MILWAUKEE — “Hearts United 2013,” a Eucharistic Rosary Rally for Peace and the Family, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center, located on the corner of 84th St. and Greenfield Ave. in West Allis.
Everyone is welcome, including youth and young adults, men and women, single and married. Bring the entire family.
This Year of Faith celebration is sponsored by the Rosary Evangelization Apostolate of Oak Creek and Men of Christ and Women of Christ Ministries, in cooperation with the Nazareth Project of the John Paul II Center of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
It has been endorsed by six bishops in Wisconsin, including Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison who said, “I’ve been very pleased to see the fruits of the Rosary Evangelization Apostolate and the Men of Christ and Women of Christ Ministries, and certainly support a gathering to support peace and the family which is centered on Our Lord in the Eucharist and the Holy Rosary.”
Rally is a call to respond
The rally is a call to respond with a message of hope to the crisis of peace and the crisis of the family in society today.
As Blessed John Paul II proclaimed in his 2002 Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, it seems that “only an intervention from on high . . . [will] give reason to hope for a brighter future.”
Blessed John Paul II pleaded for a rediscovery of the Rosary for the crisis of peace and the crisis of the family. In this treasure, we are led by Our Lady to Jesus, who is the true source of peace and the perfect mirror of the family.
In response to this call, and to the pleas from Pope Benedict XVI to turn to Christ during these turbulent times, this rally is being held. It is hoped that this will produce, by the power of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual revival through Our Lady and her Rosary in our personal lives, our families, our communities, our states, and our country and echo throughout the world.
Mary is the key
The words of Christ from the cross still resonate in our day. “I thirst:” a thirst for our love and our hearts.
Mary is the key to the heart of Christ. Humanity and the culture appear to be at a crossroads and we need to grasp onto the pillars of Jesus in the Eucharist and the pillar of the motherly love of Our Lady. All of this is in union with the third pillar of evangelization: the pillar of unity with the Holy Father.
We have hope that Mary will lead us through the darkness and bring us to the light of Her Son.
The answer is Jesus Christ through Our Lady and her treasure of the Rosary, which leads us to her Son in the Holy Eucharist.
Rally schedule
The doors will open at 11 a.m. There will be a music concert at 12:30 p.m.
The rally will begin at 1 p.m. with an entrance profession featuring the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The entrance procession will include representatives of numerous religious organizations and various ethnic groups.
There will be prayers, Scripture readings, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and a Rosary for Peace and the Family.
Principal speakers at the rally include Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee; Fr. Larry Richards from Pennsylvania; and Jesse Romero from Los Angeles.
Archbishop Listecki was installed as the 11th archbishop of Milwaukee in 2009, succeeding now Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.
Father Richards is the founder and president of the Reason for Our Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the Good News by educating others about Jesus Christ. He is also a popular speaker, preacher, retreat master, and author.
Romero is a parish director of religious education and teaches, writes, and gives Bible studies and conferences. His presentations are offered in a Christ-centered, spirit-filled, and evangelical style.
How to register
It is expected that over 5,000 people will attend the rally.
You must register to attend. Cost is $12 per person and $5 for under 18 years of age.
To register, go to the rally website at www.heartsunited2013.org