700 million Hail Marys prayed on 8 June 2018

On Friday 8 June this year previous records were broken as millions of people in all parts of the world came together at prayer locations to join in the Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay for the sanctification of priests. We believe we well exceeded the numbers participating last year, with in the region of 12.5 to 14 million people joining the 2018 prayer event, meaning that in the region of 700 million Hail Marys were said on the day.

This would not have been possible without the help and dedication of the Worldpriest Dublin Ireland team who worked endless hours leading up to 8 June, using both on-line and off-line communications to get the word out far and wide. There are videos of the relay from several prayer locations, which can be viewed at https://www.worldpriest.com/video/.

We would like to thank our many Worldpriest volunteers at all the prayer locations worldwide that worked tirelessly to make the event such a success. We fully acknowledge your untiring dedication and commitment. May Our Lady bring many blessings of joy and peace to all your lives.

To take a quote from St Mark (³¹ ‘A mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all.’ Mark 4:31–32)
the Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay may be compared to a mustard seed. From just 24 locations in 2009 the event has grown year-on-year to include over 175 locations in some 70 countries. In 2010 Pope Benedict composed a special prayer for the Global Rosary Relay. That prayer inspired a growing number of the faithful who joined the event, praying his prayer as the relay was passed from location to location and acting as a connecting link. Over the past decade the Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay has increased by 15-20% each year into a virtual tsunami of devotion, encircling the world on an annual basis.

Every week on Rosary Thursday the world also prays the Luminous Mysteries as announced by Saint Pope John Paul in 2002, especially for the sanctification of priests. What a beautiful way to celebrate the public life of Jesus.

As social media grew we had further invaluable support along the way, especially through the posting of live broadcasts and pictures on Facebook and Twitter from many prayer locations. Our esteemed partners in the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) in the United States and various additional prayer locations have helped to spread the good news through their live television broadcasts  – all true professional presentations of a world at prayer. Through the power of social media the Worldpriest promotional video went viral this year via EWTN’s Facebook posting, which was a truly momentous development.

On 3 June 2016 another major milestone was reached when Pope Francis greeted the founder of Worldpriest Marion Mulhall in Rome. The memory of that meeting will be treasured by Marion forever.

‘This unique prayer event has been spiritually motivated at every moment of its existence,’ says Marion. ‘As I see it this whole phenomenon springs from Our Lady and her wish to see a world at prayer for the sanctification of her most beloved priests’.

An outstanding legacy of the last nine years has been the depth and sincerity of the relationships that have been formed from continent to continent. The Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay for the sanctification of priests has become a fixed annual activity on people’s calendars and in becoming this bright beacon of prayer and unity each summer a groundswell of goodwill and togetherness has grown between cultures, changing the lives of ordinary people and placing Worlpriest to the fore of the minds of all those taking part. This year Pakistan made an outstanding contribution to the success of the Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay, something that might surprise many people, given Pakistan’s minority Christian position.

So as we reflect on the power of prayer for yet another astonishing and heart-warming year we look to the milestone of our tenth anniversary event on 28 June 2019 when we plan to once again encircle the world with the voice and power of prayer. Already we are making extensive plans, including the production of a unique promotional package, podcasts, Worldpriest television productions and the organisation of a Mass to be streamed live to the world from a location to be announced shortly. A new promotional video is also currently in production.

Following the success of 2018 the Worldpriest award winners will be announced in our next newsletter — an announcement that generates considerable excitement and brings further joy around the world.

We invite people to financially support Worldpriest in this enormous global prayer event. Donations would be great appreciated to defray the significant cost of planning, promoting and hosting such an unprecedented global gathering of a world praying the Rosary for the sanctification of priests.