St. Jude Messenger Volume II, Issue I | Page 3

DIRECTOR’S LETTER Dear Friend of St. Jude, We often come full circle in the mysteries of God’s saving help in our lives. As we pray for help to Saint Jude and our Blessed Mother, they are constantly reminding us that God is with us. I was recently reminded of the surprising connections that Our Blessed Mother and Saint Jude work within our lives when I baptized an infant. a member of his family. By providing a place for the Holy Spirit to weave a new cloth of both divine and human thread in her womb, Mary, the New Eve, prepares a pure and unstained garment for us so that we too may be brought into God’s family. As friends of the Rosary Shrine of St. Jude, you are part of our family, and it is our joy to pray for your intentions every day. William Connors Lord carries the maiden name of his great, great grandmother: Anna Elizabeth Connors Halligan. Anna sewed part of her wedding garment into a christening gown that was worn by all her children including her son Raymond who later became a Dominican Friar and my predecessor as Director of the Rosary Shrine of St. Jude. William wore that same gown on the day of his christening. Father Raymond was supposed to perform the baptism but he died less than a month before the big day. St. Dominic’s church, where I baptized William, is not only home to the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude, it is also the place where Father Raymond Ferrer Halligan, O.P., was ordained to the priesthood and gave his first priestly blessing to his mother! As devotees of St. Jude, you know that his prayer is powerful in part because of his close relationship with the Lord as St. Jude Messenger - Volume II, Issue I 0100_SJ_Messenger_VF.indd 3 Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P. Director, Rosary Shrine of St. Jude 3 5/8/16 3:51 PM