Pilgrims will need to arrange their own lodging and food.
The Sept. 30 pilgrimage
For those who attend the Sept. 30 pilgrimage or view the livestream, the doors will open at 9 a.m. and there will be a conference on “The Virgin Mary, Our Refuge in Heaven” at 10 a.m. led by Father Gregory Pine, OP. From 11 a.m. until 1:45 p.m., there will be an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and eucharistic adoration, which will finish with Benediction. Priests will also hear confessions during adoration.
At 2 p.m. there will be a conference on “The Holy Rosary, Our Recourse on Earth,” which will also be led by Pine. At 3 p.m., Father Lawrence Lew will give a talk on the rosary. Attendees will recite the rosary at 3:30 p.m. and a vigil Mass will be held at 4:30 p.m.
Briscoe said that “a lot of people don’t have opportunities for retreats” but that “there’s a lot to be said for the show of faith.”
“This pilgrimage is really an opportunity for everyone to come,” he added.
St. Dominic and the rosary
On Aug. 8 the Church celebrates the feast of St. Dominic, who founded the Dominican order. According to legend, St. Dominic received a vision of the Blessed Mother, who gave him the rosary and instructed him to pray it and teach it.
St. Dominic was born on Aug. 8, 1170, and died on Aug. 6, 1221.
“The rosary was given to St. Dominic by the Virgin Mary and St. Dominic certainly had a great devotion to Our Lady,” Briscoe said.
The legend of St. Dominic receiving the rosary from the Blessed Mother cannot be confirmed by historical record. However, 15th-century Dominican theologian Alan de la Roche, who is credited with reviving the rosary and spreading it throughout Catholic Europe, connected St. Dominic to the rosary based on “tradition and from the testimony of writers,” according to the Rosary Center.
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De la Roche established the Rosary Confraternity in 1470, which popularized the rosary throughout Europe, and the Dominican order has preached the rosary ever since and has been its strongest proponent.
“[The rosary] is in fact a powerhouse of grace that is waiting to be unleashed,” Briscoe said.
Tyler Arnold is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency, based in EWTN News’ Washington Bureau. He previously worked at The Center Square and has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative, and The Federalist.