SEATTLE – Hundreds of people will descend upon St. Matthew Church in north Seattle on Oct. 19 to pray the rosary together and, for many, it will be in their native language.

They will participate in the World Mission Rosary, which was introduced in 1951 by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Each decade of the rosary honors a region of the world. 

Praying this rosary, would “aid the Holy Father and his Society for the Propagation of the Faith by supplying him with practical support, as well as prayers, for the poor mission territories of the world,” Archbishop Sheen said.

“Anytime we can bring people in prayer, in community and in service, it’s always a good thing,” said Father Cody Ross, pastor of Parish Family 12, which comprises St. Matthew in Seattle and St. Mark in Shoreline. 

Students from St. Matthew School participate in the World Mission Rosary in 2023. (Photo: Courtesy Prisca Bungiranto)

World Mission Rosary is in its fourth year at St. Matthew. When it started in 2021, around 50 people wearing traditional clothing from their native countries, representing 12 languages, participated, St. Matthew parishioner Prisca Bungiranto said. She started the multi-language rosary at the parish and helps coordinate it with her friend Saowanee Panaram, who is from Thailand. 

“I think it’s like having a conversation with God,” Panaram said of the quiet time and meditation praying the rosary offers. “When I pray, I’m really trusting in my prayer. What I pray for, God will answer.”

In 2022, the number of participants in the World Mission Rosary at St. Matthew increased to around 120 and a multicultural potluck was added, said Bungiranto, who is from Indonesia. 

“They are happy to taste many different meals from all over the world and get to know parishioners they never encountered,” she said. 

Prisca Bungiranto, left, and Saowanee Panaram lead decades of the rosary during the World Mission Rosary at St. Matthew Church in Seattle in 2023. (Photos courtesy Prisca Bungiranto)

Bungiranto got the idea to start the World Mission Rosary in 2020 when she attended the America Needs Fatima rosary, which also takes place in October. She saw someone using a five-colored rosary. 

“I was so mesmerized,” she said of the multicolored rosary. She said she remembers thinking, “What a beautiful rosary.”

That’s when she learned about the World Mission Rosary: Each decade has a different color representing a different region of the world. Yellow is for Asia and the Middle East, blue is for Oceania and Australia, white is for Europe, red is for the Americas and green is for Africa.

Bungiranto notes that the America Needs Fatima rosary is prayed for America while World Mission Rosary is prayed for the world. 

“The more I researched, the more excited I was to have it at St. Matthew Parish,” Bungiranto said. 

She said the 2023 rosary was inspiring. Word about the World Mission Rosary spread to other parishes. Around 180 people from seven parishes, representing 20 languages (including sign language), prayed the rosary at St. Matthew. 

Bungiranto said having so many languages represented is consistent with St. Matthew Parish’s theme: “A parish of many cultures but one faith.” She said she hopes to see more people and languages participate this year. 

JOIN IN

World Mission Rosary
11 a.m. Oct. 19 at St. Matthew Church, 1240 N.E. 127th St., Seattle.

Is your parish hosting a World Mission Rosary? Email [email protected] with the name of your parish and the start time for the rosary, and we’ll include it here so others can join you.