2008 Rosary Rallies on Target

Please join 2008 Rosary Rallies by calling 866-584-6012. Or write to reritchie@juno.com.

While October 11 is still months away, the task of organizing and coordinating thousands of Public Square Rosary rallies nationwide must be done well in advance.

Over 100 volunteers are scheduled to work at America Needs Fatima's central coordination office in Rossville, KS, starting on June 15. They are the "backbone" of the campaign. Some are coming from as far away as Saipan. "There will always be at least 10 volunteers on the floor taking and making phone calls to rally captains," said Chris Pierce volunteer coordinator.

These 100+ volunteers will help guide the regional and local organizers to reach our goal of holding 3,000+ Public Square Rosary rallies across the country on October 11, the Saturday closest to October 13, the day of the Fatima miracle of the sun. "I think we'll get well more than 3,000 rallies this year, "said Francis Slobodnik, ANF national rally coordinator. "People are seeing the moral crisis grow, and want to spread the Fatima message of prayer, penance and amendment of life."

Indeed, in these days of rampant immorality, homosexuality, failed human policies, natural disasters and militant secularism, the idea of proclaiming the Catholic faith in the public square is very attractive.

What better way to honor the Blessed Mother than to be out in the public praying the rosary?

This is exactly what happened at Fatima. The whole nation watched as people were not in the churches but publicly filled the highways and byways to reach the huge field where Our Lady appeared before 100,000 faithful.


In a similar way, it is hoped that on October 11, millions of Americans will see Catholics in visibly
public areas all over the nation with large banners calling upon passersby to “pray with us for America.”


Practical Matters: Nuts and Bolts

Beyond the reasons for holding the rallies, there are practical problems involved in such a mammoth task. Francis Slobodnik, head of the campaign central office in Kansas, said, "every day, the volunteers and staff will recruit rally captains, answer questions and send out supplies."

America Needs Fatima is preparing a special web page with the resources available online for all those involved in the organizing rallies.

Site specialist Joseph Ritchie said, "our how-to manual has all the easy steps to follow. People can find downloadable banners and a map is available to find the nearest rally." The idea of the web resource center for the campaign is to make it possible for anyone, anywhere to get involved.

As the date of the rallies gets closer, the efforts to recruit rally captains and helpers will intensify. Plans call for sending out tens of thousands of letters and email blasts to potential rally participants.

Last year's rally advertisements appeared with the question: “Where will you be on October 13th?”

“But this year, our message focuses on failed human efforts to solve America's steep moral and economic troubles," said campaign director Robert E. Ritchie. “People see that without God and Our Lady there is no human solution."

"The encouraging thing," Mr. Ritchie commented, "is the response and enthusiasm we have received for the 2008 rallies is far greater than we saw in 2007. People are suffering more and prayer is the answer."

Anyone Can Be Rally Captain

Many have the idea that the role of rally captain is too daunting a task. Regional directors will be coordinating rallies and resolving difficulties.


While it definitely involves some responsibility, the Rosary Campaign Central Office has made the process much easier.


With devotion and determination, anyone can be a rosary rally captain. All that is needed is a public place, some friends, some signs and a rosary. Rallies need not have huge crowds; all it takes is a few ardent souls holding a banner to impact the public and more importantly Heaven.

People of all ages and walks of life are signing up. Several captains are holding not one, but several public rosaries in their communities. Last year, one man who is wheel chair bound asked to be a rally captain. And one mother said that “with this public rosary, I will bind my children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”.


Much Already Done

While the main rallies are planned for October 11, some captains are holding public rosary rallies as a preparation for the final rally.


For example, in Cleveland Ohio, there's been a rosary rally every month since the 2007 rallies. And our Student Action group is holding rallies on the nation’s universities.

The Public Square Rosary Rallies are a huge grassroots effort. It hopes to bring together as many Catholics as possible to respond to the question: As human efforts fail to solve America's problems, should we not turn to God and the Blessed Mother to save us through the Rosary?

Let's see how many people answer YES on October 11!

Please join 2008 Rosary Rallies by calling 866-584-6012. Or write to reritchie@juno.com.