Hundreds of men pray the rosary in the rain in Bogotá, Colombia

By Eduardo Berdejo

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 12, 2022 / 10:00 am

Hundreds of men gathered Oct. 8 in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bogotá, Colombia, to join the worldwide Men’s Rosary, reciting the Marian prayer under the rain that fell on the Colombian capital.

The Men’s Rosary was held Oct. 8 in dozens of countries, an initiative originating in Poland and Ireland in 2018 and that in a few years has spread to other nations on different dates.

The Oct. 8 Men’s Rosary was the first to be held worldwide. The goal was for the rosary to be recited 24 hours a day in some city on the planet.

In Colombia, the Men’s Rosary was prayed in Cali, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Bogotá, and other cities.

In Bogota, the men — who were accompanied by some women — gathered in the Plaza de Bolívar and on the esplanade of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes.

A video shows that a few minutes after the prayer began, rain began falling on the assembled men, but it didn’t stop them from continuing to recite the prayer, with some even on their knees.

While some of the faithful covered themselves with umbrellas, others remained on their knees without any protection.

During the reflections for the mysteries, the faithful prayed for aborted children, their families, and for the authorities.

The prayer in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes was organized by the Rosario de San José group, joined by other lay organizations such as the Movement of Catholic Solidarity, Mission for the love of God throughout the world, Lazos de Amor Mariano (Bonds of Marian love), Regnum Christi, and others.

Why a Men’s Rosary?

On their website, the originators of the Men’s Rosary state that the objective is to fulfill the will of the Virgin Mary, which is the will of her Son, Jesus Christ.

They note that “the role of men in God’s plan is to protect for eternal life all those whom God has given us here on earth.”

“Just as St. Joseph was the earthly protector of the Holy Family, we also have the task of defending the sanctity of our families and loved ones. We want to do it together, in a community of men. In this unity, we strengthen our male identity and masculine virtues,” the promoters of the prayer movement explain.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Eduardo Berdejo has a Journalism degree from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru). He has been a member of the ACI Prensa team since 2001. He has covered Pope Francis' visits to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. He also holds a diploma in Comparative Literature from the University of Piura (Peru) and has completed the Comprehensive Course on Style Correction at the Lima Publishing School (Peru).