Setting off from from St John the Baptist Church, Perth, around 300 people took park in a March of Peace in Perth on Saturday 19th March, a day which marks the Feast of the Solemnity of St Joseph in churches around the world.
One of the organisers, from among Perth’s Polish Community, said, “It was good to see so many people taking part, both Scottish and Polish and many other too. We started with Holy Mass, celebrated by Fr Bogdan Palka SDS, in St John the Baptist Church, Melville Street, at 11am. Following a period of quiet Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, our prayerful Procession for World Peace and Peace in the Families gathered outside St John’s, and followed the chosen route through the city centre.”
“At the head of the procession, four pole bearers held aloft a statue of the Blessed Virgin. It was a reminder Pope Francis’s declaration that he will consecrate the people of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Pope Francis recently announced he would consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 25 March 2022 at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A consecration ceremony is also scheduled in Fatima, Portugal by the Papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. Accordingly, the Pontiff cordially invited all the Catholic Bishops to join him along at the same designated time within their own respective Cathedrals.
Representatives of Perth Quakers and other churches in the city were supported by Perth Action for Churches Together. They were joined by Provost Denis Melloy and Councillors Alasdair Baillie and Willie Wilson.
Along the route the marchers recited the Holy Rosary and other prayers along the way.