By Jessica Easthope
Students from five Catholic academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn are exploring their faith outside the classroom and experiencing the rosary like never before.
“I felt really felt honored, I did, that’s once in a while, once in a lifetime,” said Naika Exume a seventh grader from Ss. Joachim and Anne School in Queens Village.
DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NET-TV filmed the 2022 rosary rally at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston. Seventy-five students prayed the rosary with Bishop Robert Brennan and superintendent Deacon Kevin McCormack in five different languages.
“It’s important they see the rosary as an important tool for drawing closer to God but seeing other children praying the rosary and saying we have something in common here,” said Bishop Brennan.
“I was taken aback by the ability of these kids to pray and the ability for the Lord to hear each of us in such a unique way, it made it really special,” said Deacon McCormack.
A rosary rally hasn’t been done like this since before the pandemic. Father Joseph Gibino had the students sit together in the shape of a human rosary while they prayed in English, Polish, Mandarin, Spanish and Creole.
“We so often hear the youth is the church of the future, no they’re the church of today, of now and here is an opportunity for the Diocese to be led in prayer by our youth and young adults,” said Fr. Gibino, the vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“It was cool to see a bunch of different cultures coming together, to see how peaceful people can be together,” said seventh grader at Ss. Joachim and Anne School, Nathaniel Godard.
The rally which will air on NET-TV shows viewers there’s a lot to learn from students and that how we worship is reflected in the diversity of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“For those that are not able to say it in their native language it’s an opportunity for them to listen and learn,” said Sr. Elizabeth Ogbu, instructional media programming assistance for DeSales Media Group.
“And bring unity,” added director of programming and production Alexandra Piña. “That’s the number one word for today, unity, we are the Diocese of Immigrants and we shared one common goal to pray with the Bishop and I think we accomplished that today.”
The rosary rally will air on NET-TV on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7 at 7:30 p.m. and will be distributed to schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn to be used in class and faith formation programs.