Dear members and supporters of the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses,

The fruits of the Eucharist Rosary Congress are extraordinarily evident in our parish! All the fervent prayers and impassioned rosaries said 24/7 for seven days in front of the Blessed Sacrament have altered many of our lives!

We are about to embark upon our third year of hosting a full Eucharistic Rosary Congress. Looking back, I’m stunned and in awe of the ways the Holy Spirit has been soul–stirring the life of our parish. Even though we have a very devotional Body of Christ, new life has been breathed into our hearts in ways that are both profound and surprising. It puts a smile on my face to watch the energy of the Holy Spirit doing remarkable work. There is a surge in daily Mass attendance that also includes many of our vibrant young adults who are attending regularly. People who work are finding ways to adjust their schedules to attend daily Mass. Sunday Masses are brimming and full of families; there is a constant flow of people in the Adoration Chapel praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Bible Studies are in high demand, weddings are in abundance, confession lines are sprawling out the door, and parish leaders are emerging. Our Youth Group that was dormant is now alive and has a dynamic Youth Director who is doing BIG things for our high school kids and is planning a Middle School Program. Her work/title is being expanded to that of Director of Evangelization – a completely new department for our parish - what we are called to do in Christ’s Great Commission. Fellowship opportunities allow people to create bonds that are strong, healing, and thriving. We are flourishing with new people moving into the parish, and people coming to us wanting to become Catholic. We have been entrusted with a pastor who implores the help of Our Blessed Mother. Inspired by this confidence, he is directing the awakening of the Holy Spirit in our parish with a burning passion. It’s jaw-dropping!

My quest with the Congress began as a staff person who had never heard of it until the ERC director, Kristin Bird, happened to move into the Middle Georgia area from Baltimore. After meeting with her and our pastor, I became very enamored with the history of the Congress, John Bosco’s dream, the fascinating history of the rosary itself, and the organizational structure. Without hesitation, we accepted the challenge of hosting this magnanimous Perpetual Adoration Prayer event at our church – St. Joseph in Macon, Georgia. To me, it was a no-brainer. Anything with the rosary AND the Blessed Sacrament was a “YES”. God worked out the inspiration of who should be on the organizational team and how expansive our Rosary Congress should be. Kristin suggested inviting a religious order to do a Parish Mission alongside the Congress. We responded without hesitation, contacted the Fathers of Mercy, and, incredibly, Father Wade Menezes just happened to have a cancellation for the date we were asking for, and was therefore available to be our Parish Mission Presenter. We were suddenly going BIG with our first Rosary Congress!

The second year of the Congress in 2023, we had Adoration along with our regularly scheduled Masses and confession times; the rosary said out loud at the top of each hour was the highlight and, honestly, I loved the purity of the prayerful week. I always choose to be a Eucharistic Shift Captain during the powerful early morning nocturnal hours as that is the time of great spiritual intimacy, strength in the Holy Spirit, and reparation.

We are already geared up for another big Eucharistic Rosary Congress for September 29 – October 5, 2024, which is the week before the start of the nationwide Eucharistic Rosary Congresses. I see our role as being sentinels or a scout team preparing the way with prayer for the nationwide Congresses. Father Dwight Longenecker from Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Greenville, SC has signed on as our Mission Presenter! We also look forward to Bishop Stephen Parkes, the Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah to celebrate our opening Mass with Eucharistic Procession. Our elementary and high school classes will be signing up to spend time in adoration, an adoration service for youth and family is planned along with expanded confession times, and 5:00 PM daily Spanish rosary is scheduled.

One of the cornerstones that I contribute to the soaring vibrancy in our parish is the Eucharistic Rosary Congress. The powerful continuous rosaries said before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament during the seven days of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration have been radical and life-changing!