Catholic followers in northeast Wisconsin can pray right along with the Pope and other clergy members with a couple of clicks of the mouse. Pope Francis kicked off the month-long “Marathon of Prayer” on Saturday as believers recite the Holy Rosary in hopes of ending the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization invited shrines around the world to join in the effort. It is nothing new for the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, which has used its web presence to lead believers in the Holy Rosary while keeping particular intercessions in mind. The Shrine’s rector Father John Broussard says live-streaming their group rosary has been a great way to not just connect with pilgrims but to introduce people to the rosary.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help hosts its group rosary on its Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 6:30 p.m. A United States Conference of Catholic Bishops survey shows only 44 percent of Catholics pray the Rosary, most of which do it alone.

Picture courtesy of National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help