Utah Catholics asked to join worldwide rosary for priests

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SALT LAKE CITY — Bishop Oscar A. Solis will lead the faithful during local participation in the Annual Global Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests on June 27, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This global rosary was first celebrated in 2003. Each country prays a particular mystery of the rosary at a specific allocated time; this year the Diocese of Salt Lake City will receive the relay of prayer from the Templo San Juan Bautista in Honduras at 5 p.m. Following the recitation of the rosary led by Bishop Solis, the relay will pass the prayer to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal at Saint Mary Friary in Newburgh, N.Y.

Joining this effort to pray for the sanctification of priests is important because “our priests are human beings living a challenging vocation,” said Lorena Needham, director of the diocesan Office of Worship. “We want them to succeed and be doing all in concert with God’s will.”

The prayers of the faithful in Utah “help [the priests] to fulfill their role as our pastors, guiding us through the perils of the many moral decisions we make every day and the specific mission that the Lord has given each of us,” Needham said.

Priests have three main tasks: to teach the people of God with the spiritual wisdom of Christ, to govern them in their parishes, and to sanctify them with leadership of prayers and administration of the sacraments, Needham said, and “our prayers open us to their guidance and to receive the holiness we need to live the challenges of the Gospel.”

When people join this global prayer effort, “our unity in prayer for all priests around the world has the effect of strengthening the Church and all its members, as well as all the people of the world,” she added.

At each Mass the faithful pray for the Church and its leaders to be strong, for the people on the margins of society, and for the needs of all; for the leaders of the world to bring peace and to care for the common good; for human solidarity so that all people may have what they need to live well, and “all these prayers are made with the leadership, teaching and life example of our priests,” Needham said. “So, we pray for them and with them; united, not just as a nation, but as the people of God: the Church militant, triumphant and penitent.”

Praying the rosary specifically for the sanctification of priests is natural because “priests all have a special relationship with our Blessed Mother,” Needham said. “Her Immaculate Heart offers a spiritual resting place for our priests to gain perspective on the many challenges and problems we present to them. Mary was the one responsible for the moral and spiritual upbringing of Jesus. She formed our eternal High Priest throughout his entire life. Who better to form our priests today?”

All the faithful in the diocese are invited to join Bishop Solis in the June 27 Global Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests, either at the cathedral or from their own location.

WHAT: Global Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests 

WHEN: Friday, June 27, 5 p.m.

WHERE: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, SLC

All are invited. Those who cannot attend the event at the cathedral are asked to join the prayer from their own location. The event will be livestreamed on the Cathedral of the Madeleine website, www.utcotm.org.