Wednesday, April 18, 2007

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."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great article, Ms, Frances. I'm looking forward to the event in May. I will be there with my family.