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Welcome to the Marian Shrine at Good News Ministries in Tampa. Entrust your prayers to Jesus through the loving partnership of Mary, our Blessed Mother. Use this video and the music in it as a background for your Christian meditations while you watch the candle burn down. (Scroll to the bottom of this page if you’d like to know what the various elements are in our shrine, and why.)
You may use the comments box at the bottom of this page to post prayer requests, which will be distributed to our world-wide Prayer Network.
To defeat evil, pray the following on the first three beads of the Rosary:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Ark of the Covenant leading us to victory in battle,
I consecrate my life to you.
I consecrate my family to you.
I consecrate my friends and co-workers to you.
Help us become holy.
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Pray the following after the Rosary:
To you, O Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and having implored the help of your most holy spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg you to take us under your protection. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.
Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and strengthened by your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, die a happy death, and obtain everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen.
(composed by Pope Saint Leo XIII)
The songs “Hail Mary” and “Magnificat” used in this virtual Marian Shrine were written and performed by Elyse O’Kane from her CD “With All My Heart” (please visit elyseokanemusic.com); used by permission.
“Ave Maria”, Ave Verum”, Crucem Tuam”, “Psalm 98”, and “Restful Waters” were performed (and in some cases written) by Robert Metivier (please visit bobmetivier.bandcamp.com); used by permission.
The symbols on our shrine:
The bugle in our Marian Shrine was in our original logo. It symbolizes “proclaiming the Good News”. In the Book of Revelation, the trumpet blast is used to call together the believers, and a trumpet-like voice represents the voice of Jesus. Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay was founded in 1995 to teach Catholic believers to evangelize by imitating Christ and being his outreach of love and his voice inviting others to conversion and holiness. The bugle in our shrine was donated to us by our first chaplain, Father Edward Nichols; it had belonged to his grandfather when he fought for the freedom of slaves in the US Civil War.
The alabaster jar represents the gifts we give to Jesus. Mark 14:3-9 and Luke 7:36-50 show us the passion of a woman who anointed Jesus with perfume from her alabaster jar. The significance of this is written in the WordByte “Your Alabaster Jar of Love for Jesus“.
The roses in our Marian Shrine remind us of the power of meditating on the mysteries of the Christian faith while praying the Rosary as we unite our intercessions to the care of the Blessed Mother Mary.
The statue of Mary was donated for our Marian Shrine by Laura Rojas and made by artist Alicia Varela in Caracas, Venezuela. The artist named it “Virgin of Miracles”. According to Laura, Mary herself chose this particular image to represent her presence in our new office: “When I read your letter on the same morning that I received this statue, in which you mentioned that you wanted an image of the Virgin Mary, I immediately knew in my heart that she would be yours!” You can order a photo of this on a holy card, with “A Prayer to the Virgin of Miracles” on the back of it.
The white lily is recognized in scriptures for its beauty and fragrance. It’s often used to designate royal dignity, the beauty of wisdom, and spousal union. It’s easy to see why the lily has been attributed to Mary. Sometimes she is compared to the lily. Other times, she holds a lily in her hand or is depicted in a field of lilies. Early in the development of Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay, we smelled lilies, where none were visible, while praying the Rosary. See the fully story here.
The blue butterfly represents the new spiritual growth that we provide to countless people through the various works of Good News Ministries, as they are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The figurine of the child in the hand reminds us that we are God’s children and he holds us securely in the palm of his hand. It comes from Isaiah 49:16 (“I have engraved you on the palm of my hands”) and the interpretation of this in the popular song, “On Eagle’s Wings” (“And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings,/ Bear you on the breath of dawn,/ Make you to shine like the sun,/ And hold you in the palm of His hand”). This theme keeps us going when trials get difficult.
The wooden statue of Jesus holding a lamb comes from Jerusalem. GNM’s Executive Director, Terry Modica, brought it home from her 1998 pilgrimage, because it reminds us that Jesus takes tender care of us who are submissive lambs in his flock. It’s also an image of conversion: Shepherds tie the legs together on lambs that want to stray. Unable to go anywhere, these lambs are carried by the shepherds until they learn to recognize the shepherd’s voice and want to forever remain close.
A free PDF document of this is available for your own personal use.
How to Win Victories in Spiritual Warfare
Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well
Lessons from the Blessed Mother
Daily Prayers with the Saints
Please pray for my friend’s cousin, Tommy. He was hit by a car while bike riding and suffered serious head injuries. The Drs. say it does not look good. Thank you and God Bless you. Praying for all intentions.❤️🙏
Dear God I pray that through the powerful intercession of our blessed Mother my daughter Paula Marie will be delivered from her current struggles with alcohol and bad company of friends. God I pray for your divine intercession and healing. Please come in haste I pray. Amen
God, You always know what was happened because You see everything a most hidden corner, I come with a broken heart. God if you deign, please God soften and touch Damianus A. C.’s heart for me.