Rosary Prayer and the Procession of the Statue of Mary
FLORES, Indonesia - The Novitiate Community and other Montfortian communities in the Flores region organized an event called Safari Rosario. It is the procession of the statue of Mary with a creative Rosary prayer. The event was held on October 18, 2019 in collaboration with the Montfort Lay Associates, Montfort Youths, Friends of Wisdom, other congregations such as DW, SCSC and FMVI, together with the St. Vitalis Parish and the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of the Diocese of Ruteng.
It has been a yearly tradition in the month of October and this occasion was done intentionally as a way to share the Montfortian spirituality and promote the rosary prayer to the faithful. The theme chosen for this year is Mother Mary the Queen of Missionaries. This is particularly in line with the declaration of Pope Francis for this month of October 2019 as the Extraordinary Month of Mission. Through this procession and prayer, everyone was invited to renew his missionary commitment under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of missionaries.
The procession started from the church of St. Vitalis Cewonikit and ended at the Cathedral of Ruteng, passing through the Motangrua square and the main road of this little town. The participation of the faithful from various parishes, religious communities and spiritual organizations was astonishing. Thousands of people joined the procession solemnly while reciting the rosary prayer that has been animated creatively. Marian hymns were also sung with much devotion to the Blessed Mother.
Afterwards, the procession was followed by a Eucharistic celebration presided by Mgr. Silvester San who is the Apostolic Administrator of Ruteng Diocese. He said, “This Safary Rosary is very important in nurturing the people’s faith and their devotion to the Virgin Mary. I give thanks to the Montfort Fathers who initiated this beautiful procession of the Blessed Mary. I hope this tradition will be kept and held every year.”
After the Holy Mass, Fr. Kristian, SMM who is the coordinator of this event invited all the participants including the Bishop to renew their Consecration to Jesus through Mary. After which, a prayer offering was done by burning the pieces of paper wherein the personal intentions of each participant were written. Finally, every participant had the chance to present his candle in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother that was placed at the grotto beside the Cathedral.
Fr. Herman Yoseph Nuwa Nupa, SMM
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