Fall River – Members of the Fall River Diocese are invited to join Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., in the annual Procession and Mass for Peace on Monday, October 8, 2018, the Columbus Day holiday.

Participants in the procession should meet no later than 5:30 p.m. in the area of St. Anne Church, across from Kennedy Park on South Main Street, to march approximately one-half mile to St. Mary’s Cathedral. The procession will begin at 6:00 p.m. Marchers will carry candles, recite the rosary and sing Marian hymns in various languages.

At 7 p.m., Bishop da Cunha will celebrate the Mass for Peace at St. Mary’s Cathedral, located at the corner of Second and Spring Streets. The Bishop will be homilist at the liturgy.

The Mass for Peace will last about one to one and one-half hours, with the entire ceremony concluding around 8:30 p.m.

Those who are disabled or handicapped should proceed directly to St. Mary’s Cathedral, where a special area will be designated for them.

The Columbus Day Procession and Mass for Peace is a long tradition in the Fall River Diocese. It was first held in 1975 especially to pray for peace in Portugal but its emphasis has since broadened to include peace and justice worldwide. The Columbus Day holiday was chosen as the day for the event as it falls near and sometimes on the October 13th Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, commemorating the last in a series of appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three Portuguese children during the year 1917.

Diocese of Fall River
Diocese of Fall River
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