Children in Johannesburg and Beirut, Lebanon, prayed the Rosary together via Zoom, linking two continents in a shared act of faith.
The initiative brought together children from Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite church in Woodmead, Johannesburg, and St Elias church in Rihaniyeh-Baabda, Lebanon, as part of the growing World Children’s Rosary movement, which was recently introduced to South Africa.
The online prayer gathering saw children separated by thousands of kilometres pray the Joyful Mysteries together in English and French.
“The idea was born from a desire to unite children from South Africa with children from Lebanon in praying the Rosary together,” said Joumana Jbara, parish coordinator of Our Lady of the Cedars church.
Ten children took part from the Johannesburg parish, accompanied by parish priest Fr Elie Saadé, Br Ramzi Hitti, Joumana Jbara and altar server Julian de Vyt. The event was livestreamed by Jonathan Simon.
In Lebanon, six children from St Elias church participated, accompanied by family members and parishioners.
Marie-Ange El Hayek, one of the organisers in Lebanon, said the proposal had been received with enthusiasm by the parish priest, Fr Youssef Abi Zeid.
“The Joyful Mysteries were prayed alternately in French and English, which created a beautiful moment of unity in faith and demonstrated that prayer truly transcends borders,” she said.
Joumana described the atmosphere as “prayerful, joyful and moving. Seeing the beautiful and innocent children from both countries praying the Rosary with devotion and reverence was a memorable and uplifting experience”, for those present as well as those watching the livestream.
“It demonstrated the beauty of coming together in prayer despite differences in language, distance and culture, showing that faith and prayer can unite us beyond all boundaries,” Joumana said.
“This event was a beautiful opportunity to remind the children that the Church is universal,” Marie-Ange told The Southern Cross in an e-mail from Beirut.
“Even from far away, they were able to pray together as one family under the care of Our Blessed Mother. It was also a wonderful encouragement for our newly-established Children’s Rosary group,” she said.
“The atmosphere throughout the event was one of great joy and excitement. The children were enthusiastic to meet and pray with other children from South Africa. Seeing the children wave to one another at the end was especially touching,” she said.
Marie-Ange said her parish hopes to have similar encounters in the future and “continue fostering friendships and unity through prayer between children from different parts of the world”. Her counterpart in Johannesburg echoed the sentiment.
The movement was founded by Dr Blythe Kaufman in the United States in 2011. The first international group was formed in Kenya in 2013. Since then, the initiative has spread to more than 80 countries, with children gathering monthly to pray for peace, families and the needs of the world.
The Children’s Rosary movement was introduced in South Africa earlier this year. According to local coordinator Gail Walters, the response has been enthusiastic.
For the children in Johannesburg and Beirut, the online gathering offered a tangible experience of the Church’s universality, uniting young Catholics in a common faith that transcends different languages, cultures and continents.
For more information, see www.childrensrosary.org. Resources for starting a Children’s Rosary group in your parish are available at www.childrensrosary.org/resources-to-start-a-childrens-rosary/
Local coordinator Gail Walters can be reached on 060 464-0320 or
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