The actual march begins at 2:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, 103 Richard Pryor Place, and ends a mile and a half later at St. Mary's Cathedral, 607 N. E. Madison Ave. (Catholic Post photo illustration)

Catholics of all ages from across central Illinois are being asked to “take to the streets” in Peoria on Saturday, Oct. 7, in a show of love for Mary, the Mother of God.

Intended as the Diocese of Peoria’s culminating event for the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, this March for Mary also offers an opportunity to be united in prayer and reparation, according to Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC.

“Our Lady’s call for prayer, penance, and fidelity to her Son as the surest way to peace in the world and in our hearts is just as urgent today as it was then,” Bishop Jenky said in announcing the march.

It will start with eucharistic adoration at St. Joseph Church, 103 Richard Pryor Place, at 1 p.m. Mother Adela Galindo, foundress of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, will give a reflection in English and Spanish and the sacrament of reconciliation will be available in both languages, according to Cecilia Soñé, director of respect life for the Diocese of Peoria, who is coordinating the march.

At 2:30 p.m., the group will begin the walk to St. Mary’s Cathedral, 607 N.E. Madison Ave., which is about a mile and a half from St. Joseph Church. A statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be carried in procession, with the faithful praying the rosary in English and Spanish as they follow.

Soñé said Bishop Jenky is hoping parishes from around the diocese will send groups with banners to carry along the way. (Poles are available for parishes that need them.)

REGISTRATION NEEDED

Bishop Jenky will celebrate Mass at 4 p.m. The liturgy will include a candlelight procession with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima and consecration of those present to Mary.

Each household will receive a holy card that bears a prayer for the centenary of the apparitions of Fatima. These were placed on the relic of St. John Paul II during its visit to the Diocese of Peoria in August and have been blessed by Bishop Jenky.

A plenary indulgence is available for those who go to confession, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, and pray for the pope.

People are encouraged to carpool and park in one of the lots at St. Mary’s Cathedral or at the nearby Spalding Pastoral Center. Soñé said her committee is arranging for buses to take people from there to St. Joseph Church.

Registration is necessary so the Office of Respect Life knows how many people are coming and can make the proper arrangements. It is also helpful to have the name and phone number of a contact person, just in case something changes, she explained.

“Look at the times we’re living in,” Soñé said. “There’s so much unrest, so much uneasiness, so much strife. The culture of death keeps advancing.”

But Mary’s words at Fatima provide the answer, she said.

“She keeps asking us, ‘Pray the rosary.’ How simple. A 15-minute prayer can literally change history,” Soñé said.

For group registration, visit cdop.org/march-for-mary or call Suzie Meismer at (309) 966-0385. Parishes that need poles for their banners may call Soñé at (309) 671-1550.