he is the patron Saint. St Boniface was thefirst archbishop of Mainz and is known as «The Apostle to the Germans». He was killed in Frisia (present day Holland)752by a group of revolutionary pagans along with 52 other Christian supporters. His body was buried at the monastery he had founded at Fulda whicha place ofpilgrimage.
