With the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falling on October 7, the Catholic Church dedicated the month of October to the Holy Rosary. During October, parishioners throughout the diocese united together to pray the Rosary in honor of the Blessed Mother.
St. Junipero Serra, Phelan
Parishioners at St. Junipero Serra parish in Phelan participated in a public rosary rally on Oct. 10, in honor of the feast day.
“When we are praying the Rosary and seeing the happiness and joy that we have achieved, everyone is very happy,” said coordinator Marina Giro.
The group invites others to join them to pray the Rosary because it helps bring the peace that can only be given by God, she says.
“How beautiful it is to pray for the conversion of others, those who don’t know God, and it brings us closer to God, to love Him more, and to our Mother,” Giro said.
The group prayed for love, charity, faith, and trust in the Virgin Mary. In the future, the prayer group hopes to continue to focus on children and young people.
“We hope that there are many more of us, but above all, that there are more young people, since they are the future and so that more families are united.”
Sacred Heart Parish, Palm Desert
Sacred Heart parish in Palm Desert hosted its annual Public Square Rosary Crusade on Oct. 10. For 15 years, Sacred Heart has continued this tradition of coming together to pray the Rosary publicly. Although they have had larger turnouts in previous years, possibly due to the forecasted rain, it was still wonderful to see parishioners come out and represent our Catholic faith.
“It was a beautiful gathering of faith and devotion,” said Kim Arellano, social media manager.
The faithful parishioners stood on the busy corner of Highway 111 and Fred Waring Drive. The community prayed together alongside Father Ian Hollick, parochial vicar, honoring Catholic traditions.
“It’s not every day that we see people publicly professing their faith in such a busy area,” Arellano said. “It was a meaningful reminder of our love for Our Blessed Mother, who ultimately leads us closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.”