Knock Shrine To Join Pope Francis For World Rosary

Knock Shrine will join with Pope Francis as he leads the world’s major Shrines in praying the rosary to implore Mary’s intercession and protection amid the coronavirus pandemic. The largest sanctuaries on the five continents will be connected online.

The pope will pray at the replica of the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens on 30th May, the eve of Pentecost, and will also be joined by several “men and women representing various categories of people particularly affected by the virus,” the Vatican said. The service will take place at 4.30pm Irish time/5.30pm Rome time.

“Devoted and with one accord to prayer, together with Mary (cf. Acts 1:14)”. On this theme Pope Francis will lead the recitation of the Rosary on Saturday 30 May, joining the Marian Shrines of the world which, due to the health emergency, have had to interrupt their normal activities and pilgrimages.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization that promotes the initiative, has given dozens of rosaries to families and individuals who represent the areas most involved and most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. These include doctors and nurses, recovered patients and people who have suffered a loss, a hospital chaplain, a pharmacist and a journalist, a Civil Defence volunteer with his family and a family who welcomed their newest member into the world during this difficult time. They will all be present to express hope.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization writes that at the end of this Marian month, Pope Francis will place the sorrows of all humanity at the feet of our heavenly Mother, certain that she will not fail to help.

The largest sanctuaries of the five continents will be connected online.

“At the feet of Mary, the Holy Father will place the many troubles and sorrows of humanity, further worsened by the spread of Covid-19,” said a statement released by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation.

According to the statement, the prayer, which coincides with the end of the Marian month of May, “is another sign of closeness and consolation for those who, in different ways, have been struck by the coronavirus, in the certainty that the Heavenly Mother will not disregard the requests for protection.”

Among those who will accompany the pope in praying the rosary will be a doctor and a nurse, a recovered patient as well as a person who lost a family member to Covid-19.

Also taking part in the rosary will be a hospital chaplain, a pharmacist, a journalist, a Civil Defence volunteer and his family and a family that welcomed a new baby, “a sign of hope and the victory of life over death,” the pontifical council said.

Fr. Richard Gibbons, Rector at Knock Shrine will pray the rosary in  from the Apparition Chapel, where His Holiness spent time in quiet prayer during his visit to Knock in 2018.   The Rosary will be streamed live from Knock on Saturday, May 30th at 4.30pm on www.knockshrine.ie.

The prayer will be streamed live to the world from the Vatican gardens on the Vatican News Youtube channel here.