My first prayer book

I was born into a family that gathered every evening before going to bed, to pray the Rosary. My father was the one who led the meditation of the mysteries and we, the children with our mother, followed the prayer.

When I became a teenager, I wanted to learn to meditate the mysteries of the Holy Rosary myself. My father wrote them down for me on a piece of paper used to wrap bread. This paper was my first manual of prayer. Unfortunately, I have not kept this relic. I memorized the mysteries and started praying the Rosary with the neighbors during the novenas that were made in the area. When I entered the seminary, I continued this devotion and later, as a priest and as a bishop, I kept praying it. Today I still pray the Rosary daily.

One thing I really like to do is to stand before an image of Our Lady and meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. This prayer makes me feel the love and presence of Mary in my life. I feel that she accompanies me and blesses my ministry.

Messias dos Reis Silveira, Bishop of Uruaçu GO (Brazil)

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