Thursday, May 24, 2007

"Let There Be Peace On Earth" - The 2007 Rosary Bowl

by Hope Frances w/writing contribution from Paschel Sims

The brightest stars in Hollywood were shining over the Rose Bowl Stadium on Saturday.Over 50,000 Catholics filled with their faith, filled the stadium for the Rosary Bowl. Thetheme for the event was "A World at Prayer is a World at Peace." And, that peace wasdefinitely felt by all who attended the celebration.

The Rosary Bowl was sponsored by Holy Cross Ministries and its local member FamilyTheater productions, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The aweinspiringevening left all who attended wondering when the next one would take place.

It was an amazing celebration of the rosary, and honored the Blessed Virgin Mary sobeautifully. Participants entered the stadium to the sound of praise and worship music.A choir of 80 singers conducted by Saint Monica Parish Music Director Ed Archer filledthe air as one angelic voice. Special musical guests included Mario Reyes of the GypsyKings Family, Mario Alberto and Paul Harrigan.

CLICK HERE to view the complete story.

50,000 FILL THE ROSARY BOWL - The View from the Bleachers

"God's Holy People" fill the Bowl with "Rose"aries on the night when Catholics walk the Red Carpet
By Paul Dion, STL and Wally Arida



PASADENA, CA, May 19, 2007 (http://www.aprishworld.net/) - ParishWorld.net, a sponsor of the Rosary Bowl, brought its rosary beads along to join the fifty thousand plus Children of the Virgin Mary in rendering homage to the Empress of the Americas.

There we were, Grand parents, parents, children and infants, singles and couples, priest, nuns, bishops, movie moguls, television moguls, publishers, printers, Internet bloggers, singers, poets, carpenters, bakers, buthchers and candlestick makers, rosary in hand and hearts lifted up to God and to His Mother.

St. Peter and the Apostles who had to face the Medes, the Cretes, the Parthinians, Cappadocians, Asians and Egyptians, Libyans and Romans didn't have to addrress the Mongols, the Croats, the Slovaks, the Polish, the Danes, the Congolese, the Indonesians, the Chinese, the Polynesians, the Micronesians, the Guamanis and the Filipinos.

They didn't have to satisfy the Somalians, Ethipians, Sumatrans, Fijians, Finns, Koreans, Aleuts, Mayans, Incas, Belizians and Creoles. Oh, I forgot the French, the Germans, the Russians, the Italians, the Spanish and the Portuguese to say nothing of the other thirty mother tongues represented at the recitation of the roasry in Pasadena, California on the unforgettable night.

God even provided a wonderfully bright Islamic crescent moon for us all to admire in our lovng Christian hearts. It's amazing how many languages people carry with them in the land of the free and the home of the brave. It's amazing how many languages Mary has had to learn to make all her children happy. What a Mom!

The run-up to the rosary was a tad long, but everyone was there for the rosary, so we stayed. The weather got a little bit cool, but Mary was not going to be denied this night. The cool ocean breeze backed off and the air settle in at about the mid 60's. We pulled on our long sleeves and our shawls and basked in the warm glow of Mary's love.

A strong minority even stayed on their feet during the entire 90 minutes of prayer. Despite the overly long testimonies between decades, everyone in the stadium was quiet and reverent before the presence of the Eucharistic Lord facing us all.

Everyone was praying. Everyone was in the presence of God.

On this night, Catholics came out of their shell. On this night Catholics showed that they are coming out into the open, are becoming more mainstream and can almost fill a stadium - to pray the rosary. That the organizers did.

Until last night, this was a big question mark for the last 40 years. The last one was Dodger Stadium in the 1960s. When they planned this, they really thought they would have a problem getting several thousand people out, like they did 40 plus years ago.

Last night Catholics came out. Over fifty thousand of them. The holiest of God's holy people were out last night. There were many Hispanics. As the Supreme Knight of the Knights ofColumbus speaker said, "They are are not a hindrance to our prayer but are brothers in faith."

I realized that last night. I learned to admire them last night, seeing them with their children en masse and seeing in person their genuine devotion to our Lady.

The Blessed Mother was smiling last night for sure. Next time the organizers can do even better. People I ran across were already looking forward to next year.

Spiritually, I had my moments during the night. The adoration got to me. I've never tried it with 50,000 other people in the same place. Quite frankly, it's the first time since Grade School that I had a true appreciation for the Eucharistic adoration. I found myself in tears at times during the adoration experience. First time it happened to me.

Here's the quote of the night that got to me: "Catholicism is about attraction, it's not about promotion."

That message felt like God reminding me in blaring lights not to let the corporate side get in the way of the evangelization mission. Yes we should be technical because it's part of our job description here at P[arishWorld.net. But we should always remain faith-filled. And with that, He will take care of everything.

God blessed everyone at the Rose Bowl last night. You and me included.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Attention Singers and Choir Directors

Choir Directors: If your choir is interested in joining the Rosarybowl choir for this event please contact edarcher@stmonica.net

Singers: If you are interested in participating in the Rosary Bowl Choir please contact Ed Archer edarcher@stmonica.net

Friday, April 20, 2007

Rosary Bowl, Fr. Peyton’s ministry to be featured on KBVM Radio


Father John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, will be interviewed on The Rosary Bowl and life and ministry of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton in the studio of KBVM Catholic Radio (88.3 FM), Portland, Oregon, 8-9 a.m. (PDT)/11 a.m.-Noon (EDT), on Friday, April 20 during the station’s Spring Sharathon.

Father Phalen and/or Father Willy Raymond, CSC, National Director, Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, Calif., will discuss The Rosary Bowl and Father Peyton on “Catholic Life with Dina Marie” on KBVM at 6 p.m. (PDT), Fridays April 27 and May 4, and 7:30 p.m. (PDT), Sundays, April 22, 29 and May 6.

All of these broadcasts can be heard live online at http://www.barnabasroad.com/kbvm_launch.htm.

The Rosary Bowl, with the theme “A World at Prayer Is a World at Peace®”, will be held 6-9 p.m. May 19 in the Rose Bowl stadium, Pasadena, CA. It sponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries and its local member Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. To order free tickets and/or get more information, connect to http://www.rosarybowl.org/.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Share your prayer intentions with other Catholics


At the Rosary Bowl on May 19, tens of thousands of people will come together to pray the rosary as one body. While it is one of the largest rosary events ever put together, let's not wait until May 19 to make the rosary a part of our everyday spiritual life.

We encourage you to pray the rosary with your families everyday in your very own homes. Let us pray for peace, let us pray for the conversion of sinners, let us pray for our own personal intentions.

We ask you to read the personal intentions already posted below. Please include them in your prayers as you recite the rosary every day. We also ask that you share your own personal prayer intentions below and allow the faithful all over the world to join you in prayer.

Let us make this a perpetual rosary crusade and allow the Holy Spirit to do God's work as we join our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary in prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ.


Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Rosary Bowl tickets can be ordered online; Spanish website launched


HOLLYWOOD – Free tickets for the multi-cultural “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace®: The Rosary Bowl,” 6-9 p.m., May 19, in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif., can now be ordered online at http://www.rosarybowl.org/. The website, offering essential information on the event, is now available in Spanish. (Click on “EspaƱol” at top of the site.)

Tickets and other information also can be requested via e-mail, info@rosarybowl.org, or by calling 1-800-874-0999, Ext. 22.

The Rosary Bowl will combine music and inspirational talks from 6 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a colorful banner procession of parishes and Catholic organizations and a Eucharistic procession, with Cardinal Roger Mahony carrying the Blessed Sacrament, and the auxiliary bishops and many priests of the archdiocese. After Adoration, the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary will be prayed in 55 languages representing the varied ethnicities that comprise the church of Southern California. Then, Cardinal Mahony will deliver a homily, followed by Benediction.

The Rosary Bowl is being sponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries, Easton, Mass., and its local member and media arm, Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Holy Cross Family Ministries and The Rosary Bowl further the tradition and mission of the “Rosary priest” and sainthood candidate Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, who conducted 40 massive Rosary rallies throughout the world that drew 28 million people, including 500,000 in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, in 1961.

The Rosary Bowl is expected to be the largest communal prayer of the Rosary in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 50 years. Many parishes and Catholic groups throughout Southern California are planning to attend via chartered buses, which is what the organizing Core Committee is encouraging.

The Rose Bowl Stadium parking fees are $15 per car and $40 per bus, though discounted $35 bus passes are available by writing info@rosarybowl.org or calling 1-800-874-0999, Ext. 22. A list of chartered bus companies and hotels as well as Frequently Ask Questions and answers are on The Rosary Bowl website. The site also features a video invitation to The Rosary Bowl by Bishop Oscar Solis, archdiocesan Vicar for Ethnic Ministries and archdiocesan director of the event.

The Rosary Bowl - 'A World At Prayer Is A World At Peace'


By Hope Frances

Picture this - 90,000 adoring fans gathered at the Rose Bowl Stadium plus countless thousands watching from home on their television set. Sounds like a description of the famous football game played there every January. However, instead of team spirit, they're filled with the Holy Spirit. They're celebrating their Catholic faith and devotion to the Blessed Mary at the Rosary Bowl.

On May 19, 2007 from 6 - 9 pm Holy Cross Family Ministries and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will host the Rosary Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. According to Fr. Willy Raymond, Co-Director of the Rosary Bowl, the choice of the Rose Bowl as site for the event was a "no-brainer."

"The Rose Bowl was always the favorite because of its name - Rose." The rose has been the symbol for the Virgin Mother for many centuries.

History of the Event

The concept of the rosary rally dates back to 1947 when Fr. Patrick Peyton started spreading devotion to Mary through publicly reciting the rosary as he traveled across the world. The crowds drawn to the rallies rapidly grew in number, with some rallies topping a million people.

"He saw these as an opportunity for the local churches to gather together and give praise to God and celebrate the important role that Mary plays as the mother of God and the mother of the church," said Fr. Willy. And thus was the inspiration for the rosary rally at the Rose Bowl.

"We were looking for a way to revive the practice that Fr. Peyton had of these large celebrations of the Catholic faith."

Banner procession at The Rose Bowl, May 19

A World at Prayer is a World at Peace® The Rosary Bowl, 6-9 p.m., Saturday, May 19, 2007 at the Rose Bowl, is expected to draw 65,000 to pray the Rosary. Parishes, parish groups, Marian organizations and Rosary groups who want to participate in the banner procession, should contact info@rosarybowl.org or call 1-800-874-0999, Ext. 22 by April 15.