Rosary Pilgrimage and May Crowning 2021
The May Rosary Pilgrimage was a joyful occasion as we marked the 100th anniversary of the Rosary Pilgrimages. Deacon Walter Wiggins of the Lay Fraternity of St. Dominic led the recitation of the rosary, after which Sr. Mary Magdalene’s niece crowned Our Lady while her nephew served as “crown bearer.”
Fr. Justin Bolger OP preached the sermon. He spoke on the theme of the rosary as a weapon God has given us to fight the battles of our times. Popes, saints, and private revelations of Our Lady have all emphasized the great spiritual value of the rosary. In fact, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted after the naval victory of Lepanto, which was credited to the rosary. In our own times, the battle we fight is one against the human person. We see this in the devaluation of life in abortion and assisted suicide, the degradation of the person through the scourge of pornography, the destruction of the family, and the modern gender ideologies. If this is the battle of our times, the weapon with which we fight is the rosary. Devout recitation of the rosary, meditation on the mysteries of Christ, has immense power. The final ingredient in this battle is the virtue of fortitude, which gives us courage to persevere in prayer, to persevere in giving witness to our faith and to the truth.
The Dominican Lay Fraternity live-streamed the event and shared the recording with us. We were able to cut out Fr. Justin’s sermon to share with you:
After the pilgrimage concluded with Benediction, we headed to the parlor where we greeted some of the pilgrims and chatted with Fr. Justin. We had a great time learning about his ministry at Providence College as well as hearing more about the Hillbilly Thomists. Fr. Justin worked in the music industry before he entered the order, so he brought a great deal of knowledge and expertise with him which has been put to great use in this new apostolate.
All in all, it was a joyful and blessed day. We were all inspired to a greater love and devotion for the rosary as the weapon for our times, and we look forward to beginning a new century of pilgrimages in October!
