(LifeSiteNews) — The massive rally in Los Angeles against the Dodgers’ honoring of anti-Catholic drag “nuns” drew several thousand people and dwarfed the turnout for the drag queens’ award ceremony, in what protest organizers are celebrating as a “huge success.”
More than 5,000 participants showed up for the prayer rally outside Dodger Stadium on Friday, according to Catholics for Catholics, a Phoenix-based group that organized the event.
HUGE SUCCESS! Prayer Rally Officially Concludes. Over 5K strong!! Massive outpouring! @JackPosobiec pic.twitter.com/y202RAGE2g
— Catholics for Catholics (@CforCatholics) June 17, 2023
John Yep, the group’s CEO, described the rally as a victory for Catholics and “a wakeup call” for the U.S. bishops, adding that “we won’t wait for them to lead anymore.”
“Catholics win big!” he told LifeSiteNews’ John-Henry Westen, who spoke at the event. “The Immaculate Heart has triumphed!!”
LifeSiteNews co-sponsored the rally along with CatholicVote, Virgin Most Powerful Radio, and America Needs Fatima.
In the grand tradition of the Cristero warriors of the 1920s who died defending their Faith…this Father and Son… embody the new generation of heroes…standing at LA Dodger Stadium in defense of their Faith. With men like this… future is bright America! @cparacatolicos pic.twitter.com/t1sQ5L9PMT
— John Yep (@USAYep) June 18, 2023
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, led the prayer rally, which began at 3:00 p.m. PT, and a procession outside the stadium, protesting and making reparation for the Dodgers’ celebration of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.”
The “Sisters,” a group of drag queens who describe themselves as an “order of queer and trans nuns,” use their homosexual perversion to mock the Catholic Church and religious sisters and blaspheme the Holy Eucharist and the Mass.
Despite the group’s explicit anti-Catholic bent, the Dodgers announced in May that they would present the drag queens with a “Community Hero Award” at the team’s LGBT “Pride Night” on June 16 — the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
The Dodgers initially rescinded their invitation to the “Sisters” after backlash before re-inviting them at the behest of LGBT activists, the L.A. teachers union, and other radical leftists. The move sparked widespread outrage among Catholics, including Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams and Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, as well as other Christian and conservative leaders.
“We need to speak to the world the message of Jesus Christ. We can’t allow it to be shouted down by anyone,” Bishop Strickland said at the event. “We need to live as those ready to die and ready to live for the blood that was shed for us all.”
READ: Bp. Strickland tells Catholics to ‘speak for what you believe’ in powerful speech at Dodgers protest
The Texas bishop carried a first class relic of St. John Paul II at the procession.
Participants could be seen holding signs that read “Stop Anti-Catholic Hate,” “Boycott Dodgers,” “Viva Cristo Rey!,” and “Go and Sin No More.” The motto of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” is “go and sin some more,” a blasphemous mockery of Jesus Christ’s words to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11.
Protesters at one point blocked the entrance to the stadium on Vin Scully Avenue, some chanting “Jesus.”
LifeSite is rallying against bigotry before the @Dodgers honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic hate group. pic.twitter.com/iTz1YJFn3S
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) June 16, 2023
Dodgers honor drag ‘nuns’ in nearly empty stadium
The Dodgers presented their Community Hero Award to two members of the drag queen group — dressed as demonic-looking caricatures of Catholic nuns — more than an hour before Friday’s game began.
In a video posted on Twitter, fans can be heard yelling “boo” during the award ceremony. Dodger Stadium appears nearly empty.
DODGER STADIUM-The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” are recognized for Pride night to a mostly empty audience.
Two Dodgers fan nearby begin loudly booing after they’re announced: pic.twitter.com/OO6NT5RIc8
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) June 17, 2023
The L.A. Dodgers honored the anti-Catholic “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” group at their Pride Night last night.
The stadium was basically empty, there were more people protesting outside than in the stadium itself. pic.twitter.com/X4EoqJ2ww5
— CouchLoc (@CouchLoc412) June 17, 2023
Jon Root, a conservative commentator and former sports broadcaster, attributed the “incredibly early” timing of the ceremony to the fact that the Dodgers “knew very few people would be there.”
It’s important to note that the @Dodgers purposely recognized the @SFSisters about an hour before game time because they knew very few people would be there. This is regular attendance at 6:10pm for a 7:10pm first pitch on a Friday.
Announced attendance was 49k. Just above… https://t.co/rXWuuVREQe pic.twitter.com/vPDut4VDUr
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) June 17, 2023
Root also pointed out that the opening pitch of the game was thrown by the legal son of two homosexual celebrities, Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley, who obtained the boy via surrogacy. The two men brought another baby boy they had created through IVF and gestated by a surrogate.
The Dodgers lost the game to the San Francisco Giants 7-5 in the 11th inning.
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Editorial note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the procession was “Eucharistic.” LifeSiteNews regrets the error.