By Jessica Easthope
Bead by bead, they prayed. One by one, their hearts were touched by the true presence.
“I always knew Christ as my best friend and as my Savior,” said Valentina Quinones, a sixth-grader at St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy. “It makes me happy to see other schools come and other children know who Jesus is.”
Quinones and her fellow middle schoolers at St. Elizabeth joined students from eight other schools Friday, March 27, for the Diocese of Brooklyn’s ninth and final Eucharistic rally of the school year. It was the largest by far — 740 students saying the rosary, 53 Hail Marys each. That equals 39,220 Hail Marys in a single day. Seventh-grader Marco Villacres from St. Helen Catholic Academy said they can do better.
“It just shows our faith is getting stronger to God,” Villacres said. “It’s never enough. It’s just what we need to do as Catholics.”
Almost every school in the Diocese of Brooklyn participated in Eucharistic rallies this year, totaling close to 200,000 Hail Marys, give or take.
“We started crunching the numbers a few weeks ago when we realized, wow, that’s a lot of Hail Marys,” said John O’Brien, associate superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn. “To have so many of their peers praying together in this type of setting, in this type of liturgy. It’s a really unique experience. And the kids really come through.”
Pastor of St. Helen Church, Fr. Francis Colamaria, said this kind of prayer effort is sure to make an impact.
“All I can say is wow,” Colamaria said. “I’m blown away. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my childhood in Catholic schools. And this is a great blessing. Unprecedented. And I look forward to having more of these.”
Prayers by the hundreds of thousands was never the goal. It’s what these young Catholics can do when they pray together — and what God can do in them.