Making sense of things; The Month of the Rosary
During October, the Month of the Rosary, Marquette University Campus Ministry looked to encourage the Marquette community to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation when he said, “I invite everyone to rediscover, especially during this month of October, the beauty of the prayer of the rosary, which has nourished the faith of the Christian people for centuries.” Students, an alumnus and staff led a total of eight rosaries during October, with three in-person gatherings and seven of them live-streamed.
In particular, a common theme of praying for peace in memory of alumnus James Foley, was woven through the rosary prayers. James Foley would have celebrated his 47th Birthday on October 18. In 2012, He was working as a journalist in Syria when he was captured and killed. He noted that the rosary was significant to him during his captivity.
“If nothing else, prayer was the glue that enabled my freedom, an inner freedom first and later the miracle of being released during a war in which the regime had no real incentive to free us. It didn’t make sense, but faith did.” — James Foley, Arts ‘96
“I began to pray the rosary. It was what my mother and grandmother would have prayed,” Foley said. “I said 10 Hail Marys between each Our Father. It took a long time, almost an hour, to count 100 Hail Marys off on my knuckles. And it helped to keep my mind focused… If nothing else, prayer was the glue that enabled my freedom, an inner freedom first and later the miracle of being released during a war in which the regime had no real incentive to free us. It didn’t make sense, but faith did.”
Many thanks to those in the Marquette University Community who volunteered to lead rosaries in the month of October (listed below). If you are interested in leading a rosary prayer or an Examen prayer in the month of November, please contact campusministry@marquette.edu.
Rosary Prayer Leaders during October, the Month of the Rosary
Ann Hilbert, Administrative Assistant for Campus Ministry
Barbara Sammut, Engineering ‘21
Claire Conger, Health Sciences ‘21
Donovan Walsh, Arts & Sciences ‘23
Gilli Leonard, Communications ‘22
Hannah Kane, Communications ‘22
Jackie Gerhardson, Engineering ‘21
Justin Prom, S.J., Engineering ‘18
Megan Sheehan, Communications Coordinator for Campus Ministry
