Pray Schwiiz!
Rosary around Switzerland
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know where the places of prayer will be?
The primary source of information for our Prayer Event is our website- www.prayschwiiz.ch. One of the pages found on this site is a map of Switzerland, and all registered prayer sites are highlighted. One can left click the prayer site drop pin and you will be shown contact information of someone whom you can contact regarding the particulars of this prayer site.
How does the program work on the day of Prayer?
Each prayer site has an independent organizer and team who will put together a local program following the general outline given to them by Pray Schwiiz! As this event is based upon “intercessory” prayer, its four basic elements will be present at all locations: praise and adoration, thanksgiving, repentance, and pray of intercession. It is during this last step where the rosary will be prayed for the intentions of the day.
How long does the program last?
This depends completely upon the program of each site. In the most simple of programs, the prayers and rosary would take no more than one-half hour. For a dedicated program, it should be finished within one and one-half hours. Again, this will vary site to site. Check with the site organizer for more details.
Why on this date?
We wanted to have this prayer event during a Marian month, so that limited it to May or October. When we first started this program, May was too soon for us to prepare the whole program, so that left October. Next, we wanted to hold the prayer event on a weekend, preferably a Sunday. And, as we adjusted our program per the wisdom of the Bishops and Abbots of the Swiss Church, it turns out there really was only one day in October that fits into the schedule at Einsiedeln. So with these thoughts in mind, the first Sunday in October was chosen. Providentially, this day happens to be near the great Marian Feast Day- Our Lady of the Rosary! While this day is in the middle of a holiday season for some, we pray this will even increase participation. We turn it over to our dear Lord.
Are all the activities in a Church?
In most cases, yes, but by no means all. Each site will have its own program, and many are planning a rosary procession. Many others may elect to choose a site outdoors and pray the rosary there.
The three prayer requests- for our country and its people, the world and the Church are good, but there are so many other things we should be praying for as well. Why don’t we pray for these other items as well?
Yes, there are many, many other reasons to pray. However, Pray Schwiiz! has founded this prayer event on the principle of giving everything that might come from our prayers to Our Lady without constraints. (We are not going to tell her, please fix this and that and that, and oh, this problem over here, you must do something! Mother knows better than we, so let’s give everything to her.) And, she in turn will give all our prayers to our dear God. He knows our problems (and much better than we think we do) and He knows what we need, again, much better than we. We want to pray for His godly help, to pray for however He wishes to move for our own good. He is the Creator, we are the creatures. He is God, we are his people. It is with full expectant faith, joy and trust we turn everything over to Our Lady and through her to our Dear God.
The rosary is the primary pray of the day, why? I don’t really know how to pray the rosary, what am I to do?
The rosary is the prayer of choice in today’s world. When we pray the rosary the Mother of God joins in with us (because it is her prayer after all) and adds to it through her intercession to make it perfect so it can truly be offered to God. While not specifically dealt with in the website, there are numerous faithful places to go on the web to get more information. But, the best source would be your fellow pray warriors that day. Just ask, they’ll be most pleased by your request, and we are sure there will be more than a few extra rosaries around that day, and one just for you.
I‘m confused, of course I love Mother Mary, but shouldn’t we just be praying to God directly?
This is always a great question many sincere people have. Consider this- I think you would agree we are all sinful people, we are not living the lives God created us for. Of course, we are trying to be better, a work in process you might say. Well, how powerful will our prayers be coming from one in such a condition? We suggest they are more or less only as good as we are (which we already figured out as not being particularly saint like). Yes, they will have some merit, but not nearly as much as they could if we were better Christians. How then can we make our prayers more powerful and pleasing to our God given our current state? Well if we route them through Our Lady, she’ll polished them up and add to them where lacking before giving them to our God. And, who knows God better than Mother; after all she is the most favored daughter of the Father, the mother of Jesus and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. Mother knows best.
Who is Pray Schwiiz! and who organized Rosary around Switzerland? Was it the Church?
Pray Schwiiz! is the work a number of faithful lay apostolate movements and people who have been inspired to come together to bring about this day we call Rosary around Switzerland. While the Catholic Church through it religious are very involved in the programs at the various places of prayer, the hierarchy of the Church has not been involved in planning this event although we have had wonderful conversations and support of the religious of Switzerland. Numerous blessings have been given for this event and these can be found on the home page. As more support comes in, we shall so update the website.
I am not Catholic, but I would like to join in praying for these worthwhile requests of God. Can I?
While unabashedly Catholic, we cordially welcome any person of good will (Luke 2:14b) to join in our prayers. We acknowledge that the Rosary is not part of the prayer tradition of all Christian communities, much less those of other faiths. If you are unfamiliar with our prayers in general and the Rosary specifically, and/or what is happening, just ask someone. Tell them you would like to understand more. We are confident you will be greeted with a warm smile and answers that are useful to you. Thanks in advance for coming!
This might sound strange, but what kind of atmosphere might one expect at Rosary around Switzerland?
First of all, we pray the mood will be, well, prayerful. We are not out on a Sunday’s sporting event. However, while we are all coming together to pray for some very serious reasons, no one should be overly serious. A telling mark of a Christian is joy. We all should be extraordinarily joyful we have a loving, caring God who will answer our heartfelt prayers. So, pray with your full heart, filled with love, joy and expectant faith. And bring a smile, it is contagious.
This “rosary around” idea is absolutely terrific. Who came up with this idea?
Credit for the idea of Rosary around Switzerland must be given others in a number of different countries. The first event of this type, to our knowledge, was in Poland in October 2017. It is reported that up to one-million people participated praying the rosary that day in Poland.
In 2018 there were a number of countries that had “Rosary on the Coast”/”Rosary on the Border” prayer events- the UK, Ireland, Malta, Guam and the United States and maybe more. A number of these groups graciously shared with us their experiences in order that Rosary around Switzerland might be an even greater success.
OK, this day will be great, but only once? Don’t you think we need to do this again?
Right you are. And, with the support of the good people of Switzerland, we pray this will be at an annual event.
One final question, I am not originally from Switzerland and maybe this is a Swiss “thing,” but where did your name Pray Schwiiz! come from? Sounds strange to me.
And, you are right once again, it is a takeoff of a Swiss “thing.” Whenever you hear our people cheer for the Swiss team in an international event you will hear “Hopp Schwiiz!” or translated “Go Switzerland!” Our group wanted to capture a sense of excitement in our name, so we modified the phrase to suit our purpose. Additionally, in this country of so many official languages, “Schwiiz” belongs to none of them specifically, but rather to all of us in this God blessed country we call home.
Well that raises one more “last” question, why the use of English words in the promotion design. We don’t speak English in Switzerland.
That is precisely why English was used. No single language can capture all peoples of Switzerland, and we wanted this prayer event to welcome all peoples. English was chosen as a “neutral” language, showing preference to no one group/region in Switzerland, but is widely understood, at least a few words of it, by many, many citizens. Now that I think of it, we could have chosen Latin. Maybe next time.
