- Justin Haggerty | The Daily Knight
After success in Atlanta, Procession of Hearts prepares for All Saints Day
Faithful Catholics process through Piedmont Park, Atlanta (Procession of Hearts)
On Saturday, August 15th, faithful Catholics from across Atlanta gathered in Piedmont Park for the Procession of Hearts to pray the Holy Rosary and consecrate the city and Georgia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart of Jesus. With increasing support and interest, the team turns their site towards All Saints Day for the next procession in Atlanta.
By His grace, the procession was far more successful that we could have hoped for. The crowd was diverse, motivated, and composed of parishioners from at least a dozen different parishes in the Archdioceses. With just under one hundred participating Catholics, the procession through Piedmont Park was very pleasant, even considering the rain, as we prayed all three mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Unfortunately, no priests or religious joined the procession, which was likely caused by disinformation and a malicious rumor that the SSPX was organizing the Procession of Hearts, making it easier for the Archdiocese to distance itself from the event in case of any violence or political blow-back. On the contrary, all correspondence and information about the procession always illustrated that it was organized and led by lay Catholics. Although Archbishop Hartmayer retracted an earlier memo and clarified to the Archdiocese that the procession was organized by faithful Catholics “in good standing with the Church,” the damage was already done.
The organizers and participants of the Procession of Hearts are graciously thankful for the Archbishop’s clarification and offering of prayers for the event. We will continue to request for His Excellency’s blessing, support, and participation in future processions.
During the planning and preparing for the Procession of Hearts, our team jumped through multiple hurdles and navigated several attempts to derail the operation. The malicious attempts to grow a wedge and sow tension between groups, can only be described as the “smoke of satan.” We are aware of his sinister schemes in society and the Church, but our team was unprepared for the attacks to have originated so close to home.
Nevertheless, the sacrifices and battles (both temporal and spiritual) are worth engaging in. Our society, manipulated by political leaders and special interests, has fully embraced modernism, the synthesis of all heresies, and rejected God. American cities have plunged into turmoil and violence, fostering a climate that opposes justice, property, and faith.
Many Catholic communities are debating whether to remain silent and respond with their votes in November or mobilize and fight back. We chose the latter, and our answer was to organize the Procession of Hearts, to unite in prayer and lead Our Lord and Lady through downtown Atlanta.
Thanks be to God that we are not alone in this fight. Some Ordinaries like Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, TX have been very outspoken against the rise of socialism and marxism in the 2020 election cycle. Furthermore, while we processed in Atlanta, Archbishop Jerome J. Listecki of Milwaukee and Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison partnered with lay Catholics to lead the Unite Wisconsin procession and carry the Blessed Sacrament to the state capitol building, as a proclamation that Our Lord is the answer to society’s problems and divisions.
2,000 faithful Catholics process behind the Blessed Sacrament during the Unite Wisconsin procession in Madison. (Photo by Joseph M. Hanneman)
Bishop Hying, in an interview with Catholic World Report, stated that “every time the world has faced suffering, violence, every time the people are filled with fear, the Church has brought out the Eucharist and processed the Eucharist in the streets – in procession because we know it is the power of this Eucharistic Christ that can bring about the fullness of what each human heart seeks, and that is union with God.”
His Grace could not have said it more eloquently; we must unite our hearts with the Eucharistic Heart, which unites us all in Christ. What occurred in Wisconsin is rare in today’s Church. It is a shame that we do not have every diocese and bishop processing to bring the Lord to His sheep.
Our team is now in better contact with chancery staff and the vicar general for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. We have been told that the chancery staff are extremely interested and supportive of the efforts to organize more processions, for which we pray that the Archbishop responds embracingly to our recent letter and invitation for All Saints Day.
On the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1st, 2020, the Procession of Hearts will gather at Piedmont Park, to pray the Holy Rosary and reaffirm our spiritual request to consecrate Atlanta and Georgia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
All Saints Day presents the next best opportunity to gather as faithful Catholics; and, we can make it very spiritually fruitful for participants by calling on the intercession of the saints in heaven. Like before, the team agrees to remain humble and return to Piedmont Park for the next procession. Beyond November, there is great interest to process on December 12th, 2020 within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception and for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Moving ahead, let us continue to unite our hearts with Our Lady and Lord, along with His angels and saints, to destroy all hate and division in the United States. Join the Procession of Hearts, on the Solemnity of All Saints, to process with the Holy Rosary, unite our hearts to the Eucharistic Heart of the Church, and consecrate our cities and states to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We pray that the Lord encourages many other cities and towns to join us across America; contact us to organize a Procession of Hearts in your diocese.
Atlanta Procession of Hearts Information
Date: Solemnity of All Saints, Sunday, November 1st, 2020
Time: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Location: The Greenswards, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Parking: Botanical Gardens Parking Structure, Level 1
Who: Lay Catholics (Family Friendly), Priests, and Religious
What to Bring: Rosaries and Statues or Icons of your Saints
COVID-19 Precautions: Maintain 6ft Distance, Recommend Masks, Hand Sanitizer, etc.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/processionofhearts
Email: processionofhearts@gmail.com
In Christ Crucified and the Most Victorious Heart of Jesus.
