A prayer a day to invoke with the Rosary the end of the pandemic
The event will be centred on 30 shrines in accordance with Pope Francis’s wish. The prayer will be conducted for “the various categories of people most affected by the plight of the pandemic: for those who have not been able to say goodbye to their loved ones, for all health care personnel, for the poor, the homeless and those in economic difficulty and for all the deceased.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – In response to Pope Francis’s wish, a daily prayer intention will be held in the month of May during a “marathon” Rosary in order to invoke the end of the pandemic and the resumption of social and work activities.
The initiative, titled “Prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God” (Acts 12:5), will involve every shrine in the world, including 30 singled out in all the continents.
In Asia the shrines are: the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth (pictured), the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in South Korea, Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in the Philippines, Our Lady of Health in India, Meryem Ana in Turkey, Our Lady of Nagasaki in Japan, and Our Lady of Lebanon.
The other shrines are: Our Lady of Walsingham in England, Jesus the Saviour and Mother Mary in Nigeria, Our Lady of Częstochowa in Poland, Our Lady Aparecida in Brazil, Our Lady of Lujan in Argentina, Holy House of Loreto in Italy, Our Lady of Knock in Ireland, Virgin of the Poor at Banneux in Belgium, Notre Dame d'Afrique in Algeria, Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Portugal, Our Lady Queen of Peace at Medjugorje in Bosnia, St Mary's Cathedral in Australia, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the United States, Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre in Cuba, Nuestra Señora de Montserrat in Spain, Notre Dame du Cap in Canada, National Shrine Our Lady Ta' Pinu in Malta, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico, Mother of God in Zarvantysia in Ukraine, the Black Madonna of Altötting in Germany, and the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii in Italy.
The Pope will open and close the prayer, staring on 1 May in front of Our Lady of Succour (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), an icon venerated as early as the 7th century, depicted in a fresco above the altar of Saint Leo, in the Gregorian chapel. On this occasion, the pontiff will bless special Rosaries used specifically for this event, which will then be sent to the 30 shrines directly involved.
On 31 May, Francis will bring the prayer to a close from a significant place in the Vatican Gardens, of which further information will be given. Both moments will be accessible to the hearing-impaired through Italian Sign Language or LIS (Lingua dei Segni Italiana).
Tasked by the Pope to organise the event, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation issued a statement saying: “each day of the month is characterized by a prayer intention for the various categories of people most affected by the plight of the pandemic: for those who have not been able to say goodbye to their loved ones, for all health care personnel, for the poor, the homeless and those in economic difficulty and for all the deceased.”
Every shrine in the world is invited to pray following local traditions and language, and ask for the resumption of social life, work and the many human activities that were put on hold as a result of the pandemic.
“For this reason, the Shrines are called to promote and solicit as much as possible the participation of the faithful, so that everyone can devote a moment to daily prayer, in the car, on the street, and thanks to communication technologies, with the smartphone, requesting the end of the pandemic and the resumption of social and work activities.”
The prayer in each shrine will be broadcast by the Holy See media, 6 pm Rome time. A short liturgical guide will provide some useful information about how to share this moment in one’s community. The guide is available in Italian, English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the website of the Pontifical Council.
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