CITIZEN WATCH SHOP

My father - Precioso E. Cruz - passed away in San Diego, California, on October 3rd, 2009. He was 86-years-old and had lived a long life marked by joy, goodness, and faith.

Consequently, I flew to California from Hawaii to assist with, and attend, his funeral. In accordance with a beautiful Filipino Catholic tradition, my family held prayer vigils during which we recited requiem prayers for the peaceful repose of my father's soul, mainly the Holy Rosary.

The photo above shows the temporary prayer altar that we set up in my sister's home for our devotional purposes. The 18" Maria-Rosa Mystica statue actually belongs to my sister, and as a way of edifying my family members who participated in the prayers, I brought with me from Hawaii a special rosary with a reliquary-crucifix enclosing five 1st Class Relics from the following Saints:

+ St. Paul of the Cross
+ St. Gemma Galgani (my Patron Saint w/St. Anthony of Padua)
+ St. Gabriel Possenti
+ St. Vincent Strambi
+ St. Maria Goretti

The prayer meetings were beautiful, and several family members were awed and moved by the presence of the Holy Relics on the altar. A few relatives also reported smelling the scent of a strong, but pleasant perfume, that came and went during the duration of the first prayer meeting.

Those of us who perceived the mysterious fragrance all agreed that it did not match the scent of any of the flowers that were displayed near the altar. I suggested that it was simply a comforting blessing from Our Lady and the Saints for all who were present on that wonderful evening (see additional photos in the Comments Section).

Our Lady, the Rosa Mystica, made another pilgrim visitation... this time to the home of a dear friend of mine - "Anna" - a very pious woman who is also a dedicated "prayer warrior" and a fervent devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She requested a week-long visit with the Rosa Mystica statue to pray for a resolution to a difficult family situation. The smaller 18" Rosa Mystica to the right belongs to her. I was extremely honored to have this devout woman pray before my statue as I consider her to be not just a great friend, but also an admirable spiritual role model who is very close to God and Our Lady.

In addition to my Rosa Mystica, the Sacred Relics of the Blessed Mother's garment and a piece of bandage which covered St. Padre Pio's stigmata were also made available for Anna to venerate, as well as for other people who stopped by her home to pray during the statue's visitation. Anna later reported that many people were touched by the special presence of the Virgin Mary and St. Pio through both the statue and their respective Relics.