WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Joining Pope Leo XIV in a worldwide rosary for peace, several hundred people gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington May 30 to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring peace to the hearts of people and peace to nations at war.
The praying of the rosary for peace at Marian shrines throughout the world unfolded as Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine has entered its fifth year. The rosary also came as the United States and Iran were reportedly working on an agreement to extend a ceasefire in that war launched by the U.S. and Israel more than three months ago, while Israel has resumed bombing targets in Lebanon in its war against Hezbollah militants there.
Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia led the rosary for peace in the basilica’s Great Upper Church. He was presiding at his first liturgy at the nation’s largest Catholic church as the new apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Following a processional hymn of “Immaculate Mary,” Msgr. Walter R. Rossi, the basilica’s rector, welcomed the participants.
“We are gathered here together with so many pilgrims present at Marian shrines throughout the world to pray to the Lord that he may grant his peace to peoples and nations,” Msgr. Rossi said, noting that the rosary for peace was happening at the end of the month of May which is dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
Pope Leo presided over the worldwide rosary for peace from the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens. The worldwide rosary was coordinated by the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization and livestreamed from the Vatican and via the basilica’s livestream.
OSV News reported that in addition to the rosary for peace being prayed in Marian pilgrimage sites throughout the world including the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima, Portugal, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, the rosary for peace was also being prayed in war-torn places, including the Sanctuary of the Mother of God in Zarvanytsia, Ukraine, and the Shrine of St. Charbel Annaya in Byblos, Lebanon.
In his remarks, Msgr. Rossi prayed “that we might all bear witness to a coexistence among peoples built on mutual respect and fraternal sharing. May the prayer of the holy rosary become a commitment for each of us to be builders of peace.”
Before he led the rosary, Archbishop Caccia said, “Dear brothers and sisters, in communion with the Holy Father, following the example of the first Christian community, we lift up to the Lord through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary unceasing supplications for peace in the world.”
The apostolic nuncio also invited those viewing the livestream broadcast to join in the reciting of the rosary with their families. While those at the basilica prayed the rosary, they could see two video screens set up in opposite corners at the front of the sanctuary that showed scenes of the pope leading the rosary at the Vatican Gardens.
The joyful mysteries of the rosary were prayed at the basilica following related Scripture readings, and special intentions for peace were offered during the praying of each mystery.
The first joyful mystery, the Annunciation, was prayed with the intention, “Through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, we pray to you Lord, for the victims of war, especially for the most vulnerable children, the elderly and the sick. Let us pray for torn families, for fathers and mothers awaiting the return of their children, and for children awaiting their return home, that no one might suffer unjustly.”
The second joyful mystery, the Visitation, was prayed with the intention, “For all those who bring a word of hope and the comfort of faith to peoples affected by war, that they may always be instruments of your mercy.”
The third joyful mystery, the birth of Jesus, was prayed with the intention, “Through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, we pray to you Lord, for the medical and paramedical staffs and the volunteers who bring humanitarian aid to those most in need … (and) for all those who have welcomed refugees with open hearts, that they may never grow weary of showing generosity and solidarity.”
The fourth joyful mystery, the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple, was prayed with the intention, “Through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, we pray to you, Lord, for all those who suffer the violence of war, for prisoners, and for all who endure humiliation that undermines human dignity, that they may not lose hope and may find comfort in those who dedicate themselves to overcoming violence.”
The fifth joyful mystery, finding Jesus in the temple, was prayed with the intention, “Through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, we pray to you, Lord, that through the redemptive death of Jesus Christ who has reconciled the world with the Father, that wars may cease and lasting peace may reign among all nations.”
After the rosary at the basilica, Msgr. Rossi led the congregation in praying the Litany of Loreto, which included a prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace.
Archbishop Caccia offered a closing prayer and blessing, before a recessional hymn to Mary was sung in Latin.
In an interview with the Catholic Standard, Washington’s archdiocesan news outlet, Danica Stanciu said she was especially moved by the intention of the first mystery at the basilica — for victims of war including vulnerable children.
That prayer for “torn families, for fathers and mothers awaiting the return of their children, and for children awaiting their return home,” resonated with her, she said.
Stanciu — who is back in the United States to attend her son’s college graduation — has volunteered in Ukraine for the past three years for an organization seeking the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war there.
“I’ve met these children, I’ve met mothers awaiting their return,” said Stanciu, explaining why she was initially overcome by emotion when asked about what the rosary for peace meant to her.
Expressing appreciation for Pope Leo’s call for the worldwide rosary for peace, she said, “Families need so much peace and healing, everyone affected by war. It’s not just Ukraine. Other places in the world are hurting. I can’t think of anything more urgent. I’m so grateful to our Holy Father for calling us together today.”
Originally from Michigan, Stanciu has lived in the Washington area in recent decades, where she attended St. Joseph Church on Capitol Hill. Stanciu, who is of Croatian and French-Canadian descent, has attended St. Alexander Cathedral in Kyiv while volunteering in Ukraine in recent years.
Now she is working with a friend to help set up an organization to support wives and mothers who are caretakers of severely wounded Ukrainian military veterans.
Praising the faith of the Ukrainian people, Stanciu said, “It is my experience in Ukraine that has brought me back to the Church and brought me back to God. It’s through witnessing Jesus’s love manifest in people who are in such pain and have lost so much, and treat each other with such care and dignity.”
Asked about what is needed to bring peace to Ukraine, she said, “I do believe that God and Mary’s intercession is part of the answer.”
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