With church doors only recently reopened with restrictions, New Yorkers were eager to gather before the State Capitol Building in Albany for a public Rosary Rally. The July 15 event was organized by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) as part of a nationwide prayer campaign, which calls for holding similar rallies at all 50 state capitals. These rallies beseech God to grant America the graces for calm, courage and confidence in an age marked by agitation and uncertainty.
After raising the red TFP standard, four members entered in procession with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and placed her on a table. This statue, carved under the direction of Sister Lucy, the Fatima seer, has traveled the world since 1947. She is most widely known for miraculously shedding tears in New Orleans in 1972, shortly before the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.
Two members in the TFP’s ceremonial habit stood next to the Our Lady. Over their white tunics were brown scapulars bearing the white and red cross of Saint James. This attire includes a large wooden rosary hung, not from a belt, but a chain worn as a sign of devotion to Mary preached by Saint Louis de Montfort.
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Facing Our Lady during the Rosary, the Catholics in attendance prayed recalling the state of anxiety in America. When the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery was announced, one family with small children took to their knees in pious devotion. An Irish lady made the rounds, eagerly distributing rosaries and copies of the Breastplate of Saint. Patrick, a powerful hymn of hope for God’s help in adversity. Even the capitol’s grounds crew respected the event by waiting for the rally to end before proceeding with their noisy work.
A lady thanked the TFP members for coming to her state amid the chaotic events. “America needs this. New York needs this especially,” she said.
Nearby a monument stood honoring the early New York governor and patriotic American Revolutionary War general, Philip Schuyler. “The mayor promised to have it removed,” lamented one participant, tired of the needless concessions made to rioters.
Rosary Rallies for America
One man expressed how thrilled he was to join. In light of the restrictions on movement triggered by the coronavirus crisis, he thanked the TFP volunteers for coming out. “I am sick of all this virtual stuff. It was great to hear about a physical rally happening – one with boots on the ground.”
Between despair in isolation and public prayer for conversion, this rally was an opportunity for these enthralled New Yorkers to do something significant for their Empire State and their country.
As Americans come to grips with the unfortunate state of the nation, the need for a return to order becomes ever more apparent. May Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, grant America the grace to see where it has been and how it got here and where it needs to go.
