World News
'Pray the rosary, give that faith away,' priest urges crowd at rally
Published: October 17, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- The lilting sounds of "Ave Maria" competed against the sounds of traffic as hundreds of Catholics singing and praying the rosary in Spanish walked from St. Mary's Cathedral, past San Francisco's City Hall to the 2012 Rosary Rally. "Pray the rosary. Not just for yourself. We need to give that faith away," said speaker Father Mark Mary, a Franciscan Missionary of the Eternal Word and host of "Life on the Rock" on the Eternal Word Television Network. "We don't live alone; we don't believe alone," the priest said. "We need the faith of others." The Oct. 13 rosary rally at United Nations Plaza, in sight of City Hall, drew about 1,700 people, many coming from a special 9:30 a.m. Spanish Mass at the cathedral. Last year's rally drew a similar number, and commemorated the 50th anniversary of Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton's famous 1961 rosary rally in Golden Gate Park. The priest, who coined the phrase "A family that prays together stays together," promoted the daily recitation of the rosary as a way to build family unity. This year's rally was timed to coincide with the Oct. 11 beginning of the Year of Faith. "I was here last year, I was so blessed," said Ben Rosado, one of the leaders of St. Benedict Young Adults Group at St. Thomas More Parish. "The Lord is here with us and I just wanted to be part of it again. I love to be among my Catholic brothers and sisters. It's like holy ground when we're all here together," he told Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan newspaper.
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