On Saturday 1 June next, the annual All Ireland Rosary Rally is scheduled to take place at the International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine in Knock, Co Mayo, which is located in the Archdiocese of Tuam. It is an occasion for people across the island of Ireland to celebrate with families and friends our belief in the power of prayer.
Welcoming this year’s Rosary Rally Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said, “I am delighted to be part of the All Ireland Rosary Rally. Our filial devotion to Mary always brings peace and joy. As we gather together in Knock where she appeared, we bring the intentions of the whole country for a greater sense of the need for the grace to follow God’s plan for us; a profound respect for human life from conception to natural death; a greater respect for marriage; a greater reaching out to the poor and marginalised, and a greater sense of our need for personal responsibility in living the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Cullinan is Bishop of Waterford & Lismore and chair of the Council for Vocations of the Bishops’ Conference.
A priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Patrick Peyton CSC (1909 – 1992), who became universally known as the Rosary Priest, was a native of Attymass, Co Mayo, in the Diocese of Achonry, and he inspired this annual pray gathering. His call was for families to be bound together in love through family prayer with the now famous phrase: ‘The Family that Prays Together Stays Together’. Father Peyton also preached that, ‘The power of prayer can connect us and bring peace in our troubled times: A world at Prayer is a world at peace’.
To help achieve the vision of the Rosary Priest, the Father Patrick Peyton Memorial Centre was established at Attymass in 1998. Since then, his ministry continues to foster and promote prayer and spiritual renewal for families. The Centre is a place that continues to welcome pilgrims, tour groups, families, and youth. Regular renewal programmes, family Masses, youth retreats, and Communion and Confirmation retreats are also held at the Centre throughout the year.
The Rosary Rally is a very special occasion for families to come together to pray and to be inspired. All are encouraged to spread the word amongst the faithful to join this prayer-filled occasion at Knock Shrine. The day will start at 1.00pm with an address by Mother Adela Galindo (Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary), and the main celebrant for the Mass will be Bishop Cullinan.
For further information see these links: Father Peyton Centre Ireland All Ireland Rosary Rally