Last Lent, I wrote an article about the Surrender Novena, a prayer that was given to Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo by Jesus in a mystical encounter. Since that article was published, I have continued to receive messages from readers near and far, telling me how their lives have been changed by that prayer.
Don Dolindo’s “spirituality of abandonment” resonates deeply with people in these troubled times. His writings bring peace to souls amidst the storms of our cultural chaos, reminding us that when we surrender ourselves completely to Jesus, He will, in the words of the Surrender Novena, “take care of everything.”
Many miracles have been attributed to the intercession of Don Dolindo (1882-1970), a priest from Naples, Italy. His life was an outpouring of sacrificial love for God and others.
The faithful flocked to him for his prayers and spiritual direction. He had the gift of prophecy and, in his humility, could hear the words of God. He wrote huge volumes of biblical commentary, thousands of letters, and many prayers, including prayers he received from Jesus.
When he saw contagious sick people, he embraced and kissed them. When beggars came to the door of his church, he kissed their hands, embraced them, and asked their forgiveness if they had anything against him. When he encountered poor, abandoned, sick people who had no medicines or doctors, he wrote “remedies” for them in the form of “prescriptions,” signed “Doctor Stupid Fly-Swatter”—and the unusual remedies worked miracles.
He also miraculously helped sick people who were very far away from him. According to Giovanna Invitti Ellis, Don Dolindo was known to have spread his cloak over sick people waiting for surgery, helping them to pass the night without anguish or pain. He was also seen with patients in near-fatal surgeries, restoring them to health.
“Why do you come here,” Padre Pio once said to a group of pilgrims who had come to San Giovanni Rotondo from Naples, “when you have Don Dolindo in Naples? Go to him, he’s a saint!”
While his prayers worked miracles for others, Don Dolindo endured tremendous suffering himself, offering himself as a victim soul for mankind. A bishop once prophesied to him, “You will be a martyr, but in your heart, not with your blood.”
Dolindo’s own family rejected him, embarrassed by his poverty. Like Padre Pio, he patiently endured the humiliation of being unjustly removed from his priestly duties for years before he was eventually exonerated. He was crippled by arthritis and ulcers, suffered a stroke, and spent the last ten years of his life completely paralyzed.
Before he died in the odor of sanctity, he told people that if they knocked on his tomb in need, he would never hesitate to listen. Today, there is a tradition among pilgrims who visit his tomb, to knock three times in the name of the Holy Trinity when they beg his intercession.
Although I cannot physically visit Don Dolindo’s tomb myself, I have asked my guardian angel to go knock on the door of his tomb for me, and to ask his intercession for the intentions that are dear to my heart. In him, I have discovered both a powerful intercessor and a faithful friend.
Recently, I came across another powerful prayer of Don Dolindo, called the Rosary of Abandonment, which focuses on the refrain, “Jesus, You take over.”
Since I learned this prayer, I have found great solace in its refrain. When I feel overwhelmed and anxious, I say these four words—“Jesus, You take over”—and the anxiety fades. In its place, I feel the “peace of God, which passes all understanding.” (Phil 4:7)
I pray that you, too, will find peace in this beautiful prayer, and that through it, Jesus will “take over” all the cares and concerns of your heart.
The Rosary of Abandonment
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be.
Our Father.
Hail Mary.
1st Decade:
Jesus, You take over! (10 times on the beads of the Hail Mary)
Glory be.
2nd Decade:
Mother Mary, guide me. (10 times on the beads of the Hail Mary)
Glory be.
3rd Decade:
Jesus you take over! (10 times on the beads of the Hail Mary)
Glory be.
4th Decade:
Mother Mary, guide me. (10 times on the beads of the Hail Mary)
Glory be.
5th Decade:
Jesus, you take over! (10 times on the beads of the Hail Mary)
Glory be.
In conclusion:
Hail Holy Queen
