Greetings to our prayer communities, all our Annual Global Rosary Relay participants, our Virtual Rosary Thursday prayer friends and our friends the world over who follow the Worldpriest Global Apostolate and its many initiatives. We would like to announce that the next Annual Global Rosary Relay will take place on 16 June 2023, once again on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a truly worldwide prayer event, which started fourteen years ago when the Worldpriest founder received an inspiration of ‘Twenty countries twenty mysteries’. What started as a relatively modest prayer event has now grown into a truly global avalanche of prayer, inspiring millions of people on every continent once again to contribute to the magnificent success of this unique Worldpriest Global Apostolate event.
The greater the level of prayer, the greater the blessings. So Worldpriest is now extending an open invitation for the largest possible numbers to play their part this year by joining a world community at prayer. This includes individuals, families, children and members of the more elderly population to pray from their homes or from any other locations of their choice, including their local cathedrals, churches, grottos, schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes or any other venue suitable for individual or collective prayer. This invitation is extended to all, regardless of faith, age or local culture. So pray the Rosary, unite with your country and help encircle the world in prayer.
Promoting the Global Rosary Relay 2023
A specially-designed Annual Global Rosary Relay 2023 promotional poster has been produced for the widest possible distribution to promote awareness this year. Click Promotional Material – Worldpriest to view in six languages. Participants at all prayer locations around the world will be encouraged to download this poster and to circulate it widely as a preliminary promotion. This will be followed by a more targeted local promotional poster. As always our marketing awareness plan will begin early in May 2023 which will invite a broader recognition and participation at local level of this upcoming event. In addition, social media channels, radio and television will also be used to bring awareness of this worldwide event to an enormous growing audience around the globe.
To all our participating prayer locations we take this opportunity to reach out to you to engage actively as you so loyally have done each year in the past as you begin your planning as a gift of gratitude to Our Lady, while praying for the sanctification of priests the world over.
The grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette.
Events at Lourdes shrine on 16 June
The shrine rector Father Michel Daubanes at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France tells us that the shrine has chosen to pray at four different times on 16 June this year. This unique event at Lourdes will see pilgrims praying in four different languages at four different times from all over the world as the prayer time is live streamed. What a great way to expand the Rosary prayer in a very creative way. This will now become an example and guide for others to follow. Lourdes will pray the Rosary Mysteries at 15.00 prayed in English, followed by Rosary prayers in French at 15.30, followed by Rosary prayers in Spanish at 16.15 and finally Rosary prayers in Italian at 18.00.
Father Harry O’Carroll SSC (left) and Ms Margareta Maria Yuko Sakanashi, present the award to Father John Naoaki Sakurai at Our Lady of Japan Catholic church.
Japan wins the 2022 Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Award
We would like to congratulate the people of the Kumamoto region of Japan, where a dedicated group of parishioners along with Ms Margareta Maria Yuko Sakanashi, President of Kumamoto Catholic Women’s Association, and its many members achieved an outstanding level of promotion and participation in the Global Rosary Relay during June 2022.
The award presentation was made to Father John Naoaki Sakurai by Father Harry O’Carroll SSC and Ms Margareta Maria Yuko Sakanashi at Our Lady of Japan Catholic church, Tetori, Kumamoto City on 8 December 2022. Commenting on this proud event Father Harry O’Carroll SSC – who has served in Japan for some fifty years – said the following about the presentation: ‘There was a great turnout at the award presentation, despite Covid-19 special spacing being in place. It featured in our parish monthly magazine, with lots of photographs. This material will be used to promote the 2023 event. We are looking forward to hearing from Worldpriest coming up to next June when the world will be once again prepare to be united in prayer for priests. God Bless and peace to all’.
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https://youtu.be/PHwKhftlwUY
Bishop Fintan Monahan Diocese of Killaloe Ireland endorsement promo video for the Worldpriest Global Apostolate.
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Led by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD
Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD, is a Papal Missionary of Mercy, the Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, an Adjunct Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, and a Senior Contributor to the Crux news site. He is a recognized leader in evangelization and adult catechesis.
Father Kirby holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Holy Cross University in Rome and a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
In 2016, Father Kirby was recognized by Governor Nikki Haley and granted the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, for his service to local communities and young adults throughout the state.
Father Kirby has authored several books, including Lord, Teach Us to Pray; Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life; We Are the Lord’s: A Catholic Guide to Difficult End-of-Life Questions; Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord’s Prayer in Everyday Life; Manual for Suffering, and, the award-winning Doors of Mercy: Exploring God’s Covenant with You.
In 2022, Father Kirby co-hosted the miniseries, The Christian Way, on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). The miniseries addressed pressing moral issues in our society today.
More information on Father Kirby can be found at Fr. Jeffrey Kirby | A Priest of Jesus Christ (frkirby.com). He can be followed on Twitter @fatherkirby.
Our Lady of Grace Church
Register Here
This virtual Rosary Thursday will make use of Zoom technology. It will open at 17.40 hours, local Rome time; the prayers begin at 18.00 hours, concluding at 18.30 hours.
The following time zones will assist your time of prayer.
USA/CANADA – Eastern Time: 12.00
USA/CANADA – Central Time: 11.00
CENTRAL EUROPEAN Time: 18.00
USA/CANADA – Mountain Time: 10.00
SOUTH AFRICA: – 18.00
UK/IRELAND: – 17.00
This virtual Rosary Thursday will include a welcome by Marion Mulhall and introduction to Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD.
Prayer leader and prayer responders will pray the Luminous Mysteries in the following order, with special guided meditations/reflections for each decade by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD.
- First Luminous Mystery –The Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan – to be prayed by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD. prayer responder Marianne Johnpillai a friend to Worldpriest from Sri Lanka.
- Second Luminous Mystery – Wedding Feast of Cana – to be prayed by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD. Prayer responder James Coffey President of the Papal Foundation USA, A friend to Worldpriest from the USA.
- Third Luminous Mystery – Proclamation of the Kingdom – to be prayed by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD. prayer responder Marion Mulhall Founder Worldpriest Global Apostolate.
- Fourth Luminous Mystery – The Transfiguration of Our Lord – to be prayed by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD. Prayer responder Liam and Mary Murphy friends of Worldpriest.
- Fifth Luminous Mystery – The Institution of the Eucharist – to be prayed by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD. Prayer responder Niall Kennedy KCSG Chairman of Worldpriest
Final rosary prayers with a special blessing by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD.
To all prayer participants.
Register here
To register, just click on the link provided here.
If you have any questions, please contact;
Marion Mulhall
info.worldpriest@gmail.com
We were so blessed to have, for the first Virtual Rosary Thursday of 2023, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of all Ireland, and President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who so prayerfully led our Rosary Thursday prayer event on Thursday 26 January.
Join and pray with Archbishop Eamon Martin at any time of your choosing on Rosary Thursday. https://youtu.be/7AzGOGKQ_YM