PARAGUAY, Hombres Valientes Rosary by Oscar Velázquez Ferreira, Alfredo Cabrera •
It was news in the different newspapers that have the widest readership in Paraguay: on the afternoon of Saturday, August 29, the Hombres Valientes [Brave Men] who pray the Rosary gathered approximately 30 km outside Asunción at the Laguna de Itá Park to pray for peace and for their families.
Praying in public?
The changes that occurred in the life of these men by praying the Rosary motivated them to gather to pray publically because “when we pray in public, the prayer of each one of us belongs to everyone and this makes it a great and communal prayer, so if one person is not praying well, and someone else in the gathering prays better, the lack is compensated. In this way, the strong help the weak, those who are fervent inspire the lukewarm, the rich enrich the poor, the bad counts as good…”
“Public prayer is much more powerful than private prayer because it appeases God’s anger and asks His mercy and moreover, the Mother of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has always asked for public prayer in time of public tragedies and suffering”.
“Moreover, when the Rosary is prayed together, evil is fought better than when one prays it individually because this public prayer is a weapon to combat the devil. Frequently, he can frustrate the prayer of one person, but if this prayer is united to that of other Christians, the devil has greater difficulty in taking advantage of this”.
It is easy to break a single stick, but if we unite with others forming a bundle, it is impossible: “there is strength in unity”.
The event
At 3:00 p.m., Fr. Hugo Araujo, a diocesan priest of St. Blas Parish, in Itá which hosted the event, kicked off the time of prayer with a reflection based on the reading of the Holy Gospel.
Enrique González, one of the Hombre Valientes from Encarnación, offered a touching testimony, stressing his transformation and family well-being since he incorporated the Holy Rosary into his life.
The Rosary, prayed with the usual fervor, was led by representatives from the different delegations that attended and they lifted up their prayers for peace, the unity of Paraguayan families, the sick and the helpless and many more needs with the motto “Mary transforms us”.
They closed with the Angelus praying for Holy Father Francis and received a blessing from the priest.
The delegations from Santa Rosa del Aguray, San Pedro (areas plagued by insecurity), San Juan Bautista Mauricio J. Troche Nueva Colombia, Altos, Caácupe and those from the Central region all participated, supported by the Rosary Campaign and the Family Branch of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement.
God’s presence was strongly felt among everyone, the participants left strengthened and on fire, not measuring the distance that they traveled to be part of this unique gathering.
The lake at the park, exuberant nature, a gift from God…
It was suitable stage for the colorful event, containing a beautiful lake with fish, the legendary crocodile, and the Hombres Valientes with blue t-shirts gave the gathering a festive atmosphere, with an attendance of more than 600 people: the men and their families.
What is the Hombres Valientes Rosary?
In November 2011, a group of men met in the national Schoenstatt Shrine in Tupãrenda to pray the Holy Rosary, asking for spiritual strength and unity in their families.
From this initiative inspired by Fr. Antonio Cosp, the group of men began to organize themselves by drawing up a simple structure that would establish the organizational constitution of the Hombres Valientes Rosary. They pray the rosary in the presence of a Pilgrim MTA, which remains with one of men and his family between the meetings.
Currently within Paraguay there are more than fifty points of prayer with approximately seven hundred men, who pray at different times and days of the week, following a simple, dynamic format: it is short, but it has a profound Marian spirituality.
The gatherings are held every Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Tupãrenda shrine, the main point for prayer.
“My life changed”
Raúl, Itá: “My life changed, I pray the Holy Rosary anywhere, on the bus, at home, etc. It is “super” good to be in prayer, it helps strengthen my marriage and I feel useful teaching others how to pray the Rosary.”
Inocencio, Encarnación: “The change that praying the Rosary made within me is impressive, it is a 180 degree change in my life and within my family. Since I began praying the Rosary more than two years ago, my life changed and the way I see things also changed. The Blessed Mother works miracles in us!”
Alfredo, from Fernando de la Mora: “It is a very beautiful experience. To be missionaries day by day. Worldly life is insatiable and we can only survive thanks to the tools that they gave us. Perseverance in praying the Rosary every day and applying what we learned where I am, everyone sees me in differently.”
“These lands will not produce fruits of conversion if they do not receive an abundant rainfall of prayer.”
