Celebrating three years of the Online Rosary: Connecting faith across the globe

Coordinator of the online Rosary – Kelly

The COVID pandemic has left its legacy in many ways, but where there’s a bane, there can be a blessing.

Amid lockdowns and restrictions, the Archdiocese launched the prayer of the Rosary online using the Zoom website platform, and it is still going strong.

Originally an initiative of Archbishop Christopher Prowse, the Rosary online is now coordinated by Kelly, a parishioner from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Canberra’s northwest. 

She took it on, she told the Catholic Voice, following requests for the service to continue as the lockdowns ended. 

The Rosary online (see Zoom details below) takes place every Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm Australian Eastern Daylight/Standard Time and seven nights a week at 8.30 pm.

“I extended it to every night because lots of people have different things going on with illnesses in their family and so on, and we wanted to reach as many people as we can and to pray for as many as we can,” Kelly said.

Rosary online participants

Friday, 18 October, marks its third anniversary after it first began in 2021. 

“How great is that?” she added. “To keep it going for three years is a blessing in itself. I have to credit that to my wonderful husband because he’s the tech man behind Zoom and the backbone of my ability to do it.”

While the numbers vary from week to week, Kelly said she has had participants zoom in not only from within the Archdiocese but also from throughout rural and urban Australia and overseas, including Ireland and Germany. 

The significance of the Rosary online goes beyond simply the numbers.

One participant emailed Kelly to express her gratitude for the Rosary online. “I remember how I was afraid to speak when I first joined,” the participant said. But I love to join now. I am organising my entire life so I can continue to pray the Rosary. It is such an important part of my life.”

Kelly prays that the Rosary online will be an important part of many people’s lives.

“The bottom line is we’ve got to pray for more world peace,” Kelly said. “And the more people we can get to pray, the better we can pray.”

• The third anniversary of the Archdiocese’s Rosary online will take place on Friday, 18 October 2024, at 4 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time. Zoom meeting number: 6978961059 password: 8Py80J