Frequently asked questions

No. A Eucharistic Procession is the public carrying of the Blessed Sacrament, most commonly on the Feast of Corpus Christi, and it requires a priest or deacon and specific liturgical prescriptions. A Rosary Procession is a Marian devotion: the faithful walk together while praying the Rosary. It can be organized by laypeople with the pastor's blessing, and the Blessed Sacrament is not carried.

In most dioceses in the United States, a Rosary Procession that remains on public sidewalks, does not require street closure, and is organized under the auspices of a parish requires only the pastor's consent. If the procession is to be held on cathedral grounds or on diocesan property, or if it will draw a large crowd requiring civic coordination, the ordinary's office should be informed as a matter of courtesy and prudence.

The Rosary consists of the twenty Mysteries of the life of Christ and Our Lady, prayed with the beads of the traditional Dominican Rosary — five decades at a time. A chaplet is a shorter devotional prayer offered on a distinct set of beads: the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, for example, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Both are beloved of the faithful. The Crusade concerns itself specifically with the Rosary in its traditional Dominican form.

Yes. A Rosary Procession is public prayer, and all who wish to witness or walk quietly with the faithful are welcome. Non-Catholic Christians will find much in the Rosary that is common to their traditions — the Our Father, the Gloria, the meditation on the life of Christ. Those of other faiths who walk alongside in respect are received as friends.

A single Rosary of five decades, prayed at a walking pace with the announcements and a hymn between decades, generally takes forty to fifty minutes. First-time processions are best kept short. Longer processions — the Fifteen Mysteries in one walk, for example, on the feast of the Assumption — are a tradition for parishes with settled devotion, not a beginner's practice.

Yes. Contributions are tax-deductible under IRS §170. Because our correspondence-based work has very modest overhead, small gifts go a long way. We do not conduct fundraising campaigns or run direct-mail appeals. If you wish to send a gift, write to info@rosaryprocession.org for the mailing address.

The Crusade was founded in Northern California and remains registered in the state of California. Our correspondence work is handled by a small volunteer group. We do not maintain a public office. All contact is by email or by post.