Dear Friends of Our Victorious Queen,

Today I would like to share with you what I know about the Rosary Congresses, where it began for me, and why I choose to spread it.

When I walked into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., in June 1988, I was almost 24. I had been raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools first grade through one and a half years of college, and had done some missionary work after graduating from a state university. But my life was far from ideal, and I was in the middle of a big conversion.

As I knelt down to pray the rosary, in that glorious church, it was the middle of the first National Rosary Congress. I watched and listened for hours while people gave meditations on the mysteries of the rosary, leading hundreds of people in these ancient prayers. I knew in my heart a battle was going on. It was Good versus Evil, and inside this church was the Good. We were praying against the powers of hell, and it was powerful to be a part of it. My heart said at that moment, “I want to be a part of this; I want to give my life to this.”

Little did I know that in a few short months I would be hired as a secretary to John Francis Downs, a quadriplegic living in Catonsville, Maryland at the time, who coordinated this amazing effort to respond to the pleas of Our Lady of Fatima. I am not sure I had even heard of Fatima at that time in my life. But the people I met while working with John Downs were great devotees of Our Lady of Fatima

John Downs was uniquely devoted to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady. In these days of confusion and deception, his words ring clearly. He often said to me, “Stay close to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady, and you will be safe.” While my husband and I watch as the boat upon which the Church sails is thrust about crazily by winds and obstacles, not knowing who to trust at any given time, the words of John Downs ring true now more than ever. We know that as long as we stay close to the Church’s teaching and belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, and continue to draw on the truths of the faith taught through the mysteries of the most holy rosary, we KNOW we are on the right track.

And that, my friend of Our Lady, is what is so important about the Rosary Congress! The two Pillars of Victory as they were revealed to St. John Bosco (see https://www.rosarycongressusa.org/don-boscos-dream/), Jesus in the Eucharist and Our Lady, are the whole crux of the Rosary Congress. That is why it is SO powerful! This is how the very first Rosary Congress in Poland miraculously opened the door to the visit of Pope St. John Paul II to his homeland in 1979 (see https://www.rosarycongressusa.org/history-diocesan-rosary-congress/).

Anatol Kaszczuk, organizer of the first Rosary Congress in Poland, who helped Mr. Downs organize the congresses in the United States, told me that during that first congress in Poland, the participants believed they “were destroying the walls of satanic darkness…overcoming the gates of hell…fighting the princes and rulers of darkness.” And, “It was as if a cloud of darkness was lifted from the eyes of the young.”

Perhaps that is what I experienced as I sat in the pew in 1988 during the first American congress, and what urged my heart to give myself to Our Lady though I did not understand fully what that meant.

Eventually I married and we raised our family which left no time for Rosary Congresses. But in 2016, I found myself with time before the Blessed Sacrament daily. Jesus drew my heart to His, and I was inspired to ask Him what he wanted me to do for Him.

Very clearly, the Rosary Congress came back to me, and what a powerful experience it had been in my life. I knew in my heart He was asking me to revive it. While there were pockets of congresses around the country, there was no united effort to spread it and tell others about it. That had always been Mr. Downs’s plan, to spread the Congresses to every diocese. I needed to do my best to make that happen. In 2017, 100 years after Our Lady had appeared at Fatima, our country held 17 Diocesan Rosary Congresses during the first week of October. It was a miracle in my mind. And what’s more, that number has slowly increased each year.

Why was John Downs so adamant about spreading the congresses, and why do I think it is important? The power of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the power of Our Victorious Queen, who have led the children of God to victory not once, not twice, but many times, is so overwhelming! They are our only hope in this turbulent sea of deception of the evil one. And once a person has personally experienced this transforming power of Their love, they want to help draw all souls to Them.

This year the USCCB has initiated a call for Eucharistic Revival! What impeccable timing! The Rosary Congress is just the response to this call! Won’t you be a part of this historic event, and begin to organize a Rosary Congress in your diocese or parish? The next congress is planned for October 1-7, 2022. Join me in sharing the news: “Stay close to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady, and you will be safe.”

If you are interested in at least discussing the possibilities in your diocese, contact Kristin Bird at kristinb@rosarycongressusa.org and she will walk you through an understanding of the possibilities. You can also look us up at www.rosarycongressusa.org to understand our mission better.

God bless you in your journey to the Lord!

In Our Lady’s Victorious Heart,

Peggy Downs

Chairman, Diocesan Rosary Congresses, Inc.