April 19, 2021

Rosary rally for police, first responders

REGIONAL
Story and photos by David Martin

WESTFIELD – Catholics from various Westfield parishes joined in prayer for the protection of law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs and all first responders Saturday, April 17.

The rosary rally took place at the outdoor Our Lady of La Salette Shrine at Holy Trinity Parish in Westfield. The public square rosary was part of the America Needs Fatima campaign, which spreads the Blessed Mother’s message of prayer and penance.

“I know Our Lady is with us. I know Jesus is with us because we are here together in a faith-filled community of love for our Blessed Mother and our Lord. We all have friends, we all have sons and daughters who are in the military, with the police, with the EMTs. Please pray a Hail Mary for them every day,” said Alicia Belanger, a member of St. Peter and St. Casimir Parish in Westfield. She said the public square rosary is aimed at asking the Blessed Mother to lead people to her son, and to heal the wounds in the United States.

“They really, really need it. Thank you God for giving us such good people who will risk their lives for somebody they don’t even know,” she said.

Police-involved shootings across the United States, including the deaths of Daunte Wright in Minnesota last week, and of George Floyd last May, have sparked protests and riots across the country as people have demanded racial justice.

Priests in communities neighboring Brooklyn Center, Minn., where Wright was killed, held public rosaries last week.

“The rosary is the foundation of our Christian life and we protect it by saying the rosary and asking for strength and forgiveness because that is what is needed and why we pray it all the time. It is absolutely essential,” said Ann Lentini, a parishioner at St. Mary Parish in Westfield. Lentini’s son is a firefighter and her daughter is a police officer. She also has a son serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Those present were waving American flags. Others held banners asking for St. Michael’s protection. Belanger led the group in praying the rosary and also invited some of the young people present to lead decades. A decade also was recited in Polish.

“Jesus says to us, ‘Pray to me I will help you.’ So we have got to humble ourselves and say, ‘Jesus please save our country, save our families, save our church, save our police,’” Belanger said. “What would we do without our police, our first responders, our nurses, our technicians, our EMTs? Heaven to mercy, Jesus please help us,” said Belanger.

After finishing the rosary, the group recited the Litany of St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of police officers and first responders. Belanger is hoping to organize another public rosary rally in May.

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.