Planning a Eucharistic Rosary Congress in your parish or diocese involves timely preparation, organization, and effective promotion. Our website provides valuable resources to assist Coordinators in these tasks – and for those who sign up to coordinate, we’ll send you a complete Rosary Congress Manual.

Let's break down the process into three main sections: Planning, Organizing, and Promoting.

1. Review the Resources on our website
   • Everything you need to successful plan your Eucharistic Rosary Congress can be found on our website.  Explore the many resources available, including the official manual (available to those who sign up to coordinate), prayer materials, and promotional materials. These resources will be crucial for planning and executing the Congress.
2. Decide which type of Eucharistic Rosary Congress your diocese can support
   • In most cases, the week-long event will be held at a single parish, and, depending on your resources, can either be a Full Eucharistic Rosary Congress (including opening and closing Mass, Eucharistic Procession, Confession, and more) or a Basic Eucharistic Rosary Congress (opening and closing Mass).
   • In some cases, a parish may be too small to hold an entire Eucharistic Rosary Congress, in which case you can hold a Traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress in which each 24-hour period of Adoration is held at a different parish in the diocese.
   • Choose the one that best fits your parish and diocese.
3. Identify your team of volunteers
   • Dedicated volunteers are always welcome to help with various aspects of planning and coordinating, such as logistics, outreach, and promotion. The size of your team will depend on the type of Eucharistic Rosary Congress and your particular situation.  Typically there is a main coordinator who recruits 24 shift captains who each cover a 6-hour period and recruit the adorers.  In some cases, a coordinator may have fewer shift captain, such as six captains who each recruit adorers for a 24-hour period. In addition to shift captains, other volunteers on your team would include one person to organize the Masses and Confession schedule, another to organize the promotional activities, and someone to coordinate processions if you plan to have one or more.
   • For a Traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress you will need a Main Coordinator and a Parish Coordinator for each church. The Parish Coordinator recruits and works with a team of volunteers from their parish.
4. Select venue(s)
   • Consider the availability of your parish or diocesan facilities for the event.
   • For Full Eucharistic Rosary Congresses, it’s often held at the “mother church” of the diocese, usually a cathedral or basilica.  But it doesn’t need to be!  Any church that is available for 24/7 adoration for the week is absolutely fine.
   • For a Traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress, you will need to coordinate the dates with the host parishes, of course.
   • And don’t forget about local monasteries and convents – many have enthusiastically participated with the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses.
5. Create a Schedule
   • Develop a detailed schedule for the Congress, for both the week of the event and the planning and execution stages as the event draws nearer.  We have everything you need in the Resources section.

1. Logistics and Setup
   • Prepare the Rosary Binders ahead of time. The Rosary Binders contain the four mysteries of the Rosary with special intentions for each decade. You can choose to have one or more complete binders available for the adorers who lead the Rosary, or print Rosary Booklets for each adorer who is leading the prayers.
   • Have additional rosaries available for participants.
2. Your Parish Priest
   • Your parish priest is an integral part of this process – you will need his support, but assure him that you (and your team) will take care of all heavy lifting: the planning, logistics, and scheduling. Your priest should take responsibility to do two things: celebrate the Opening and Closing Masses, and to promote the Eucharistic Rosary Congress to encourage the parishioners to participate.
3. Volunteer Assignments
   • Assign specific responsibilities to your team members, such as registration, scheduling, organizing the Masses, and bulletin announcements and promotion.
   • Ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.
4. Be flexible
   • Some parishes cannot accommodate 24/7 adoration because of Masses or other commitments. The Blessed Sacrament is reposed during these periods.
   • If your priest is unavailable for Opening and Closing Masses, check with the diocese to see if a visiting priest is available. If no priest is available, secure the services of a deacon to open with the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and close with Benediction. Work within the limitations imposed by your particular situation.

1. Parish Bulletin and Announcements
   • Getting the word out is of paramount importance. Utilize your parish bulletin and announcements during Mass to inform the parishioners about the Congress. Highlight the importance of the Rosary and the Congress's goals.
   • Start as early as your parish permits. Early and often is a good motto for promoting the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses.
2. Flyers and Local Postings
   • Prepare a publicity flyer for the Congress – there is a template with the annual theme on the Resources page. You can also find examples of different diocese flyers under the Locations tab on the website.
   • Place the flyer in the parish bulletin at least one week prior to the event. If the resources are available, insert it two weeks in a row.
   • If your church has a public bulletin board, post the flyer where it can be readily seen.
   • Email the contacts for your parish ministries and ask them to encourage their members to participate
3. Online Presence:
   • Create a dedicated webpage or section on your parish or diocesan website to provide information about the Eucharistic Rosary Congress.
4. Social Media Outreach:
   • Use social media platforms to create event pages, share updates, and engage with the parish community. Encourage participants to share the event with their networks.
5. Email Campaigns:
   • If your parish uses one of the many email broadcasters for parishioners, be sure to ask that the Eucharistic Rosary Congress be included.
6. Local Catholic Media and Community Engagement:
   • Contact your diocesan newspaper or newsletter. Be available for interviews, or simply provide information to be included in the classified ad section (often free for diocesan events).
   • Some parishes have their own local online or email newsletter – be sure to provide your flyer and other information for this resource, as well.
7. Involve Youth and Schools:
   • Engage local Catholic schools and Catholic home schoolers to participate actively in the Congress, perhaps covering certain hours as a group or class.

By following these steps and utilizing the resources provided on this site, you can effectively plan, organize, and successfully promote a Eucharistic Rosary Congress in your parish or diocese, fostering a deeper devotion to the Rosary and strengthening our faith in Our Eucharistic Lord.