By Tim Harfmann
The power of prayer — one million decades strong.
Parishioners at St. Paul Chong Ha-Sang Church in Flushing, Queens, reached their goal: pray one million decades of the rosary.
Bead-by-bead, it took them about a year.
“The one million is not important. We gather our mind and hope for the Church,” said parishioner Jung Soonhong.
As a parish, they had two prayer intentions. The first was unity throughout the Church, which Pope Francis requested Catholics pray for last year.
The second was for victims of clergy sex abuse.
The church’s pastor, Father Andrew Kim, said the crisis has been on their minds.
“As a Catholic, it’s shameful; but at the same time through our prayer, they’ll re-strengthen and rejuvenate their faith,” he said. “So, the Church is not perfect, they understand; yet we try to be perfect through our prayers and support one another.”
As a sign of support, Catholics presented baskets on Sunday, November 24, filled with names and how many decades each person completed.
“A lot of people, parishioners, leave the Church; and hopefully with this event, or with this milestone, we could have people come back,” said parishioner Gabriel Kim of Catholics turning away from the faith.
After the Mass, the church burned the pieces of paper, signifying their prayers rising to heaven.