Wordpriest Global Rosary Relay 2020 exceeds expectations as record numbers participate

In the most challenging year since the Worldpriest Global Rosary Relay began over a decade ago, we are delighted to report that this year’s event on 19 June was a resounding success, as the entire world joined together to pray for the sanctification of our priests. Every priest worldwide was prayed for on that day, a great blessing for all. It was a year when technology came to the fore as live streaming of the rosary being prayed from hundreds of churches increased strongly, allowing people to join in from their homes in large numbers or to pray outside at many beautiful grottos dedicated to Our Lady all over the world. Please view and enjoy many videos from this event https://www.worldpriest.com/video/

The Global Rosary Relay started in Siberia at the shrine of Our Lady of Magadan. Then on to China, followed by India, with much gratitude to His Eminence Cardinal Gracias of Bombay, moving to Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines then sending spiritually to Malta which was so professionally planned by Joe Farrugia our Worldpriest Representative for Malta, with a number of outstanding rosary prayer participations, and then on to Uganda Africa, and back to the Turkish capital of Ankara – a first such event for Turkey.

There were a number of other firsts in terms of participation, including prayers from Bangladesh. For Iceland it was their third time to participate from Reykjavik. St Paul’s Cathedral in Tirana, Albania also participated for the first time, as did the Malaysia Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu Sabah, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral while Slovakia at the Shrine of Our Lady of Levoka had a strong national prayer presence. And the usual strong contribution by Pakistan saw that country greatly exceed its prayer level from last year, largely thanks to the great efforts yet again of Naveed Anjum our Worldpriest Representative for Pakistan and his team. https://www.worldpriest.com/participating-prayer-location-list/

 

Rosary Relay from Malaysia

 

There were many highlights to remember from the Worldpriest Global Rosary Relay 2020 – in fact more than we can possibly mention here. For a start there was a special Apostolic Blessing received from Pope Francis which set the prayer tone for many blessings to come. Local and national television and radio broadcasts, along with intensive social media activity kept the momentum going in many locations around the world, while a Vatican Radio interview with Marion Mulhall, Worldpriest Global Apostolate founder, broke the news of the virtual rosary for Pope Francis on Worldpriest Global Rosary Relay Day.

There was also a joint initiative between Worldpriest and Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages, in the promotion of a special virtual rosary for the intentions of Pope Francis, which was a great success as many people from around the world prayed for Pope Francis, further promoting and emphasising the enormous growth of the Global Rosary Relay, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, through the use of Zoom.

Every state in Canada participated at over 300 single prayer locations, with much gratitude to Isabel Gillis our Worldpriest Representative for Canada, while Japan also made a strong presence with sixteen single prayer locations. A big thank you to Fr Harry O’Carroll SSC. The African success story was cleverly planned and promoted by Fr John Baptist CSC, and his team which resulted in over 1,000 single participating prayer locations alone within the Diocese of Fort Portal in Uganda.

 

Diocese of Fort Portal, Uganda, Africa

 

As usual there was an enthusiastic level of participation from the United States, with almost every single state participating. We were so blessed to have Bishop Edmund Whalen of the Archdiocese of New York lead the Worldpriest Rosary Relay from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral New York. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, founded by our great friend the late Father Benedict Groeschel CFR, participated from several parts of the USA and beyond. The final prayer location of the Global Rosary Relay for 2020 was Thomas Aquinas College, in Santa Paula, California, which marked the occasion with a special mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Barron. The bishop also streamed the celebration through his Word on Fire network which was live – streamed by Thomas Aquinas College throughout the USA while their chaplain, Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P. led the final Rosary prayer of the day, spiritually linking in with their partner, Thomas Aquinas College Northfield, Massachusetts.

So 2020 was a year to remember and the new horizons that were reached – largely as a result of people having the global opportunity to pray as one family amid a pandemic – all of which bodes very well for the future.

On the 29th of October we begin a special worldwide virtual rosary which will take place thereafter on the last Thursday of each month. The first rosary, on October 29, will be led by Bishop Fintan Monaghan, Bishop of Killaloe, Ireland. The Rosary will be prayed via Zoom in collaboration with our partners, Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages, along with team members and friends of Worldpriest with every Thursday being Rosary Thursday. The day we pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary as gifted to the world by Saint John Paul 11. https://www.worldpriest.com/rosary-thursday/

Worldpriest Annual Global Rosary Relay Day for 2021 will be 11 June, which is also the great feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.