Dictionary Terms for easy use of St. Michael the Archangel On-line

Holy Mass: The unbloody sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus made to God under the appearances of bread and wine by Jesus Christ Himself our invisible High Priest through the ministry of the ordained priests of of His Church. The theme of each day’s Mass is taken from the Liturgical Year of the Church.

The Liturgical Year or Mystery of Christ: The Church divides the year into 4 major parts or cycles to follow the earthly life and ministry of Her Divine Founder. The 4 parts are: Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. These in turn include minor cycles. See The Liturgical Year.

The Mystery of Christ or the Liturgical Year: The whole Life of Christ and all the mysteries of His Life from the incarnation and birth, through the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, the day of Pentecost and the expectation of the blessed hope and the coming of the Lord at the end of time. The cycle of the Liturgical Year unfolds this mystery. It can be found in the four books of the Breviary which is also called The Divine Office. The Divine Office is said by priests and religious in every part of the world at every hour of the day and night. It is called the Work of God or Opus Dei.

The Divine Office: The Divine Office is the public Liturgical Prayer of the Church distinct from the Mass and Sacraments. It consists of psalms, hymns, and readings from Scripture and the Fathers of the Church. Each canonical hour has special readings and prayers. The Hours are: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sect, None, Vespers, Compline.

The Domestic Church: The Domestic Church is the Catholic home, which joins in the work of God by praying in union the daily Hours of the Divine Office and Mass, and follows the cycles of the Liturgical Year as appropriate in family living and religious customs. This is easily learned by following a good daily Mass Missal like the St. Andrew Daily Missal which includes explanations of each day’s feast and each portion of the Liturgical Cycle in simplified form. It follows the original Church Calendar used on this website. St. Andrew Missals may be obtained from "Loome Books" in Stillwater, Minnesota, (651)430-1092.

The Rosary: Given to the Church by God’s Holy Mother, the Rosary is a chain with beads and a crucifix. As an excellent means of meditation and prayer, the rosary forms a mystical crown in which the prayers Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, are intertwined with meditation on the greatest mysteries of our faith. It presents to our mind and soul the drama of the Incarnation of Our Lord and the Redemption.

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recited the rosary.
3. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The souls which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not dies without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of their death.
14. All who recited the rosary are my sons and brothers of my only son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

How to say the Rosary
We begin the Rosary by reciting the Apostles Creed on the Crucifix, one Our Father on the first bead, 3 Hail Mary’s on the next three, and one Glory Be. The primary beads are divided into groups of 10, on which one Hail Mary per bead is recited. Before each decade of 10, one recites the Our Father, and after each decade of 10, one recites the Glory Be and the O My Jesus prayer. There are a total of 15 decades, which are said in sequential order. Each decade commemorates a particular mystery of Our Lord’s life on earth. The mysteries are divided into 3 categories consisting of 5 mysteries in each. The mysteries meditated on are: Five Joyful, Five Sorrowful and Five Glorious. For more about the mysteries, see The Rosary.

St. Michael the Angel On-Line: A fast, easy, family-friendly tool to learn and incorporate the Liturgical Year/Divine Office/Holy Mass theme into daily living with family prayers, religious customs, feast day foods and much more.