Icon brings Catholics together to pray the rosary

Intermountain Catholic

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Msgr. Rudolph Daz, pastor of St. Olaf Parish, Bountiful, leads a Marian Prayer Service before the Blessed Sacrament and the icon of Our Lady of Charity Oct. 17. Members of Knights of Columbus Council 5502 and members of St. Olaf Parish say the prayers in the booklet that accompany the icon and five decades of the rosary. IC photos by Christine Young

BOUNTIFUL — A traveling icon of Our Lady of Charity is bringing Catholics all over the world together to pray.

The Knights of Columbus has sponsored a Marian Hour of Prayer program since 1979. As part of this program the Knights of Columbus distribute pilgrim icons depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary under her various images. An icon travels on a year-long journey from council to council in each of the Order’s jurisdictions throughout the world. These Marian icons serve as the focal point for prayer services held in council homes, churches, or other locations.

Ray Folks, Utah Knight of Columbus Marian Hour Chairman and State Warden, said the last time an icon traveled through Utah hosted by the Knights of Columbus was in 2004. That icon was of Our Lady of the Rosary.

This year the icon is Our Lady of Charity, which began traveling throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City Sept. 10, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Logan. The icon was at St. Olaf Parish, Bountiful Oct. 15-21 and will be in Utah for 32 weeks at various parishes from Logan to St. George for prayer services until April 27, 2008, when its final destination will be St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City.

The Marian Hour of Prayer Service begins with an opening prayer, and the Liturgy of the Word, a responsorial psalm, the Gospel, and a homily, if a priest or deacon is presiding. The homily is followed by a period of silent reflection before intercessory prayers are offered. Five decades of the rosary are prayed as is the Litany of Our Lady of Charity.

The Marian Hour of Prayer Program gives the Knights of Columbus and parishioners alike, the opportunity to pray in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI, whose first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," was dedicated to the theme of charity. During each prayer service, the faithful remember in a special way the pope and his worldwide ministry as the Vicar of Christ and shepherd of the Universal Church. At the conclusion of the year-long prayer program, a spiritual bouquet will be presented to the pope, including a report on the total number of prayer services held and the approximate number of participants.

Folks said a log book accompanies the icons that travel throughout the world and a record is kept of all the prayer services held.

Devotion to Our Lady of Charity dates to the early 1600s when a statue of the Blessed Mother holding the Christ Child was found in Cuban water by three young men. As the story has been passed down, the three young men who found the statue were rowing in search of salt to preserve meat for the copper miners of El Cobre. Halfway across the bay, the young men sought shelter from a storm and encamped for the night. In the morning, they saw a white bundle floating toward them. It was a statue attached to a board that was inscribed with the words, "I am the Virgin of Charity." A shrine was erected in her honor and devotion to Our Lady of Charity spread throughout Cuba.

Our Lady of Charity also had a special place in the ministry of Pope John Paul II when he preached the Gospel during his historic pastoral trip to Cuba in January 1998. In a solemn ceremony attended by thousands of Cuban Catholics, the pope crowned the statue of Our Lady of Charity, which was carried in procession through the streets.

The Marian Prayer Program with the image of Our Lady of Charity offers an opportunity to reflect on the virtue of charity.

Following Pope Benedict’s teaching, all of the Knights of Columbus’ charitable works for parishes, vocations, communities, schools, and individuals must flow from Christian love supported by regular prayer and attendance at Mass. They must also be informed by the self-giving love of Jesus and the maternal heart of Mary.

The Knights of Columbus hope the Marian Prayer Program will bring us all to a greater understanding of the virtue of charity and inspire us to carry Christ’s love to the world around us.