Faithful honour Mary at annual procession
Local
About 2000 Catholics took part in a public display of their faith and devotion to Mary as the 76th annual Marian Procession was held in Adelaide’s CBD on Sunday May 18.
Under blue skies on a crisp autumn day, the procession was filled with colour and noise as the faithful recited the Rosary, listened to gospel readings and sang hymns while they marched behind their parish and community banners.
They processed from Victoria Park along Wakefield Street to the city, with the statue of Our Lady carried by students from Christian Brothers College, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart students holding the Christ the Pantocrator banner.
Javale Morato and his family had the honour of carrying the Marian banner, with the Fructus Augustini Salisbury Parish Choir providing music at the official gathering in Victoria Square.
In his liturgy, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan spoke of the importance of celebrating as Pilgrims of Hope beneath the mantle of Mary in the Jubilee Year – and on the day of the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He said the challenge for the faithful was not just to admire Mary, not only to venerate her, but to “imitate” her.
“The Jubilee Year is not only a time of grace and mercy; it is a time of spiritual reawakening – a time to ask ourselves: do I love as Mary the perfect disciple loved? Do I trust as she trusted? Do I say ‘yes’ to God, not only when it’s easy, but especially when it costs me?” he said.
“In our 76th Marian Procession, this visible sign of our love for the Mother of God, we celebrate her faith, her courage, her obedience. She followed Jesus more closely than anyone else ever has. She followed Him into the unknown, into misunderstanding, into exile, and into silence, and into resurrection. And yet, she never turned back.
“The world today, dear friends, tells us to seek power, autonomy, pleasure. But Mary sought none of these. She chose surrender. She chose to receive, to treasure, to ponder – and to give all.
“And today, as Pope Leo XIV is inaugurated as the successor to Peter, let us pray for our Holy Father, that he may imitate Mary’s listening heart, her strength in suffering, and her ceaseless intercession.”
In closing, Archbishop O’Regan said the procession was not just through the streets of our city, but “through the very pathways of our lives”.
“Let us like her be prompted by the Holy Spirit. Let her show us how to walk with the Lord Jesus. Let her teach us, as she taught Jesus, how to love,” he said.
“May this Jubilee Year be the beginning of a new ‘yes’ in your life – a Marian ‘yes’ – bold, beautiful, and complete. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.”
Part of the large gathering in Victoria Square.
