On May 29, the FSSP’s church in Providence, Rhode Island, and the Shrine of the Little Flower in nearby Nasonville, held a Rogation Procession at the shrine, starting and ending at the outdoor altar, at which Mass followed. During the procession, the Litany of the Saints was sung and the fields blessed. (Rhode Island, my home state, is the smallest in the Union, but definitely has a lot of beautiful green places, including this shrine, which was the very first in the world dedicated to St Thérèse of Lisieux. There are several different places for prayer on the grounds, including a Rosary walk, a garden of Saints, and representations of the Holy Stairs and the Tomb of Christ; it is open from sunrise until sunset during the spring, summer and fall months.)
The faithful offer flowers to adorn the Lady altar - tradition will always be for the young!
The parish has had a busy month, with three First Communions on Sunday, May 5, and a May crowning on the 12th. During that week, a booklet was left out for the faithful to write down intentions, which were then placed in a locket. After Mass on May 12th, the two young ladies who received their First Communion the week before carried the crown of flowers and the locket in a procession held inside the church (the weather was poor). The pastor blessed the crown and locket before the Lady Altar, and one of the servers placed them on Her statue.
On Saturday, May 25. His Excellency Thomas Tobin, the bishop of Providence, conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 12 members of the parish, and then celebrated Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
