mkf. On October 18th at 9:00 a.m. wherever they are, one million children will pray the rosary for peace. This very simple initiative, this fifth edition, which began in 2005 at a wayside shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, in Caracas, Venezuela will unite children from many countries in one petition: peace in families and in the world.
“Let the children come to Me”
There were many months of work and sacrifice: Many priests, bishops, and laity throughout the world were enthused, and they began to spread the idea using the media by sending digital material to friends in other cities and countries. It is so simple and is easy to spread and to convoke: it is simply about praying a rosary on the indicated date and time in schools, squares, chapels, pediatric hospitals, parishes, orphanages, youth homes, pre-schools, etc. The initiative is aimed at instilling the idea in children’s hearts of praying for the inner peace of each human being, as well as praying for peace and unity for the family, their country, and the entire world. Because the children are the future of the world, and because Jesus said: “Let the children come to Me.”
Year after year, the campaign has extended to more of the world’s nations, although few people know that with every envelope containing the material about the campaign that reaches the most remote areas or the nearest places, there are many months of arduous work and great commitment that goes into this initiative.
This year, Teresa Rohrbeck, who lives in Schoenstatt at the Family House, worked untiringly preparing letters, envelopes, and all the material that was sent out worldwide. Each country that receives the material obtains it in their native language. Furthermore, the picture of the Blessed Mother in the illustration is different for each country: Our Lady of Aparecida for Brazil, Our Lady of Fatima for Portugal, Our Lady of Lujan for Argentina, Our Lady of Guadalupe for Mexico, the Blessed Mother of Carmen for Chile…the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt for the Polish families who live in Germany, and so forth.
“Help the Church which suffers,” generously collaborates with the printing and financing the posters and brochures for each country, and it takes charge of the translations in addition to the mailings.
Teresa and Cassio Leal have traveled several times to the International Center of “Help the Church which suffers”, in Konigsstein, to deliver boxes full of envelopes.
Everything depends on the enthusiasm of the instruments
Grace Alais de Baldizzone, from Buenos Aires, who initiated a rosary workshop for children, is one of the many instruments that moved heaven and earth to spread the initiative of One million children. Once again there is an announcement on the home page of AICA, the Catholic Information Agency in Argentina.
After finding the webpage, a religious from Buenos Aires writes: “I just found this precious page. It seems like an enormous divine inspiration for uniting to pray the rosary with the children, the preferred ones of Jesus, asking for unity and peace in the world. Thank you for allowing us to participate in this initiative. May Jesus and Mary bless you and may you always find more souls who will consecrate themselves to the service of the Kingdom.
I am writing from the Republic of Argentina, city of Buenos Aires. I am the principal of a school at the capital and the same time, a religious of the Congregation of Daughters of the Immaculate Conception from Buenos Aires. We will try to apply the proposal to pray the rosary at the school, the parish, and within the family. We think it is a wonderful campaign. Jesus said that if we had the faith the size of a mustard seed we could move mountains, but our faith is weak and that is the reason we do not see miracles. I pray for each of those who are in charge of this project.”
The strength of so many children’s hearts will move other hearts to work with commitment for peace
Lizzie Loetz, of the Bolivian Mothers’ Branch writes: “How can we not fix our gaze on this strength, the innocent plea of the little voices of the One Million Children praying the rosary?
Hopefully our ears in the world would be ‘ears of a mother’ who knows how to listen to the plea of a child…The world wants peace and unity and One Million Children throughout the planet begs to be heard, the Holy Rosary, the favorite prayer of the our Mother Mary, the Queen of Peace and of Unity, unites them. Each year the campaign in Bolivia gains more strength and undoubtedly the strength of so many little hearts will move other hearts to work with commitment for peace and unity in our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our countries, our world.”
“Jesus will be very happy to see one million children throughout the breadth of the world around his Mother, praying to their Heavenly Father with much trust for the unity and peace that the world so much desires and which is so difficult for us to maintain,” reads a letter that arrived from Venezuela.
Rosa Maria Alemandi, a missionary for the Rosary Campaign from Rafaela, Argentina, has worked for One Million Children for several years says: “In June of 2006, we began to promote the campaign of One Million Children praying the Rosary for unity and for peace” in our Diocese of Rafaela. Through the generosity of the Bishop, Monsignor Carlos Maria Franzini and the beneficence of the pastors, the campaign advanced at the hand of Mary, and it was established throughout our diocese. The parishes and schools eagerly await the illustration with the meditated mystery of the Holy Rosary that corresponds to each year in order to begin to work and to meditate on this valuable material. In many places however, the children aren’t the only ones who participate, but the parents and grandparents are also invited to participate by the catechists and the teachers, in this way, the family prays in unity. Undoubtedly, our Mother is eagerly awaiting the children’s prayers and for this reason She offers us all her loving support. Each October 18th is a day to rejoice for Mary and our many blessings, and for the little ones all over the world. Let us continue to work with faith and enthusiasm for this beautiful task! It is worth our effort. The children’s prayers will save the world of the sins it harbors.”
Not only South America has joined the “One Million Children…it is also prayed in Nigeria and Burundi, in Russia, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany….and the USA!
It will also take place in Schoenstatt as it has for four years, although this time it will not be in the Original Shrine, rather it will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Shrine nearest to it, which is the one at House Marienau – the children of the Polish Catholic Mission will be in charge. In the morning, the children along with their families will participate in the Mass – that is the reason the rosary will be prayed in the afternoon – joining the children from Uruguay, Paraguay and some provinces of Argentina where it will be 9:00 a.m.!
So Mother will smile…
“May the children sing, may they raise their voices, may they make the world listen, may they unite their voices and reach the sun, the truth is in them. May the children who live in peace sing and may those who are suffering pain sing for those who do not sing because their voices have been extinguished…”
This song by José Luis Perales comes to the mind of many of those who work untiringly so that on October 18th one million children will pray the rosary at 9:00 a.m. “May the children sing, may they raise their voices, may they make the world listen…I sing so that mother will smile”, José Luis Perales’ song continues. I pray so that mother will smile.. surely, the Mother of all the children of God will smile all day on October 18th.
- Material, contact, testimonies: www.million-kids-praying.net
- or via email: miokids@gmail.com
