Rosary and Eucharistic procession in Westphalia for peace, healing
About 230 people joined Father Anthony Viviano in a Eucharistic and Rosary procession through Westphalia after Sunday Mass on Dec. 6.
Fr. Viviano, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Westphalia and St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Folk, carried the Most Blessed Sacrament as the people sang hymns and prayed and meditated on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
From church, they processed down Main Street to Bridge Avenue, to Linn Street, to South Maries Avenue, and to Main Street and back to the church.
The purpose was to give public witness to the supernatural power of God and His ability to intervene both in times of crisis and tranquility.
“We ask for grace for our country, with our most powerful weapons, the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary — all for the greater glory of God, through the intercession of our Immaculate Mother,” Fr. Viviano stated.
Altar servers carrying candles, incense and a crucifix escorted the priest and the Blessed Sacrament.
Teenaged parishioners followed, carrying a platform bearing an image of Mary as the visionaries at Fatima described her, and adorned with roses and evergreen boughs.
Young girls scattered rose petals donated by Busch’s Florist and River City Florist, both in Jefferson City.
Members of the Knights of Columbus Monsignor Ralph Kutz Fourth Degree Assembly 2811 carried the flags of the United States and of the Holy See.
Teenage parishioners led the Rosary prayers, announcing each mystery and praying the beginning of each prayer and the people completing the prayers antiphonally.
Their voices echoed off buildings that had been standing for many decades. Compared to the prayers themselves, the structures were brand new.
The weather cooperated, with sunlight and a breeze sweeping away the morning dew.
Fr. Viviano and the people stopped at a makeshift altar in a parishioner’s driveway.
“Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Your suffering and death,” the priest prayed. “May our worship of this sacrament of Your Body and Blood help us to experience the salvation You won for us and the peace of the Kingdom, where You live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”
Fr. Viviano said it was urgent to gather for public prayer on this day, regardless of the weather.
“Things are in a bad way right now,” he said. “There’s a lot of confusion, a lot of division, a lot of anger going on in our country, and we can’t take care of it all ourselves. We have to turn it over to God and His grace.”
“We do so through the Rosary, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, through our worship of the Holy Eucharist,” he said.
He said the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian values.
“We’ve slowly, gradually fallen away from our roots,” he stated. “There has been a concerted effort over many decades to eradicate God from the country and our society, and it has taken root. And I think that’s one of the big reasons we’re in the trouble that we’re in.
“We need to give it back to God,” he said. “We need to stay tuned, stay alert and not just turn to Him when we’re in trouble.”
Fr. Viviano urged everyone to pray the Rosary every day, consistently.
“And hopefully, God will have mercy on us and bring us out of all of this,” he said.
