The Rosary in the Vatican Gardens Concludes the Marian Month: More Than 200 Shrines Connected Worldwide
More than 3,000 faithful gathered on the evening of May 30 for the recitation of the Rosary presided over by Pope Leo XIV at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, the traditional event marking the conclusion of the Marian month. More than 100,000 participants also joined the celebration through a live television broadcast from over 200 Marian shrines across the five continents.
Thanks to live video connections, the prayer service took on an international dimension, symbolically uniting the Vatican with numerous places of Marian devotion. Images were transmitted to the Shrine of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia in Ukraine, the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo, Philippines, and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Portugal. Also connected were the Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, the Shrine of Saint Charbel in Annaya, near Byblos, Lebanon, and the Pontifical Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto.
Among the other locations linked to the celebration were the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland, the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the Mater Misericordiae Shrine in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Marian Shrine of Altötting in Germany, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., United States, as well as the Shrine of Our Lady of Arabia in Kuwait and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Bahrain. The prayer followed the meditation of the Joyful Mysteries, from the Annunciation to the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.
Each mystery was introduced by the proclamation of a Gospel passage and accompanied by prayer intentions entrusted to readers from Lebanon, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Tanzania, and Syria. Particular emphasis was placed on prayers for peace.
The faithful prayed for the victims of armed conflicts, with special attention given to the most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and the sick—as well as for families affected by division and suffering caused by war. Another intention was dedicated to those who bring spiritual comfort and hope to populations affected by violence, that they may continue to be instruments of mercy and solidarity.
During the celebration, prayers were also offered for healthcare workers, volunteers, and humanitarian personnel who daily assist those most in need, as well as for those who have welcomed refugees, supporting them with generosity and a spirit of fraternity.
A special thought was likewise directed to prisoners and to all those who suffer humiliation and violations of their human dignity, that they may not lose hope and may find support on the path toward reconciliation. The Rosary concluded with a supplication that, through the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, the conflicts afflicting the world may cease and that a stable and lasting peace may prevail among all peoples and nations.
