On the evening of May 31, 2023, a rosary and candlelight procession took place within the Vatican walls to conclude the month of May, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The procession was lead by by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, and was the final event of a series of initiatives organized at the Vatican this month in honor of Mary.
The celebration began at the Church of St. Stephen of the Abyssinians and arrived at the “Grotta di Lourdes” in the Vatican Gardens. This grotto is an artificial replica of the cave where the Marian apparitions occurred at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. This event was open to all Vatican workers and their family members.
To celebrate Mary, a rosary and candlelight procession was held every Saturday evening this month in St. Peter’s Square. Additionally St. Peter’s Basilica had also organized “Marian Itineraries” on Saturday afternoons, which were prayer routes featuring the icons depicting the Virgin Mary inside the Basilica.
Last year, to conclude the month of May, Pope Francis prayed a rosary for peace, in light of the war in Ukraine, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. In 2021 he had instead prayed the rosary at the Grotto replica in the Vatican Gardens, in front of an image of Mary Untier of Knots. This rosary had concluded a prayer marathon, initiated by the Pontiff, which involved 30 Marian shrines across the world who all prayed for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the month of May.
