On Oct. 13, thousands of Roman Catholics took part in a
nationwide event called the
”
Public Square Rosary Campaign.
”
More than 2,000 rallies were held at noon (local time at each
location).
On Oct. 13, thousands of Roman Catholics took part in a nationwide event called the “Public Square Rosary Campaign.” More than 2,000 rallies were held at noon (local time at each location).
The Rosary is an important form of religious devotion for Catholics, one that is gaining popularity among other Christians. In this form of meditation, a sequence of different prayers is recited using a string of beads, each bead representing one prayer in the sequence. The prayers include the “Our Father” (“Lord’s Prayer”), “Hail Mary” and “Gloria Patri” (“Glory be to the Father”).
This Rosary Campaign was scheduled to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the reported appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three children in the small Portuguese town of Fatima in 1917. She declared herself to be Our Lady of the Rosary and told them to recite the Rosary daily. She also outlined the consequences for the world if people did not pray, convert and do penance: that God would punish the world for its sins by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and persecution of the Pope unless people listened to and obeyed the commands of God.
Sponsor of this nationwide event was The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, a tax-exempt religious organization. It is headquartered in Spring Grove, Penn., with 120,000 members.
Many rallies were held around California; locations in the Bay Area included San Francisco, Menlo Park, Cupertino and at Mission Santa Clara. Two rallies were held in San Jose.
Melinda Panes was an organizer of the rally at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2020 E. San Antonio St.). She reports that more than 150 worshipers came to the event, including three priests, a nun, several lay ministers and all the members of the parish council.
Participants sang hymns, recited prayers and meditated. At the end of the two-hour observance, 60 colored balloons were released into the sky: green, yellow, blue and red to represent the four languages being used, and white symbolizing reverence for God the Father.
Robert Ritchie, national director of the campaign, noted that many rallies were held in public places like steps of state capitol buildings, including Sacramento, Rockefeller Center in New York City, Lafayette Park across from the White House and Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
He noted that The Public Square Rosary Campaign “is a response to the Fatima call for conversion, penance, prayer and recitation of the Rosary. It is a response to a culture that is increasingly banishing faith from the public square.”
Religious education in Gilroy
There seems to be increasing interest in religion lately. Some people even want to know more about others’ faiths. For those who would like to learn about Judaism, an opportunity is coming up beginning next month.
Congregation Emeth, South Valley’s Jewish community, is offering a course called Basic Judaism on Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Jan. 13, Feb. 3, March 2 and April 6, from 11 a.m. to noon. It will be held at 651 Broadway in Gilroy.
Although ideal for people considering conversion to Judaism, it will be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about this ancient monotheistic faith, the “mother religion” of Christianity and Islam. Topics will include Jewish Time, Torah, Shabbat and Nation of Israel.
The cost is $10 per session or $54 for all six. Advance reservations will ensure enough materials are available for all participants. For more information, call (408) 847-4111.
