5th Sunday Rosary

To help bring parishioners together in a spiritual activity and promote devotion to Mary, the Knights of Columbus Supreme council is pleased to announce a new church activity, the 5th Sunday Rosary Program. Knights, their families and other parishioners are encouraged to pray the rosary as a corporate body every time a 5th Sunday occurs during a month.

The 5th Sunday Rosary services will be conducted on Jul 31, Oct. 30, Jan 29, and April 30, during the 2016-2017 fraternal year.

Finger rosaries that can be used during the program, are available from the Supreme Council and can be ordered by using the 5th Sunday Rosary Kit (SR-KIT).  Participants may also use their own rosaries, and Knights are encouraged to use the rosaries that they received during their First Degree.  Conducting this Church Activity every time a 5th Sunday occurs during a month as part of the 2016-2017 fraternal year will allow your council to list each one in the Church Activities section on the Columbian Award Application (#SP-7).  In addition, it provides a visible “faith formation” program that will engage current members and their families, and offer parish families who are not yet part of the council an opportunity to experience the faith and fellowship that comes with being a member of the Knights of Columbus. 

Action Steps

To organize a successful 5th Sunday Rosary program in your parish, your council should:

  1. Order finger rosaries and prayer cards using the Knights of Columbus 5th Sunday Rosary Program Kit (#SR-Kit).  You can also use the order form in the forms section of the website, or call the Department of Fraternal Mission at 203-752-4270.
  2. Contact your local pastor to obtain permission to conduct a 5th Sunday Rosary service following Mass occurring on a 5th Sunday weekend. 
  3. Provide a sign-up sheet in the parish bulletin board for parishioners to sign up to participate in the rosary service.  This will allow you to determine the interest level. 
  4. Build public interest.  Use the sample press release that is on the website as a sample, to present it to the newspapers and the radio stations in your community.  When sending the press release use your council letterhead.  Deliver or send it, along with clip art logos, to the editors of both. 
  5. Report your activities to the Supreme Council with the 5th Sunday Rosary Report Form, and the Columbian Award Application (#SP-7).

Support Materials

To assist you in promoting the 5th Sunday Rosary program, the Supreme Council offers the following items that are available in the 5th Sunday kit.  Kits can be ordered using the SR-Kit form, found at kofc.org/forms. Up to 5 kits per council per 5th Sunday may be ordered using this form. Additional rosaries may be purchased through knightsgear.com.   

For additional information on how your council, assembly or circle can participate in the 5th Sunday Rosary Program, please contact Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Mission (203)752-4270.

Sample Press Release

For immediate release:
(Date)

Local Knights of Columbus are asking the Community to come together to pray the Rosary

(City, State/Province)- Knights of Columbus, located at (Parish Name) parish, is inviting all members of the community (Name of Town or area) to participate in the organization’s 5th Sunday Rosary Program. This service will be conducted (date of upcoming 5th Sunday rosary service).

This rosary service will be conducted using a finger rosary. Knights will be providing all those in attendance with the finger rosaries and prayer booklets. The booklet includes a section on how to use the finger rosary and the prayers necessary for praying the rosary. Participants may also bring their own rosaries to use during the service.

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882, by the Venerable Father Michael McGivney, a priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn.  With charity as its first principle, the organization has grown to 1.88 million members worldwide.  Last year, the Knights donated more than 173 million and more than 71.5 million hours of service to charitable causes.

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NOTE TO PUBLICITY COORDINATOR: Use this area to add any particular information that you might want to share with local media, including additional contact numbers, web addresses and dates and time that you might be convenient or desirable to run this service.

Send to:

Editor of areas weekly newspaper(s)
Editor of Catholic diocesan paper
Editor of areas daily newspaper(s)
News directors of local cable stations
News directors of the local radio stations
“Bulletin board” or “Community Events” of local cable access
Pastor for inclusion in Parish Bulletin