Vocations Office Launches ‘Rosary 100K’ During the Month of Mary

Story by Shelley Wolf

If you’ve been telling yourself you really should pray the rosary more often, now is the perfect time to start building the habit. The Archdiocese of Hartford’s Office of Vocations is asking Catholics of all ages to commit to praying the rosary for an increase in vocations.

Father Anthony Federico, director of Vocations and director of Seminarians, is asking Catholics to pray 100,000 rosaries as part of a “Rosary 100K” challenge that is kicking off this May, during the Month of Mary.

“I read a quote from Our Lady to St. Dominic. She said something to the effect that if you promote the rosary, ‘I will unleash a torrent of vocations.’ And so, we are taking her at her word,” Father Federico says.

“Together, the archdiocese is going to pray 100,000 rosaries for new vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious and consecrated life, holy Catholic marriage and family, and the generous single life – for all the vocations of the Church,” he explains.

And everyone is invited. “We are sending the invitation to join the campaign to every parish, every school, every high school, every college, and every apostolate and institution in the archdiocese,” he reports.

How will Father Federico be able to keep track of all these prayers, you may ask. Kevin Healy, an archdiocesan seminarian, is creating a web landing page where the archdiocese can keep track of the many pledges that come in. Go to the website hartfordpriest.com, where you can sign up and make a pledge indicating how many rosaries you plan to pray. 

Kickoff day is Sun., May 11, which is both Mother’s Day and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. “What better way to start?” Father Federico asks.

The sizable goal might seem daunting, but the campaign is already off to a good start. The 20 seminarians of the archdiocese have pledged 100 rosaries each, for a total of 2,000 rosaries, and others made early pledges for a total of 14,000 rosaries before the campaign even launched.

People may choose to pray outdoors in good weather or indoors at church or at home. “I think it would be great if families could pray the rosary together,” the priest says.

Leaders or individuals may choose to announce their intention before each rosary, but Father Federico says not to get hung up on that. “God can do the math,” he says in jest. It’s primarily about “the spirit of praying the rosary and asking the Blessed Mother to intercede for us,” he explains.

“The rosary is at the heart of the Christian life, and I believe it will be the unified collective commitment of the archdiocese that will be the cause of such great fruit. We already saw this when the archdiocese came together and began praying for priestly vocations, how our numbers exploded after that,” he reminds everyone.

“So, I think there’s something in our combined effort,” he says, “that really brings out the Lord’s generosity.”

To submit a pledge, visit hartfordpriest.com/rosary-100k, email vocation@aohct.org, or call the Office of Vocations at 860.761.7456.