Music, faith and testimonials bring students to their feet at rosary rally

Intermountain Catholic

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Students from throughout the diocese came together for the rosary rally. See more photos on the Intermountain Catholic facebook page. IC photo

DRAPER — The Juan Diego Catholic High School gym rocked as 2,500 Catholic school students from the Diocese of Salt Lake City became excited about their faith through song and witness talks at the Diocesan Youth Rosary Rally Oct. 25.

They then were reverently quiet during the living rosary and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as students wearing green, white, yellow, blue or red robes stood to represent the five decades of the Luminous Mysteries.

Also present at the rally were the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City; Father John Phalen, Holy Cross Family Ministries president; Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of Catholic Schools in Utah; Holy Cross Sister Genevra Rolf, assistant superintendent, and clergy and religious from throughout the diocese.

The idea for the rosary rally began last year when Beth Mahoney, Holy Cross Family Ministries mission director, was in Utah giving presentations on the history of the rosary to various Catholic schools and parishes.

Mahoney encountered people who wanted to celebrate and proclaim the faith in a public way, she said, so she arranged the local rosary rally.

Holy Cross Family Ministries was founded by Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton in 1942. Rallies were part of the ministry all over the world.

Holy Cross Family Ministries is headquartered in Massachusetts. It has four components: Family Rosary, Family Theater Productions in English and Spanish, Family Rosary International, and The Father Peyton Institute in Peru, Spain and Ireland.

"Fr. Peyton would talk about the importance of Mary, daily prayer and the rosary, and then pray with hundreds and thousands of people gathered in football and baseball fields or large parks to encourage people to pray the rosary. His theme was ‘The family that prays together stays together,’" said Mahoney.

In the Juan Diego CHS gym, students in grades seven through 12 clapped and waved as Ike Ndolo and Andrew James, nationally known Christian musicians, began the rally with songs to heighten the students’ enthusiasm in praise and worship.

The rally’s theme was "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief."

Speaking on that theme, Bishop Wester said, "We all struggle with our faith; it is something that is a gift. … Intelligence, reason and logic can bring us so far, but there comes a moment when we have to take a leap of faith. … It hinges on relationships. … Mary trusted God when she said ‘Be it done to me according to your will.’ … Hold on to your relationship with God. … Jesus is constantly trying to get through to us."

Bishop Wester said he is a priest and bishop today because of the Bible.

"I began reading it every day, even though sometimes I didn’t know what I was reading," he said. "But somehow God spoke to me, and shortly after that I entered the seminary."

The students also gained insight as keynote speaker Paul J. Kim, an internationally known youth speaker, vocalist and beatboxer, humorously spoke to them about going to church for the right reasons.

On a serious note, Kim said, "We go to Catholic youth group and Mass pretending everything is OK, but we have things we need help with … God came to heal. Try opening your heart and being honest with God, and when you pray, don’t pretend. … If you open your heart, miracles will happen."

Praying the rosary helped him claim the faith, he said. "Mother Mary has truly been instrumental in helping me cut addictions and problems in my life that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do."

The rosary is a symbol of the Catholic faith and prayer, and "recognizes that we are created, redeemed and sanctified by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," Fr. Phalen said. "It’s a summary of the Gospel; a catechism on a string; and it helps us to know, love and serve Christ and become more like him in our own life."