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 www.rosaryonthecoast.co.uk

GREAT BRITAIN, April 12, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — At least 15 of Great Britain’s Catholic bishops have blessed an initiative of the British laity, the Rosary on the Coast for Faith, Life and Peace.

Inspired by similar events in Poland and Ireland, the Rosary on the Coast will unite Catholics from all over England, Scotland, Wales, and their islands in prayer for “the re-flourishing of [their] faith, for the grace to build a culture of Life and for true peace to reign in the hearts of all people and nations.”  

It is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 29 at 3:00 p.m.

So far 197 spots around Great Britain and its islands, the Thames River, and the great Firth of Forth have been named as meeting places.

Eight bishops have indicated that they themselves will attend the prayers. They include Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury, Bishop Mark O’Toole of Plymouth, Bishop Tom Burns of Menevia (Wales), Bishop Ralph Heskett of Hallam, Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, and Bishop John Keenan of Paisley.

Meanwhile, seven other bishops have voiced their support or sent messages of encouragement.

These include Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, Bishop Brian McGee of Argyll and the Islands, Bishop Terence Patrick Drainey of Middlesbrough, Bishop Seamus Cunningham of Hexham and Newcastle, Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds, Bishop Joseph Toal of Motherwell, and Bishop Alan Hopes of East Anglia.  

Pope Francis has also signaled his approval of the mass prayer event. In a message to the organizers, apostolic nuncio Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams said that the pontiff “imparts to all those who participate in the Rosary on the Coast his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge under the protection of Our Blessed Lady, Mary Mother of the Church.”

Organizers say that the contexts for the mass gathering include hope for a new springtime of faith in the British Isles. The recent 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act has led to the deaths of almost nine million unborn children to date, and the current times are of “unprecedented global upheaval.”

The Catholic Herald has observed that the locations of the Rosary on the Coast are as far-flung as the island of Guernsey off the coast of France to St. Ninian’s Isle, which lies between Scotland and Norway.

A colourful online map pinpoints all the locations participants may choose from. The Rosary on the Coast website is still welcoming would-be prayer leaders to stake out new locations around Great Britain. Those who cannot travel to the prayer spots are invited nevertheless to join their prayers to those who can.