History
When the third millennium of new era was approaching, Pope John Paul II invited believers for the intensive prayer for the help and the light of the Lord for the upcoming 2000 years jubilee preparation. He encoureged bishops and their trusted church comumnities to open their hearts for the leading act of Holy Spirit:
``It will strengthen and deepen our faith and will help the faithful to celebrate the Great Jubilee event. This whole church commitment I trust to Mary, the Mother of the Redeemed, and her intercede. She, loving mother, will be a guiding star to the great Christians of the third millennium and will accompany them to a meeting with the Lord. The humble woman of Nazareth, who gave the world the Incarnated Word two thousand years ago, lead the people of the new millennium towards him who is ``the true light which illumines every man`` (John 1.9).
Dear Brothers and Sisters! Rosary-The treasure which needs to be discovered. So easy and such a generous prayer really deserves to be rediscovered by the Christian community. Let us make this this year by accepting this proposal as a confirmation of the direction indicated in the Apostle’s letter to Novo Millennio Ineunte, from which many churches had an inspiration for their pastorational projects, planning tasks for the near Future.
I appeal, first of all to you, dear Episcopate brothers, priests and deacons, as well as to you, pastoral workers, who have a variety of duties, by experiencing the beauty of the Rosary, you would become active initiators of it.
I believe that you and theologians, after a precise and wise contemplation, based on the word of God and attentive to the life of the Christian people, will reveal the spiritual riches and pastoral value of this traditional prayer.
I add my hope in you, consecrated men and women, in a special way called to contemplate the face of Christ in the School of Mary.
I turn to you, the brothers and sisters of all castes, to you Christian families, to you sick and elderly people, to you young people: take a Rosary necklace with confidence, revealing it again to the light of Holy Scripture. In harmony with the liturgy, in the context of your everyday life.
Let my appeal be turned to a dead letter! As I entered the twenty-fifth year of beeing the Pope, I give this apostle’s letter to the wise hands of the Virgin Mary, spiritually bending in front of her picture in a great shrine built by blessed Blatrameus Long, the apostle of the Rosary. I gladly own the touching words he completes his famous request for the Holy Rosary Queen:
“O Rosary, blessed by Mary, the gentle chain, uniting us with God, in the bond of love, unifying us with the angels, the Tower of Wisdom, in keeping us safe from the attacks of hell, Safe Harbor in a sea disaster, We will never again loose the site of you. Thou shalt be the hour of our consolation. For You is the last kiss given in the perishing life moment. And the last sound of our lips will be your pleasing name, The most cherished Queen of Pompei, and our most precious Mother, and the defender of sinners, the supreme consolation for the disgracers! Be blessed everywhere, today, and always, on earth and in heaven.”
As an answer to this appeal made by Pope John Paul II, on 26th of December 2000 the pastor Valentinas Virvičius brought together seven Rosary coveys, of which 15 people were present in this prayer. He founded The Prayer Society of Living Rosary, confirmed statute and regulations. All members of Living Rosary approved. Each member committed to:
- Every day to speak mystery specified to him for the intention given by a Society;
- Every Sunday to participate in the Rosary prayer and in the evening mass for the intention of members of The Prayer Society of Living Rosary and other important intentions;
- To attend in the Holly Mass and funeral, after the death of a member or his relatives: the parents, brothers, sisters, children;
- To devote each month monetary sacrifice (offering) for the necessities of Prayer Society of Living Rosary: for the Holly Mass, to support spiritual charity, visiting seriously sick people, for the organization purposes of piligrimage trips;
- To participate in the activities of the Church;
- Nurture personal spirituality;
- To lead a virtuous life.
Pastor of the parish Valentinas Virvičius has appointed a leading member of the Society for the organized activities and meetings of the Prayer Society of the Living Rosary Raimonda Liepienė. The members of each covey elected their covey leaders, who compiled lists of the members for the daily Rosary prayer, giving Mysteries for the Rosary members each month.
Each year, on 7th of October, celebrating the Rosary festival of Her Holiness Virgin Mary, founded in 1573 by Pope Gregory XIII commemorating the anniversary of the Rosary victory – the battle next to the Lepanto.
The Prayer Society of Living Rosary publish general meetings of all members.
Symbols:
The anthem of the Prayer Society of Living Rosary is a hymn “with a mighty prayer of the Rosary” (Liturgical MILL, Lvk 2007), with which all events begins.
The Prayer Society of Living Rosary can have its own flag, which is carried in ceremonial events, celebrations, and pilgrimage journeys.
The period from the October of 2002 to the October of 2003 was announced a year of Rosary by the Pope John Paul II. In order to ensure that this prayer would be popularized, with its values disclosed, throughout the year in the various Christian communities:
“This pastoruminous instruction I entrust to the intitiative of various church communities. In doing so, I would not complicate, but rather unite and consolidate the projects of partial pastoration of churches. I am sure that this instruction will be taken with great spirit and with diligence. The Rosary leads to the very core of the Christian life and gives opportunity of very fruitful daily spiritual and pedagogical personal contemplation, education of the people of God and the new evangelization’.
In the year of 2002 Pope John Paul II introduced second part of the Rosary called “Mysteries of Light”.
After the introduction of this amendment, it was necessary to restructure all the working coveys of the Prayer Society of Living Rosary, each of which had to combine not 15 members but 20 members. Once this was implemented, the Prayer Society of Living Rosary was united by 6 coveys. Each had 20 members in a prayer.
All these changes made effect on all members of The Prayer Society of Living Rosary and demanded an even greater zeal and effort for cultivating the devotiion among the faithful.
Promoting prayer to Her Holiness the Virgin Mary, sister nun Emilija Rimšelytė EJS invited all members of The Living Rosary to learn singing Rosary. For many, it seemed impossible goal. However, day after day, putting trust in God and sincerely praying in honor of God and in glory of Her Holiness the Virgin Mary, spoken Rosary became a part of life, the light, the hope and the honor, strengthening the bonds of members of spiritual community.
Since year of 2007 in the parish, the activity of The Prayer Society of Living Rosary is conducted by spiritual leader, Pastor Arūnas Kesilis, who approved new regulations by adding commitments for a Living Rosary members:
- To receive the sacrament of Repentance and Reconciliation, by which all the sins that have been committed after baptism are forgiven and by continually answering the Lord’s invitation to “Repent and believe the gospel”;
- To take care that sick members of The Prayer Society of Living Rosary would be able to accept a sacrament of the sick;
- Every Friday to participate in the St. Sacrament Adoration by singing the Rosary;
- To spread the truths of faith and the Living Rosary;
- To Participate voluntary in caritative activities;
- To participate in common meetings of The Prayer Society of Living Rosary, conferences, recollection retreats in parish, decanate, archdiocese, yearly congresses, rallies.
The purpose of The Prayer Society of Living Rossary is: with a thoughtful prayer to contemplate the face of Christ, by listening to the Father’s voice in Spirit, “No one knows The Son, only the Father” (Mt 11, 27).
Pope John Paul II in the apostle letter the ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE writes:
``Rosary serves this ideal by revealing a ``mystery`` that makes it easier to open up to a deep and compelling knowledge of The Christ. We can call it Mary's way. This is the example path of the Virgin of Nazareth, a faithful, silent and listening woman. At the same time, this is the way of a marian prayerfulnes which is being refreshed by the uninterruptible link that is connecting Christ and his Holy Mother: the Mysteries of Christ are, to some extent, the Mysteries of His Mother, even when She is not directly connected with them, just because that She lives by Him and for Him.``