IS THERE A SIX-DECADE ROSARY?

THE MAILBAG: WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THE BONES OF PETER AND IMAGES IN A TREE AND THE 'SIX-DECADE' ROSARY?

First, Maureen O'Brien, whose photos we used a few weeks back on the front page, but that are yet more telling up close.

As Maureen had explained: "Several members of my parish went to the abortion 'clinic' in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Saturday, November 1. One of us noticed this unusual image on a tree in the area where we were praying and took these photos. Some see the baby in the womb, as on the sign, and others see Our Lady holding a baby. Thought you would find it interesting! Peace and blessings!"

We get much that is intriguing in the mail.

"After prayer and much listening I have stopped eating concentrated carbohydrates and hydrogenated oils," wrote Matt from western Australia. "I have been eating high-saturated fat (coconut oil, butter, cream, etc), low-carb vegetables and salads, and small portions of meat, and have been feeling immense wellbeing. Great weight loss and very clear thinking, and excellent restful sleep. I don't snore anymore, and I'm far lighter on my feet. I am a laborer and work very hard in all weathers, and for a long time had low energy and woke up tired each morning. Now I have real energy and drive. I was worried that this kind of diet was dangerous considering what the prevailing wisdom has been saying. I feel it was a confirmation that now many nutritionists are saying that sugar and starches are responsible for heart disease and many other medical conditions."

The key to what to eat: as Matt indicated, prayer. The Holy Spirit knows best what your body needs and what it should not have. Although we certainly heed their advice, perhaps it's the case that medical researchers too quickly make blanket judgments.

Intriguing was a note from Mary Davis of Pearl River, Louisiana. "I have a devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes," she said. " Last [month], on All Souls Day, while reading an article on Lourdes, I read that the rosary that Our Lady held at the first apparition was a six- decade rosary. When St. Bernadette asked why she had a six-decade rosary, she was told that the extra decade was for the poor souls in purgatory." We had not heard of that. But as Mary went on, "I have been practically consumed this past week researching this. There is definitely a six-decade rosary used by the Camelites. And there is a Brigittine rosary of six decades. I saw an enlarged picture of the Crowned Virgin in Lourdes and there does seem to be a six-decade rosary in her hand. The six- decade rosary is said somewhat differently with meditations on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. On Catholic Answers, there are people who say they have been to Lourdes and say this connection to the apparitions is true." In a further e-mail, after further research, she added, "Some say the sixth decade is for the poor souls. Others say it is to honor the Immaculate Conception. The Carmelite six-decade Rosary definitely honors Mary and her Immaculate Conception. The fact is that the six- decade rosary originated with St. Bridgit of Sweden (1303-1373). I think that the original Brigittine rosary must have added the sixth decade with the intention of praying for the poor souls because St. Bridgit could not have intended the sixth decade to honor the Immaculate Conception since it had not been declared a dogma of the church at that time. That was to be about another 500 years 'down the road'. However, St. Bridgit had a very deep devotion to praying for the souls in purgatory. Several articles on the internet say that St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) visited a Brigittine monastary and that the nuns there introduced her to the six-decade rosary. She decided to adopt it for her Discalced Carmelites. I have learned a lot, but why, if this is true, have I never heard of this?"