The world can seem such a mess that we may wonder what we can do. We need to pray. We need to pray as individuals and as a Catholic community, for the conversion of hearts and the salvation of souls. There are many opportunities to pray and I’d like to invite you to the upcoming Prayer in the Square gathering on every first Saturday of the month.
We need to let the world know our commitment to our faith, that it’s not OK to cut God out of public life. God is public life. We need to let people know that there aren’t many moralities; there’s one morality which is the morality of God, of Jesus Christ. We need to stand up and declare that in public and let people know. The greatest form of charity is to save people’s souls, to get them to engage in helping one another. This is the new civil rights movement. Priests and clergy can’t do it alone. Be a part of Prayer in the Square. There’s strength in numbers.
As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer in the Square is an opportunity to pray for the innocents. That could be children killed in the womb in America and around the world — or any person at risk of being denied true dignity and loving care due to aging or health issues. It’s also to pray for Christians around the world who are being persecuted and murdered for their faith.
All people of good will need to stand up and say, “Enough.” The opportunity to do that in a very public way will take place at Prayer in the Square on the west steps of the state Capitol in Denver at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, the day before Divine Mercy Sunday. Prayer in the Square is a lay movement in the Archdiocese of Denver with the blessing of Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, who will celebrate Mass at 9 a.m. April 2 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He will then lead the rosary at the state Capitol at 10 a.m.
On March 5, Archbishop Aquila led a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament around Planned Parenthood with 1,800 people, circling the facility seven times. That echoed the march around the walls of Jericho described in the book of Joshua, Chapter 6.
Prayer in the Square is a part of the first Saturday devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. We gather at 10 a.m. on those mornings at any of five locations on the Front Range to pray a rosary together. And every three months, all the groups gather on the steps of the state Capitol to pray together.
So please join us Saturday, May 7, for Prayer in the Square at any one of the five locations. Two are in Denver: in front of Planned Parenthood at 3846 Pontiac St., and at Ruby Hill Park at 1200 W. Florida Ave. We also meet in Highlands Ranch at Civic Green Park at 9370 Ridgeline Blvd., and in Fort Collins, across from the Planned Parenthood at 825 S. Shields St. There is also a Prayer in the Square in Greeley at Centennial Park, 2315 W. Reservoir Road.
Go to prayerinthesquare.com for all the details.
Larry Smith is the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver. Visit online at ccdenver.org or call 303-742-0828 to learn more, volunteer or make a donation.
