May 23 is Day 1 of the Novena to Mary, Mother of the Church. We will be praying the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary and meditating on the Annunciation.

Recently, Pope Francis added a new feast day to the Church’s calendar…Mary, Mother of the Church!  It will fall on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday every year; this year, it’s June 1st.

We have created a *NEW* but very simple and thought-provoking Novena for families to help children “ponder in their hearts” the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary with her son.

The novena is simple…and we’ll send you the prayers and daily reminders when you subscribe to our blog.

Every day, you can click to pray along with us a selected decade of the Rosary that pertains to Mary’s role as Mother of the Church. It is a Scriptural Rosary with children leading the prayers.

(Psst: It’s a great way to help children fall in love with the Rosary and really contemplate the story behind each Mystery!)

We conclude each decade with a short prayer to Mary from the papal encyclical Lumen Fidei.  Read more about it on our blog here,

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a day! You’ll receive an email every time the next day’s prayer is posted (don’t worry…we don’t share your address with anyone else).

To learn more about Mary, sign up for our FREE Marian Consecration Family Adventure (the current one ends on June 1st, but if you enter your email here, we’ll let you know when the next one will start in the fall!)  

You can pray with just your family, or you can pray with us by clicking the two videos below.

Let’s get started!

Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

Leader: “Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38)

All pause for silent meditation, then pray the First Joyful Mystery.

Then pray Pope Francis’ Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church (from the conclusion of the encyclical Lumen Fidei). Pray with us by clicking the video–the words are in the video or you can print them off below.

Mother, help our faith!

Open our ears to hear God’s word and to recognize His voice and call.

Awaken in us a desire to follow in His footsteps, to go forth from our own land and to receive His promise.

Help us to be touched by His love, that we may touch Him in faith.

Help us to entrust ourselves fully to Him and to believe in His love, especially at times of trial, beneath the shadow of the Cross, when our faith is called to mature.

Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.

Remind us that those who believe are never alone.

Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus, that He may be light for our path. And may this light of faith always increase in us, until the dawn of that undying day which is Christ Himself, your Son, our Lord!  Amen.

Leader: Pray for us, Mary, Mother of the Church

All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

P.S. Be sure to check out our Holy Heroes Rosary CDs, which cover all the mysteries we will be praying and more! They feature the voices of children, helping other children pray this timeless and powerful prayer! And don’t forget: children 6 & up are falling in love with our new “bead-by-bead” Child’s First Rosary book set: every bead is a picture and every picture is a prayer. “It makes the rosary into little stories!” said one 6 year-old reviewer. Click to see them all here.

P.P.S. To learn more about Mary, sign up for our FREE Marian Consecration Family Adventure (the current one ends on June 1st, but if you enter your email here, we’ll let you know when the next one will start in the fall!)