by Jill Ragar Esfeld
jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
No matter what your political persuasion is, or what your opinion of contemporary culture and current events may be, you probably believe the world is in need of prayer.
And here’s a truth about being Catholic — regardless of our age, sex, race or politics, prayer can always unite us.
This Saturday, Oct. 12, at noon, Catholics around the world will be united in praying the rosary, a prayer that St. John Paul II said, “puts us in living communion with Jesus through the heart of his mother.”
You can be part of the change this prayer effort is sure to effect by praying the rosary on your own, or by joining one of many rosary rallies taking place throughout the archdiocese.
In Johnson County, a rally will be held at 92nd and Summit in Lenexa.
The rallies are part of The Public Square Rosary Crusade: America Needs Fatima, a campaign designed to inspire the world with hope in the message of Our Lady of Fatima.
The crusade first began in 2007 and was scheduled for the Saturday in October closest to the anniversary of the feast of the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun.
That first year, organizers were surprised and pleased that 2,000 rosary rallies were held across the United States.
It seemed like a good idea to continue the crusade.
Each following year, rosary rallies were organized in October on the Saturday closest to the feast day, and each year the numbers increased.
In 2018 there were 21,145 rallies in the United States and 23,081 in nations throughout the world.
The Public Square Rosary Crusade has a particular connection to our archdiocese. The America Needs Fatima office in Rossville, Kansas, is a key component in its organization.
The rosary rallies require an army of Catholics to coordinate logistics. At the office in Rossville, volunteers spend months making calls to sign up thousands of rosary-rally captains to answer questions and send out supplies for the rallies.
The fact that Public Square Rosary Rallies have become so popular shows people across the world recognize the hand of God is needed where our human efforts have failed.
Today, Our Lady of Fatima’s message is timelier than ever: “Pray the rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the World.”
Our nation is divided on so many issues, but regardless of where we stand, we can unite in prayer.
No matter what you believe is best for our country or the world, join in the rosary crusade with an open heart, praying as Mary taught us at the Wedding of Cana — give your concern to Jesus without question, request or opinion, with only trust in his perfect solution.
Pray with the attitude of Mary when she said simply “they have no wine.”
