Dear members and supporters of the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses,

In the Summer of 2019, I was blessed to be appointed as the Pastor and Director of the then-newly formed Shrines of Pittsburgh. The Shrines are composed of 5 churches in the city of Pittsburgh that have unique historical and spiritual significance for both our diocese and, in some cases, the Church universal (visit www.pghshrines.org to learn more). Part of the mission of the Shrines is to offer unique opportunities for spiritual growth and a robust devotional life, and as the new pastor I was eager to find creative ways to fulfill this mission.

A few weeks into this new role I received a call from Carol Scherer asking to meet with me about hosting the Eucharistic Rosary Congress in the Shrines. I first met Carol at her son’s school, Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh, where I would celebrate Mass a few times a semester. We would always say hello and exchange pleasantries when we saw each other, but otherwise, we didn’t known each other all that well. I was happy to meet and discuss whether or not a Rosary Congress in the Shrines might be possible.

Carol explained that a Rosary Congress was seven days and nights of Eucharistic Adoration, together with the praying of the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and other prayers. While this already seemed like a perfect fit for what the Shrines are all about, her enthusiasm about what a Rosary Congress could mean for our city and our Church really sealed the deal. I knew that the only answer was “yes!” as Carol shared from her heart and ultimately revealed how the love of the Father desired to be at work in Pittsburgh through the Eucharistic Rosary Congress.

Thanks to Carol’s hard work and the generosity of many volunteer adorers/prayer leaders, our first non-traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress in Pittsburgh in October 2019 was a success. Thanks to technology such as “sign-up genius” we were able to ensure there were multiple adorers for each hour of the day and night, including a number of men from the area who committed themselves to the overnight hours multiple days that week! This first Rosary Congress was held at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church, one of our Shrine churches.

In 2020, we were undeterred coming out of the restrictions of the pandemic and, again, were blessed to complete a second Eucharistic Rosary Congress in Pittsburgh, this time at Saint Anthony Chapel. While Saint Stanislaus was a more than fitting location, Saint Anthony Chapel is particularly unique among the Shrines because it is home to over 5,000 relics of the saints, all displayed beautifully in cases and altar pieces made of wood and glass and available for veneration by the faithful. To gather for seven days and nights of prayer and adoration surrounded by the Communion of Saints is incredible, and makes the opportunity to experience the love from the hearts of Jesus and Mary all the more powerful.

Since 2020, we have continued to host full Rosary Congresses each year in October at Saint Anthony Chapel. In addition, we have also established “mini” Rosary Congresses each year in May. These “mini” Congresses also last for 7 days and the same prayers are offered during Eucharistic Adoration from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. People look so forward to these opportunities to gather in prayer and adoration and can’t wait to sign up for an hour, or two, or four, or more and invite others to join them. You don’t have to convince me that God’s providence has been at work in allowing the Pittsburgh Eucharistic Rosary Congress to be established and grow as it has. From friendly acquaintances to a phone call out of the blue, to over a hundred volunteer adorers going strong for nearly 5 years. Thanks be to God, through the intercession of our Mother Mary, for allowing His will to be done in such wonderful ways in our corner of the world!