By Katie Vasquez
With rosaries in hand, Christ leads the way in this procession through St. Francis College’s downtown Brooklyn campus.
“I want to do this because I truly want to make the rosary more known by our school,” said Serene Arana, a Senior at St. Francis College. “It’s a beautiful prayer.”
The prayers are a welcome break for the students, who have been so focused on their studies that they were losing their connection with Christ.
“This is, I guess technically, my first time praying in four months,” said Daniel Castro, a Junior at St. Francis College. “I sacrificed the only tutoring hours for physics to be doing this rosary procession today. So one of the best ways to get back into praying is also to sacrifice something to, I guess, carry my cross, if you will. And that’s why I felt so good.”
St. Francis says that’s exactly why they are holding this event. It’s one of many happening throughout October for “Franciscan Month,” a time when the Brooklyn school reflects on the life and legacy of their patron, St. Francis of Assisi.
Sophomore Isa Vidales organized this rosary procession with the goal of getting her classmates to connect with each other and explore their faith.
“I honestly was a little nervous going around the school,” Vidales said. “And sometimes I do feel afraid of my faith and being Catholic, and saying that I’m Catholic out of fear of judgment because I don’t want to be labeled as ‘the church person.’ But I am, so like, what the heck? You know, own up to it.”
St. Francis hopes that these students praying the Joyful Mysteries, along with the community members who joined them, will be some of the many to celebrate Franciscan values across the globe this month.
“Our ultimate goal is to get a designation of October as Franciscan Month around the world in 2026. This year we started in six dioceses in the general area,” “Next year, we’re going national with this.”
And from this event alone, the seeds of faith have already been planted.
“I think I’m ready to go back to it,” Castro said. “So, I will absolutely be spreading the gospel, going back to praying every night.”
“It’s truly fulfilling to start now because God is calling us at every age to be with Him and to pray to Him always,” Arana said.
The Brooklyn Catholic college already has more activities planned for Franciscan Month, including film screenings, volunteer opportunities, and a Mass.