You never know who might see your rally

"Throughout the U.S., the Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property is organizing 'America Needs Fatima' rosary rallies in October. In my area, these are being advertised by the statewide Catholic paper as a 'solution' to the 'problems' of abortion and same-sex marriage.

"Wherever these occur, they’re overtly political, a battle cry to the faithful to return to the (Republican) fold and vote solely on those non-negotiable issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

"I just passed one of these rallies in my car. It wasn’t clear to me whether this was officially an America Needs Fatima rally or some spin off. One sign seemed to indicate that a local Catholic parish was sponsoring this rally. All along the sides of a busy road for a mile or so, people were standing with signs condemning abortion..."

from:
http://queeringthechurch.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/the-rosary-subsersive-queer/

British Soldier Saved by Rosary Like Great-Grandfather!

A soldier who stood on a landmine and was shot in the chest in Afghanistan is convinced a rosary saved his life in exactly the same way as his great-grandfather towards the end of the Second World War.
Glenn Hockton, 19, who is now home from a seven-month tour of duty with the Coldstream Guards in Helmand Province, was on patrol when his rosary suddenly fell from his neck.
His mother Sheri Jones said today: 'He felt like he had a slap on the back. He bent down to pick up his rosary to see if it was broken. As he bent down he realised he was on a landmine.'
Glenn had to stand there for 45 terrifying minutes while his colleagues successfully managed to get to him.
Mrs Jones, from Tye Green, Essex, said she was physically sick when her son rang to tell her of his ordeal.
His great-grandfather Joseph 'Sunny' Truman also credited a rosary with saving his life in a World War II blast that killed six members of his platoon.
He was with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and after being captured towards the end of the war, he and other prisoners were forced to march away from the advancing Allied armies.
Mrs Jones, 41, recalled: 'He was walking across a field with half a dozen of his platoon. He bent down to pick something up and was the only one to survive a sudden bomb blast. He had picked up a rosary.'
Before Glenn was deployed to Afghanistan, she said he asked for a rosary to take with him.
His mother and stepfather Danyal Jones have also kept a bullet which embedded itself in Glenn's body armour when he was shot on a separate occasion. He was winded, but otherwise he was unhurt.
Glenn, a mortar man, is in hospital at the moment with broken ribs he suffered in a non-work related mishap.
Glenn joined the Coldstream Guards at 16 and was deployed at the end of last October.
Mrs Jones said: 'As a parent, it was the hardest thing I had to do because being 16 I had to sign to give permission for him to join the Army. It was too painful to see him leave Brize Norton for Afghanistan.
At home his sister Danyel, six, and brothers George, eight, and TJ, 17, worried for their big brother. Mrs Jones said: 'It was horrible for them.
'I couldn't watch the news because the children used to say: "Is Glenn on there?" each time they said another soldier had been killed.'
Glenn's duties involved patrolling and loading the mortars. He was based in Helmand Province, which has seen some of the worst fighting, and Kabul.
'He lost a couple of close friends out there," his mother added. 'He is a very private person. We don't really push him [to talk about it]. If he wants to tell us, he tells us.
'He has turned around and said: "When you're out there, you either kill or you are killed".
Glenn is based in Aldershot and is now training ahead of his next deployment.
His mother said the Army had changed her son's life since he left Notley High School at 15.
She said: 'He is a better person. He went in a snotty-nosed 16-year-old that knew everything, a Jack the Lad. The change in him is unreal. It is a good change. I am very proud of him.
'We went up to London to Horse Guards Parade where they did their welcome home march. It was the proudest day of my life.'

Testimony of 2007 Rosary Rally

Fatima rally gathers 600 from Kahuku to Kalihi

By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald

A public rosary crusade by America Needs Fatima was a remarkable success in Hawaii thanks to an energetic organizer who would rather shun the limelight.

Valerie Elefante, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea, took it upon herself to organize a cadre of 26 rally captains in 15 parishes and communities across Oahu, who gathered people to pray 20 decades of the rosary at noon at outside locations on Oct. 13, the 90th anniversary of the final apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.

As the sun blazed above that day, more than 600 people showed up in groups of up to 50 each, in front of churches and houses and in parks from Nanakuli to Punahou, from Kahuku to Kalihi. A number of people who could not get out because of disability or illness, participated at home.

The gatherings lasted about two hours and, in addition to the rosary, included Marian prayers, hymns and the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The participants also held signs carrying portions of the Blessed Mother’s message.

In organizing and promoting the event, Elefante visited 29 parishes, wrote letters to the bishop and pastors. The bishop gave her encouragement. So did most priests, though some preferred that their parishes not be involved. She gained as the event’s spiritual advisor, Sister Rosario Tuvida, a Dominican Sister of the Most Holy Rosary from St. Elizabeth School in Aiea.

Elefante also printed up the prayer sheets, paid for advertising and ordered rosaries.

Other unrelated rosary events were organized on Oahu to mark the anniversary. Bishop Larry Silva led the Marian prayer at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace the evening before. Later in the afternoon on Oct. 13, a couple hundred people prayed the beads at Thomas Square in Honolulu.

Maui also had about 40 people, organized by Jacob Taguchi and Norm Franco, praying the rosary in front of the War Memorial Gym in Wailuku. The Maui Portuguese Cultural Club got together the next day, Oct. 14, to say the rosary at Iao Valley’s Portuguese Heritage Pavilion.

Mary’s message of Fatima is one urging penance, conversion and prayer — particularly the rosary.

America Needs Fatima organized the national event to have the rosary prayed at 1,000 public sites. The organization also planned to place a rose with the name of each rally captain at the Fatima site itself.

At a dinner meeting at Sizzler’s Pearlridge, the day after the rosary rally, enthusiastic rally captains renewed their commitment to the message of Fatima and their eagerness to continue the public event yearly, every October, the month of the rosary.

Posted on Friday, November 02, 2007 (Archive on Friday, November 30, 2007)

The First Rosary Rally Captain Wants You to Join Him

Written by Robert Ritchie

Around the turn of the eighteenth century in Rennes, France, a family named D’Orvilles presented a problem to Saint Louis de Montfort.

Mr. D’Orvilles complained to Saint Louis de Montfort that his house adjoined the city square where much sin and immorality took place. He said young people would come there at odd hours, sin and make so much noise that they would distract those in his household during the Rosary.

He asked the saint, “What could be done about this?”

“Make a niche in the façade of the wall that overlooks the square,” replied Saint Louis de Montfort. “Put a statue of Our Lady there, and pray the Rosary in front of her.”

“In the public square?” replied Mr. D’Orvilles.

“In the public square right in front of the image of Our Lady,” instructed the saint.

The day following the completion of the niche, Mr. D’Orvilles, his family and all the servants from his household, prayed the Rosary in the public square. His wife lead the mysteries while he stood guard with a whip to keep the aggressions of young hoodlums at bay.

While praying, many carriages went through the public square, and some friends even called out to him inviting him and his wife to party. At first he was tempted to hide his Rosary beads in his hand, but he conquered himself and held the Rosary high so that all could see that he was at prayer.

A strange thing happened. After saying the Rosary daily for some time, the public square Rosary became a curious attraction.

“People came in crowds to pray, as if some great church ceremony were taking place, and soon, the disorders in the square ceased.”*

Much of what happened in Rennes, France, is happening in America today.

The response to the Public Square Rosary Rally has been excellent. On October 16th, 5,000 Rosaries will be prayed in public because every city in the United States and in the world is in need of conversion.

Our Lady revealed at Fatima that God wishes to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the solution for the world’s sins and impurity.

I’m inviting you to give public testimony to our divine faith and become a Rally Captain for Our Lady and to pledge yourself to her and the “Divine solution.”

This story of the D’Orvilles family is one of many examples where the power of the Rosary helped to transform public opinion. You can do the same, and it’s easy. Just take your Rosary, the sign we will send you, and then stand in a public spot on October 16th with family and friends and pray. That’s it!

When you decide to become a Rally Captain, and I pray you do, simply go to www.AmericaNeedsFatima.com and sign up on our Rosary Rally page devoted solely to receiving your pledge to Our Lady.

On the Web site, you’ll find more details and how we’ll help you have a successful, easy and fulfilling Public Square Rosary Rally on October 16, 2010. As a Rally Captain we will take a red rose to Fatima on your behalf this October. This is a small way to show our appreciation to you for becoming a Rosary Rally Captain by helping spread devotion to Our Lady each year.

Our Lady asked for prayer, penance and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. The Rosary is the prayer. Standing in a public place is the penance and sacrifice. She’s waiting for your pledge to be a Rally Captain.

Together we can repeat history for the sake of America and help accelerate “The Triumph of My Immaculate Heart!” for the greater glory of Our Lady.

Thank you, and may God bless you!

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* Adapted from Eddie Doherty, Wisdom’s Fool (Bay Shore, N.Y., Montfort Publications, 1993), 214.

http://saintlouiscrusade.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-rosary-rally-captain-wants-you-to.html

Rosary Rally Central 2010

www.americaneedsfatima.org/rosary-rally-central.html