Hundreds pray in St. Paul for Mary’s intercession for families and human dignity

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

Prayers rose in St. Paul as hundreds gathered at the State Capitol for the 76th annual Family Rosary Procession and made their way to the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Rick Cooper, 75, and his wife, Cathy, 76, of Epiphany in Coon Rapids were among those gathered. With their daughter, Candace, 43, also of Epiphany, they prayed for health in their family, for an end to abortion in Minnesota and across the country, and for a society too often turned away from Christian ethics and principles.

MoeMoe Ye, 44, of St. Casimir in St. Paul, was there with her son and two daughters, including 9-year-old Mayni Zar, a third grader from St. Jerome School in Maplewood, in her white first Communion dress with a rosary adorning her neck. The family came, Ye said, to “celebrate the rosary.”

Others celebrating their first Communion this spring, along with their families, participated in the 30-minute walk. All gathered prayed the rosary, and many carried roses as they sought Mary’s intercession for their parishes, the ill, government leaders and others. Some were in wheelchairs, others in baby strollers, some carried umbrellas or wore hats for shade on the sunny, 73-degree afternoon.

Arriving at the Cathedral, with members of the Knights of Columbus in full regalia leading the way while carrying on their shoulders a statue of Mary on a platform decorated with flowers, people knelt in the pews. Together, they sang hymns and prayed the Litany of Loreto seeking Mary’s intercession, and a prayer to renew the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ consecration to Mary.

In his homily, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said, “We’re praying for a peace that seems so difficult to obtain. We’re praying for a respect for the dignity of each human life that seems to be escaping us as well. We pray for a return of reason in the midst of our society, most especially in our state. Mary is always with us as our mother, but we know that she is particularly with us in our time of need.”

In a May 4 video, the archbishop had urged people to participate in the procession and pray for lawmakers as legislators prepare to wrap up the legislative session May 22. It has been a difficult session, the archbishop said, for those opposed to abortion and working for the advancement of human dignity. The Legislature, controlled in the Senate and House by Democrats, and Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, placed into state law this session a right to abortion for any reason and without a limit on viability.

In these latter days of the session, the Minnesota Catholic Conference is encouraging people to reach lawmakers (see pages 9 and 21) as they consider legislation that would repeal the need for informed consent before obtaining an abortion and other safety measures for women and their unborn children, as well as bills that would assert a person’s right to subjectively define gender identity and limit counseling for minors confused about their gender identity, views contrary to teachings of the Catholic Church.

The archbishop closed his homily by noting that “all of us as a people have been enriched by the presence of our loving God.” Now, the faithful must share the graces they have experienced through “what Jesus and Mary have done for us,” he said.

“May we go forth strengthened by the presence of Mary in our lives,” the archbishop said. “May she hold our hand and show us her maternal love, so that in all things we might be bold proclaimers of the good news that Jesus Christ is truly risen for us and calls us to life everlasting.”