Pope Francis is requesting that during this month of May the entire Church invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the end of the pandemic and, in a special way, he is inviting all of us to pray fervently for those most closely affected by it.
During each day of May, guided by a calendar with specific intentions, all the Shrines around the world, united in a communion of supplication, will lift up their prayers, which, like the fragrance of incense, will rise up to heaven.
Thirty Marian Shrines will take turns leading this prayer throughout the Church and offering the faithful a series of prayer moments for them to participate throughout the entire day.
The Shrine’s Morning Prayer will begin with the symbolic gesture of the lighting of the candle and placed in front of the image of Our Lady.
Immediately afterwards, the passage of Scripture taken from chapter eighteen (18) of Saint Luke’s Gospel, from which this sign takes its name, will be proclaimed.
The celebrant will then explain the meaning of this gesture and of the day, and will end by praying, with the faithful present, the ancient prayer Sub tuum praesidium addressed to the Virgin Mary.
The Holy Rosary: the highlight of the Shrine’s day of prayer will be the Recitation of the Holy Rosary, prayed according to local traditions and customs, for the end of the pandemic and for the particular daily intention entrusted by Pope Francis, according to the directions provided in the Prayer Calendar.
At the end of the day, all the faithful, gathered at the Shrine, will address a farewell greeting to Mother Mary, ideally, handing over to the next Shrine the prayer baton.
It is important to emphasize that, in addition to the recitation of the Holy Rosary, Shrines are invited to promote during the entire day other moments of prayer.
Before each act of worship, the celebrant should remind the faithful of the significance of this initiative, including an intention in the prayer of the faithful at Mass.
Each Shrine should arrange for the participation of the faithful in the various celebrations proposed, following the health regulations in force, exhorting them also to pray in their own homes and families where attendance is impossible.
