This is a great idea.
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When I was little Fr. Patrick Peyton visited St. Paul, Minnesota and hundreds - perhaps thousands - of faithful Catholics assembled on the lawns of the Capitol Approach, the huge area in front of the State Capitol, to recite the rosary. My brother and sister had to take me to it - probably some mandate from the school sisters, I don't know. They weren't happy about it - especially when they had to kneel, and we prayed the rosary publicly with the famous Fr. Peyton. I was so thrilled, I was sure the Blessed Virgin would appear or that the miracle of the sun would take place. After all. it was around 1960 and everyone expected the Third Secret of Fatima to be made public.
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Anyway, the Legion of Mary is reviving the practice and will stage a public rosary rally in San Francisco on the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Fr. Peyton event. Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR will be the keynote speaker.
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Throughout history, during times of plague and famine, war and disaster, public prayer and processions were key factor in obtaining God's mercy and an end to these chastisements. The miracles of the rosary in this regard are numerous and well known. I've been thinking how good it would be if bishops and the pope would call for such public prayers in these days when the faith is under attack and the world is beset by so many evils. "Public prayer is far more powerful than private prayer to appease the anger of God and call down His Mercy and Holy Mother Church, guided by the Holy Ghost, has always advocated public prayer in times of public tragedy and suffering." (Secret of the Rosary)
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The announcement of the San Francisco event seems to me to be a wonderful opportunity to re-introduce the practice of public prayer and processions to obtain the grace and mercy of God in our perilous times, when the faith and morals are under relentless attack. If only the hierarchy would take leadership roles in this and promote such public devotions and prayers in reparation and petition in their dioceses.
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Public Rosary in San Francisco
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San Francisco, Calif., Jun 2, 2011 / 06:01 am (CNA).- Fifty years after a 1961 public Rosary gathered over half a million people in San Francisco, a Catholic lay group is organizing the same event for October of 2011.
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“We expect thousands,” spokesperson Gibbons J. Cooney told CNA June 1.
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On October 15, the Bay Area chapter of the Legion of Mary – an international community of lay Catholics – will host their Family Rosary Crusade. The event will be held in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza, starting at noon.
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In the 1950s and 60s, Holy Cross priest Father Patrick Peyton led Rosary events in countries across the globe. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the record-breaking 1961 Rosary Rally at the Polo Fields in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
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That event drew 550,000 people, making it one of the largest gatherings in the history of San Francisco. - CNA
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Pray the rosary every day.
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Finally, when people say the Rosary together it is far more formidable to the devil than one said privately, because in this public prayer it is an army that is attacking him. He can often overcome the prayer of an individual, but if this prayer is joined to that of other Christians, the devil has much more trouble in getting the best of it. It is very easy to break a single stick, but if you join it to others to make a bundle it cannot be broken. "In union there is strength." Soldiers join together in an army to overcome their enemies; wicked people often get together for parties of debauchery and dancing, and evil spirits join forces in order to make us lose our souls. So why, then, should not Christians join forces to have Jesus Christ present with them when they pray, to appease Almighty God's anger, to draw down His grace and mercy upon us, and to frustrate and overcome the devil and his Angels more forcefully? - Secret of the Rosary
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Photo credit: Family Rosary Crusade 2011 Father Peyton addressing the crowds at the San Francisco Family Rosary Rally, October 7, 1961
