'Rosary Coast to Coast' a call to arms for Catholics across America
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On Monday, Catholics will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as "Our Lady of Victory," a day honoring the triumph of a coalition of Catholic forces over invading Muslim armies in the Battle of Lepanto on Oct. 7, 1571.
In the United States, a dynamic, nationwide prayer rally will presage the commemoration.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, the Rosary Coast to Coast campaign will unite Catholics from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the 49th Parallel to the Rio Grande – and beyond – in prayer for the soul of the United States.
Rosary
Catholics are urged to participate on Oct. 6 by gathering together to pray the Rosary – to pray along American coasts and borders, in parish churches, in front of state capitols, as families or while viewing the livestream of the National Rosary Rally in front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
The event will take place simultaneously across all US time zones: 4:00 p.m. Eastern; 3:00 p.m. Central; 2:00 p.m. Mountain; 1:00 p.m. Pacific; 12:00 p.m. Alaska; and 10:00 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian.
A CRITICAL MOMENT
Since its launch in 2018, Rosary Coast to Coast has drawn together hundreds of thousands of Catholics from across the country and around the world to pray for the United States to return to God. And, as Nov. 5 – America's great moment of decision – nears, this united effort is needed now more than ever before.
"2024 is different," organizers of the event explain. "Mary is gathering Her children together in a very special way."
CAPSTONE IN THE CAPITAL
The crowning event of Rosary Coast to Coast will be the the 2024 National Rosary Rally in front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
The event will begin at St. Peter's Catholic Church on Capitol Hill, where faithful will assemble for a National Eucharistic Procession, to the rally site at the northwest corner of Capitol Hill (at Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 1st Street SW and 3rd Street SW).
"Instead of a rally talk, organizers explain, "this year our focus is going to be on prayer, with … an intention and short reflection before each decade of the Rosary."
SLAVIC SEEDS
The roots of Rosary Coast to Coast spring from Poland.
On Oct. 15, 2016, more than 100,000 Polish Catholics converged on the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa at Jasna Góra to pray in reparation for the sins of their nation. Led by Abp. Stanisław Gądecki, head of the Polish bishops' conference, the "Great Atonement," as the assembly was christened, was marked by Mass, Eucharistic adoration, confession and prayers of reparation for abortion, addictions and societal divisions.
One month later, the country's bishops gathered at the Church of Divine Mercy in Krakow where, in the presence of Polish President Andrzej Duda, they formally recognized Jesus Christ as King of Poland. The ceremony culminated in an "act of enthronement," during which the leaders of both Church and state prayed:
The act of enthronement was repeated in every Polish parish the following day.
Shortly after, Poland's "Rosary at the Borders" initiative ignited.
On Oct. 7, 2017, more than one million Catholics journeyed to the nation's borders to literally encircle their country with the Rosary. In fields, on hillsides and along the northern seacoast – some 4,000 sites in all – Polish faithful begged Our Lady's intercession for their nation.
This unprecedented gathering inspired remnant faithful in Ireland to do the same in and for their country. On. Nov. 26 – the feast of Christ the King – 30,000 Irish Catholics joined together for the "Rosary on the Coast for Life and Faith," where they prayed "for the unborn and for the revitalization of the Church in Ireland."
The Polish and Irish displays of faith ignited the zeal of British Catholics. Led by Bp. John Keenan of Paisley, Scotland; Antonia Moffat of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England; and online media group, Sancta Familia Media, among others, the United Kingdom's "Rosary on the Coast" drew tens of thousands of Catholics to British shores on April 29, 2018.
From there, the burgeoning conflagration spread to Australia. On May 13 – the 101st anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima – tens of thousands of Australian Catholics united for "Oz Rosary #53" ("Oz" being a slang term for "Australia" and "#53" reflecting organizers' original goal of securing 53 sites of prayer – one for every Hail Mary in the Rosary).
And then, the United States caught fire. Faithful priest Fr. Richard Heilman and his team took note of what was happening in Europe and Australia, and began coordinating with the organizers of those events to launch America's own.
Father Heilman described the initiative as a "clarion call" to stand against the growing infestation of the diabolical. Satan is "entering our nation," he warned, and Catholics are called to turn back the assault.
With that, Rosary Coast to Coast was born.
A 'SPARK' TO IGNITE THE WORLD
In 1937, Jesus appeared in a vision to Sr. Faustina Kowalska – the "apostle of Divine Mercy," as Pope St. John Paul II called her.
"As I was praying for Poland," the future saint recalled, "I heard the words: I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming."
In the 87 years since this message was given, many have speculated as to its nature. Some have suggested the prophecy of the "spark" from Poland points to St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion, which untold millions of Catholics have embraced since its unveiling decades ago. Others theorize it pertains to Pope St. John Paull II, whose work continues to bear abundant fruit throughout the world today. Still others wonder if it foretells the national Rosary phenomenon that ignited in Poland in 2017 and continues to burn brightly through the Rosary Coast to Coast campaign.
Whatever the "spark" may have been, or may yet be, there's no denying that in 2024 the world is ablaze with an infernal fire. Communism is threatening to overtake the United States. Europe and the Middle East are wracked by war. A provocative China is undermining stability across Asia. And the West is buckling under the weight of spiritual malaise.
In their work, firefighters often light backfires to halt advancing conflagrations; Catholics must do the same in the supernatural realm. Regardless of whether the national Rosary movement is the prophesied "spark" from Poland, Rosary Coast to Coast is a spiritual backfire, and Catholics must come together Sunday to keep it alight.
Writer, editor and producer Stephen Wynne has spent the past seven years covering, from a Catholic perspective, the latest developments in the Church, the nation and the world. Prior to his work in journalism, he spent eight years co-authoring “Repairing the Breach,” a book examining the war of worldviews between Christianity and Darwinism. A Show-Me State native, he holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pepperdine University and an Executive MBA from the Bloch School of Business at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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