Operation Loreto: Many gather to safely attend day of prayer focused on faith, family and fraternity

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PROVIDENCE — On Saturday, August 22, in celebration of the feast of the Queenship of Mary, a group of about 60 lay faithful, priests and seminarians gathered at Holy Ghost Church in Providence for Operation Loreto. The event was promoted as a day of prayer, celebrating faith, family and fraternity.
Operation Loreto was organized by several Catholic lay leaders and priests in response to some of the anxiety and unrest in the nation today. The day was entrusted to the care and intercession of Our Lady of Loreto specifically, hence the name. A basilica in Loreto enshrines the "home of Mary," the place where Our Lady would have responded "yes" to the angel Gabriel. Organizers of Operation Loreto felt that Mary's home symbolizes the virtues and values (faith, family, and fraternity) needed to respond to the needs of the day.
The afternoon included a talk by Mother Olga, foundress of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, Eucharistic Adoration, a Eucharistic procession and Mass.
Organizers ensured that all who gathered followed diocesan COVID-19 protocol and mandated/enforced mask wearing inside the church and on procession, except for the priest and those leading a decade of the rosary.