Public Rosary Rally for Christmas in NYC

Fr. Miara led us in prayer amid the din and tumult of Herald Square
Photos courtesy of Andrew Giordano

Saturday, December 14th — With secular Christmas in full swing, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) joined Fr. James Miara and twenty other parishioners of the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 West 37th St.) for a Public Rosary Rally outside of Macy’s department store in Midtown Manhattan. A friendly reminder of what the Season is really all about, we processed the statue of Our Lady of Fatima through a throng of shoppers (and inebriated youths dressed like Santa Claus) and prayed fifteen decades of the Holy Rosary.

While most people just ignored us and went on their merry way, more than a few passersby took a break from the hustle and bustle and joined us in prayer.

Praying for almost an hour, we headed back to church and celebrated Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Returning the statue of Our Lady to her shrine, the congregation prayed an additional Rosary as well as the intercessory prayers to Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima. Because it was the feast of Sant’Agnello di Napoli, we Sanfedisti also offered prayers to the glorious miracle worker and co-patron of Naples. Afterward, there was confession and the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Evviva Sant’Agnello!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, Feast of Sant’Agnello di Napoli

Heading back to Holy Innocents, we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet