Inside the Chapel of Divine Mercy at Holy Guardian Angels, Reading, faithful from across Berks County gathered Oct. 3-9 for a Eucharistic Rosary Congress featuring seven days of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and hourly recitations of the Holy Rosary.
Coinciding with the Diocese of Allentown’s 65th Anniversary Jubilee Year, the congress reflected three central themes: the Holy Eucharist, the Rosary, and Vocations.
Reflecting the community’s diversity, participants prayed the Rosary in multiple languages. The closing Mass incorporated English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. YouTube and Facebook livestreams connected homebound parishioners.
The congress opened Oct. 3 with a Vigil Mass and Eucharistic Procession. On Oct. 9, Bishop Alfred Schlert led the final Rosary hour and celebrated the closing Mass.
Concelebrants included Msgr. John Grabish, Msgr. Thomas Orsulak, Fr. Quyet Pham, Fr. Edward Essig, Fr. Van-Vien (JV) Nguyen, and Fr. Allen Hoffa, who served as master of ceremonies. Deacons Mariano Torres and Frederick Lanciano also assisted.
Organist Beverly McDevitt and cantor John DeAngelo provided sacred music. Lectors Janie Zimmer, Lisandra Moreno, and Ann Do proclaimed Scripture in multiple languages.
During his bilingual homily, Bishop Schlert spoke of the Jubilee’s spiritual foundation: “We have gathered around two of the greatest gifts that Christ has entrusted to His Church: the Most Holy Eucharist...and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who always leads us to her Son. At the heart of our 65-year history is Jesus Christ, truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist — the source of our unity, the strength of our mission, and the hope that sustains us.”
Zimmer, the event’s main coordinator, expressed gratitude for the extraordinary participation.
“This year has been so amazing,” she said. “So many more people have come out. We have sign-in sheets, and we ran out of them. We didn't have enough…it just touches my heart to see how many people come, especially in the middle of the night.”
Before summarizing Bishop Schlert’s homily in Vietnamese, Fr. Nguyen challenged participants to transform prayer into daily action.
“When we kneel before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, Our Lady teaches us to quiet our hearts to listen to the Lord,” he said. “After spending these moments with the Lord, we must ask ourselves: How will I live differently? Will I love Mass more? Will my family recite the Rosary together?”
The congress traces its origins to Poland in May 1979, when communist authorities restricted Pope St. John Paul II’s planned visit. The faithful responded with their own “Siege of Jericho,” organizing seven days of continuous prayer at the shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa. On the final day, authorities removed major obstacles to the papal visit.
The tradition reached the United States in 1988 with the First National Rosary Congress at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The gatherings were renamed “Eucharistic Rosary Congresses” in 2023, and the movement received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Leo XIV in 2025.
Now in its third year in the Diocese of Allentown, the congress demonstrated how Eucharistic Adoration and Marian devotion continue to inspire unity, strengthen faith, and renew the Church’s mission.
Bishop Schlert said: “During this 65th anniversary, may we renew our commitment to build a Diocese rooted in the Holy Eucharist and placed under the loving protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“May our young people discover the Lord’s call to the Priesthood and consecrated life. May those who have drifted away from the Church find their way home, and may every family discover anew that Jesus Christ is the center of our lives and the source of our lasting peace.”
Photos by Waldo Alvarado.
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