Catholics in Poland Walk through the Rain in Rosary Prayer Procession for Peace in Honor of Pope St. John Paul II

Catholics Walk Through the Rain in Polish Rosary Procession Honoring St. John Paul II
Rain fell over Świdnica on Sunday evening as Catholics carrying a statue of Our Lady of Fatima walked through the streets of the southwestern Polish city, praying the Rosary for peace, families and their local community.
The October 25 procession was led by Bishop Marek Mendyk of Świdnica. Bishop Emeritus Ignacy Dec, the first bishop of the diocese, also took part.
The faithful gathered at the Church of St. Joseph, Guardian of Families, before setting out at 7:30 p.m. toward the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Wenceslaus.
Under umbrellas, participants prayed the decades of the Rosary and sang Marian hymns as they moved through the city. Representatives of different Świdnica parishes took turns carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
The meditations for the mysteries of the Rosary were prepared by young people from the Arka Catholic youth group at the Parish of Our Lady, Queen of Poland.
The procession formed part of Świdnica’s celebrations of St. John Paul II, the city’s patron.
Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Świdnica in 2004. In 2012, the Holy See confirmed him as patron of the city, giving the annual celebrations a particular local significance.
The procession ended near the cathedral at a monument to the Polish Pope. Participants sang “Barka,” the Polish version of “The Fisherman’s Boat,” a hymn closely associated in Poland with John Paul II, and placed a candle at the monument.
Bishop Mendyk asked the faithful to pray for the Church, the Pope, the city and its residents, as well as for the sick, the suffering and the homeless.
He also spoke about the future of the city in terms of family life and the younger generation.
“The future of every city depends on the condition of the families that make it up, on the younger generation,” he said.
The bishop asked for prayers for unity within families and for protection from the crises affecting them.
He also turned to the question of peace and relations within society.
“Let us pray for peace, for dialogue and for respect among us,” Mendyk told the faithful.
Referring to Świdnica’s history as a city shaped by different communities and cultures, he urged residents to build trust rather than division and to make the city a place where people can live together with a sense of security and mutual respect.
The procession came during a month marked by several large Rosary gatherings in the Diocese of Świdnica.
Earlier in October, more than 1,000 members of Living Rosary groups from across the diocese gathered at the Marian shrine in Bardo, south of Świdnica. During that meeting, Bishop Mendyk encouraged Catholics to remain faithful to the Rosary and to treat it as a source of hope in difficult times.
GML

Special to Catholic News World by - LOGOS MEDIA GROUP
See More - https://wakcji24.pl/procesja-rozancowa-w-swidnicy-z-bp-markiem-mendykiem/