The Memorare has been a special prayer for my family.

The day after my parents were married and my father shipped off to Okinawa, my mother presented my father with a copy of the Marian Memorare Prayer.  They made a commitment to pray the prayer each night no matter where they were until my father returned home.

My father kept the prayer in his wallet all during the war. He pulled out the prayer at night even if he was standing guard on the ship. 

One night a fierce hurricane swept through Okinawa.  My father fell into the ocean but was quickly picked up by his crew.  However, when he reached in his pocket, he discovered his wallet missing along with the copy of the Memorare. 

A week later a villager on the island found the wallet and turned it into the local US Naval Office. Soon the wallet found its way back to my father.  Securely back in his possession, he perceived that Mary protected him and the Memorare became a protective sign for him through the rest of the war.

Following the war, my mother and father knelt every night next to their bed and prayed together the Memorare. We could hear the symphony of their prayerful whispers float into our bedrooms.  They taught us the protective significance of Marian Devotion and the prayer.

In 1983 my father passed away.  During the Funeral Mass my mother gave the original laminated Memorare prayer to my brother to treasure. My brother kept the prayer in his wallet, and hopefully memorized the prayer for his married life.

One summer while my brother was fishing on Lake Erie, a storm swelled up and my brother lost his balance and his wallet fell into the lake.  Distressed for losing his wallet and the prayer, he resigned himself to the lost treasure.

During the next few days, a Park Ranger found the wallet on the shore.  He contacted my brother, returning the wallet and the prayer.

It is an interesting turn of events of how the Marian Prayer continued to show up after being lost in a storm. The Marian Prayer became an anchor deepening the faith of my family.

Every evening and morning, I pray the Memorare.  Mary continues to be a guide and protector in my life.  My copy of the Memorare is woven into the tapestry of my mind and heart.  Mary is the one who guides me through the storms, perils, joys, wonder and unexpected events along life’s journey.