“When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess.” -Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche
In a beautiful display of devotion to the Blessed Mother, Holy Family Academy’s third and fourth grade classes attended the Archdiocese Children’s Rosary Pilgrimage at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. After a short bus ride, the HFA students and several staff members joined hundreds of other Catholic school students at the Cathedral, where they were welcomed by Fr. Ryan Glaser and Bishop Emeritus Richard E. Pates. Bishop Pates, who served as auxiliary bishop to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 2000 to 2008, extended his thanks to the filled Cathedral. He went on to explain that each decade of the morning’s rosary would be offered for the families of a different part of the world, from America to Oceania. A statue of Our Lady of Fatima was then processed into the cathedral as pilgrim attendees sang “Immaculate Mary,” and the Holy Eucharist was exposed for adoration. Each decade of the rosary was led by a student from the Archdiocese, and pilgrims were invited to take different postures of prayer throughout. Choral music and the stunning art and architecture of the Cathedral provided a beautiful atmosphere for meditation on each of the Joyful Mysteries. The rosary was concluded with Benediction and a hymn. As Bishop Pates processed out, he paused frequently to greet students, including those from Holy Family. After a quick group photo, the HFA students and chaperones piled back onto the bus, and the third and fourth graders were returned to their classrooms. In the absence of these classes, the rest of HFA’s student body prayed a rosary in the church. In addition, throughout the month of October, HFA’s middle schoolers have been praying the rosary daily to cultivate devotion to Our Lady.
Headmaster Kevin McCaffrey said of the pilgrimage, “The Holy Family Academy students showed great reverence and piety for our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and for our mother Mary on her feast… they sang out the hymns angelically and prayed their rosaries boldly, especially for their schoolmate who has been sick in the hospital.” “It was a beautiful scene in so many ways,” he added. “I look forward to bringing our students back next year.”