Public prayer outside CA cathedrals planned this Saturday to commemorate end of Year for Priests

“Bring your rosary and a contrite heart”

Catholics in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Sacramento and elsewhere in California will gather outside diocesan cathedrals on Saturday, June 19, to mark the end of the Year for Priests by publicly praying the rosary. 

The simultaneous events – scheduled for 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – are the brainchild of a San Francisco group called Rosary for Priests. “Let us encourage, thank, join in solidarity with, show our filial obedience to, and share our love with our beloved priests!” says the group’s website. 

“What is the best thing we can do for a person, including ourselves?” wrote Cyrus Johnson, a member of St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo and one of the event’s organizers, in the June 9 edition of Catholic San Francisco. “Prayer. Praying for someone is the best thing we can do for them. So why not pray for your priest? And why not go the extra step of standing publicly in prayer together for our priests?” 

“Setting up a Rosary for Priests prayer service in your diocese takes three steps,” says the “How To” section of the Rosary for Priests website. “(1) Notify your diocese of your intent to pray for priests June 19 on the steps of the cathedral; (2) Produce flyers and emails with the location of your cathedral; (3) Invite friends, family, fellow parishioners, people who you know are devoted to the rosary and priests.” 

“We pray on the steps of our cathedrals, and not inside, to symbolize how much we need our priests for participation in the church – we can do very little without them,” notes the website. “Please follow any instructions given to you by your diocese. We do this to honor them.” 

“This is NOT a political or advocacy event,” says Rosary for Priests. “Therefore no signs. This is a humble prayer service by the laity for our priests. Bring your rosary and a contrite heart.” 

For more information, Click Here.

Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous