As we turn to the Sacred Heart, we are invited to offer the Rosary for the Holy Father.On the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, people around the world pray for the sanctification of priests, as this feast is also a World Day of prayer for that intention.
Many unite in this prayer through the annual Global Rosary Relay, now in its 11th year.
Pope Francis himself has imparted his Apostolic Blessing to all those taking part in this year’s Rosary event.
The Global Rosary Relay is the initiative of the Worldpriest Global Apostolate which was founded by Marian Mulhall, a professional in the world of advertising, with the goal of offering prayerful support for priests worldwide.
Simple inspiration
By Mulhall’s own admission, the Apostolate came about from a very simple inspiration that she was awoken with one morning 11 years ago. It was “20 countries, 20 ministries.” She recalls that after a period of reflection, she and her colleagues decided to organize the first annual Global Rosary Relay.
Over the last decade, the number of participants has greatly increased, and as Mulhall points out, “We’re in every single country in the world; there’s no one left out.”
In 2019, there were over 285 single prayer locations participating in the Global Rosary Relay. To date this number has risen to well over 300 prayer locations from every corner of the globe.
Prayers for Pope Francis
This year’s Relay is being offered for Pope Francis. Mulhall explains that they always have had a time-slot for Pope Francis, so this year it was decided to hold a virtual Rosary on Zoom which will be offered especially for him. It seems fitting, she says, because “Pope Francis is always asking people to pray for him, so this is just an opportunity for people just to pray for Pope Francis.”
This year, due the pandemic, people are being invited to stream the Global Rosary Relay from their prayer location.
Mulhall emphasizes that “this is one huge opportunity for the whole world to be one family united as one.”
