By Thomas Murawski
On December 28, 2024, the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan held its annual 8:00 AM Mass followed by a rosary procession from the Church (37th Street and Broadway) to an abortion facility located on Second Avenue and 42nd Street to commemorate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. At the abortion facility a prayer vigil was held before returning to the church.
For those readers who are not familiar with the Feast of the Holy Innocents: when the Three Wise Men were going to pay homage to the newly born Jesus, King Herod found out and became jealous and enraged. He ultimately ordered those infant males under the age of 2 be slaughtered. As such, they are recognized by many as the first Catholic martyrs.
The Church of the Holy Innocents started a tradition about 30 years ago to commemorate the feast which falls on December 28 with a Mass followed by the rosary vigil. I personally heard about the feast about 5 years ago. The date of December 28th happens to be the date of my grandmother’s (on my mother’s side) birthday; she would have been 121 years old this year and I figured it would be a good way of remembering her.
This year the weather forecast called for rain. However, that did not put a damper on the event. The church was filled with participants; there were many lay people as well as nuns and clergy. There was a constant drizzle throughout the procession led by Bishop Peter Byrne of the New York Archdiocese. The procession passed many New York City landmarks including Bryant Park, the main branch of the New York Public Library, the Chrysler Building and the Daily News Building before reaching Second Avenue and 42nd Street.
The New York City Police Department provided a well-coordinated escort throughout the procession which allowed the participants to walk unimpeded. Unlike the monthly prayer vigil at St Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Downtown Manhattan, which is met by misguided abortion advocates who attempt to drown out the peaceful prayers, the procession seemed to offer a peaceful reminder of the season to the passersby (most appeared to be tourists enjoying the City on this Saturday morning) and there were no issues.
On the return trip, after the rosary was concluded, the procession broke out singing Christmas carols. You could see and hear many of the tourists singing along as the procession made its way back to the church. At the church the occasion was concluded with the adoration of the Eucharist and was followed by a reception in the church basement. For those readers who have never participated in the event I recommend that you put it on your calendar for 2025.
On December 28, 2024, the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan held its annual 8:00 AM Mass followed by a rosary procession from the Church (37th Street and Broadway) to an abortion facility located on Second Avenue and 42nd Street to commemorate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. At the abortion facility a prayer vigil was held before returning to the church.
For those readers who are not familiar with the Feast of the Holy Innocents: when the Three Wise Men were going to pay homage to the newly born Jesus, King Herod found out and became jealous and enraged. He ultimately ordered those infant males under the age of 2 be slaughtered. As such, they are recognized by many as the first Catholic martyrs.
The Church of the Holy Innocents started a tradition about 30 years ago to commemorate the feast which falls on December 28 with a Mass followed by the rosary vigil. I personally heard about the feast about 5 years ago. The date of December 28th happens to be the date of my grandmother’s (on my mother’s side) birthday; she would have been 121 years old this year and I figured it would be a good way of remembering her.
This year the weather forecast called for rain. However, that did not put a damper on the event. The church was filled with participants; there were many lay people as well as nuns and clergy. There was a constant drizzle throughout the procession led by Bishop Peter Byrne of the New York Archdiocese. The procession passed many New York City landmarks including Bryant Park, the main branch of the New York Public Library, the Chrysler Building and the Daily News Building before reaching Second Avenue and 42nd Street.
The New York City Police Department provided a well-coordinated escort throughout the procession which allowed the participants to walk unimpeded. Unlike the monthly prayer vigil at St Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Downtown Manhattan, which is met by misguided abortion advocates who attempt to drown out the peaceful prayers, the procession seemed to offer a peaceful reminder of the season to the passersby (most appeared to be tourists enjoying the City on this Saturday morning) and there were no issues.
On the return trip, after the rosary was concluded, the procession broke out singing Christmas carols. You could see and hear many of the tourists singing along as the procession made its way back to the church. At the church the occasion was concluded with the adoration of the Eucharist and was followed by a reception in the church basement. For those readers who have never participated in the event I recommend that you put it on your calendar for 2025.
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