Archbishop Eamon Martin, coadjutor archbishop of Armagh, has encouraged the faithful in Ireland to pray the Rosary on October 5th for the intention of the family.
“Rosary Sunday is an invitation to people in parishes, in homes, and in religious congregations to pray the Rosary for the intention of the ‘Family’,” the archbishop said Aug. 21. “The once-common tradition of the family Rosary links very well with the theme of the Synod on the Family in Rome which takes place from 5 – 19 October.”
The bishops announced the Rosary Sunday initiative following their June 2014 General Meeting in Maynooth to encourage the practice of this special and much loved family prayer. This year marks the 135th anniversary of the Apparition at Knock.
Rosary Sunday will be celebrated in parishes across Ireland on Oct. 5, the day on which the Church celebrates our ‘Day for Life 2014’.
It is the Sunday closest to the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and it coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Rosary Rally of Father Peyton and the Marian Year of 1954.
Irish-born Father Patrick Peyton led the first ‘Rosary Crusade’ in Canada in 1948 which spread to different parts of the world. He started his Rosary Crusade in thanksgiving to Our Lady for his recovery from a serious illness, and brought the crusade to Ireland during the Marian Year of 1954.
“I encourage all parishes and faith communities to join on this special occasion to pray for the intention of the Family,” Archbishop Martin said. “In praying the Rosary we meditate on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the life of the Holy Family. In a particular way on Sunday 5 October we pray that the Gospel of the Family will be proclaimed faithfully and joyfully by all who turn in prayer to the Mother of God.”
Archbishop Martin concluded, “Pope Francis has recommended the Rosary as a form of ‘spiritual medicine’, saying ‘it’s good for your soul, for your whole life.’”
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Resources are available to all parishes including a two-page leaflet How to Pray the Rosary. Rosary Sunday resources are available on www.catholicbishops.ie
Follow the initiative on Twitter using the hashtags #praytherosary and #rosarysunday
