Sponsored by the "America Needs Fatima" national organization, our local rally was coordinated by Pauline Pennington (Captain) and Kent Williams (Team Leader).

With 3,500 Rosary Captains across the nation committed to organizing these events, the mere scope of these rallies was mind-boggling.

This year's goal was to have over 3,000 "Rosary Rallies" in major U.S. cities. That goal was exceeded; people attended in 3,445 different locations, including our own parish community here at St. Isidore Catholic Church, Yuba City. An organization called "America Needs Fatima" (www.americaneedsfatima.org) has been calling for America's Catholics (and Christians) to join in these small peaceful gatherings of people. The date is the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the "Miracle of the Sun" (Oct 13, 1917) in Fatima, the time noon.

In John Hafferts book, Meet the Witnesses, he estimated that 70,000 to 100,000 people went to Fatima on October 13, 1917 to see the miracle of the sun. On October 11, 2008, an estimated 120,000 Catholics went out to the Public Square Rosary Rallies in America.

The rallies have the purpose to ask God, through Our Lady's Rosary, to save America from its current moral, spiritual, financial, security and political crisis. One Public Square Rosary Rally took place in front of the Supreme Court in Washington DC, where people bore public witness to the Fatima message and even knelt on the sidewalk of the Capitol of the World's only superpower.

These 3,500 rallies were seen by many thousands of people, which is good and even necessary to help spread the Fatima message and save souls. But, above all, they were a fervent plea made up of thousands of rosaries offered by Our Blessed Mother before the throne of God.

America is in a desperate situation, but we know God hears our prayers. The Virgin Mary offered our Rosaries to God on this Saturday and God will not refuse our petition in our time of suffering and uncertainty.

Mankind's efforts are insignificant in themselves. But with the aid of Providence, a simple witness becomes a massive and beautiful event, reinforcing the belief that God can intervene and hear the prayers of the faithful. These prayers and future public prayers may not have immediate consequences, but they might weigh heavily for the future of the nation.

We have complete trust that Almighty God will hear our prayers asking him to save America because they were presented by His Most Holy Mother. And Our Lord never refuses His Mother anything she seeks, as St. Bridget learned in a revelation.

One day this Saint heard Our Lord saying to Mary: "Ask Me for anything; your request can never be in vain." And this is the beautiful reason He gave: "Because you never refused Me anything on earth, I will refuse you nothing in Heaven."

With this in mind, we know that God will not refuse our prayers.

3,500 roses sent to Fatima, one for each rally captain. 

After the successful "Rosary Rally" campaign across the nation, on Monday, October 13, America Needs Fatima members Antonio Fragelli and Kevin Ritchie took 3,500 roses to Fatima, Portugal, one for each of the rally captains who led a Public Square Rosary Rally on Saturday, October 11 in the U.S.  The banner reads 3,445 rally captains, which was the number of captains we had at the time that Kevin and Antonio left for Portugal.  The names of our own Pauline Pennington and Kent Williams were no doubt on it.

Kevin and Antonio proudly took our large banner with the Rally Captain names to the candlelight procession so that in some way these 3,500 Catholic leaders would be represented in the procession.

Thus, on this special day, all the Rally Captains were remembered by name and a rose.  It was most definitely an honor to offer Our Lady this small token of our gratitude for all that she does, and for the hard work of the rosary rally captains.

It was also an opportunity to thank her for the abundant graces that so many received at the Public Square Rosary Rallies and to ask her for even more rallies in 2009. Please join our Parish Community next October, 2009.