KIRKLAND — After attending morning Mass on the Feast of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 15, members of Holy Family Parish stepped outside in the August heat to pray a “living rosary.”

About 100 parishioners at Holy Family Parish in Kirkland gathered to pray a “living rosary” after morning Mass on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 15. (Courtesy Holy Family Parish)

About 100 parishioners met in the plaza between the church and social hall, gathering around a statue of Mary that was surrounded by flowers. They divided into five groups, each representing a decade of the rosary, and prayed the glorious mysteries. Father Bryan Dolejsi, Holy Family’s pastor, announced each mystery, and a cantor sang “Ave Maria” after every decade. 

Seeing each other in formation makes parishioners “feel more unified,” said Jodi Ruhl, who helped organize the living rosary. “It becomes more alive and real.”

Although the sorrowful mysteries are usually prayed on Tuesdays, the glorious mysteries seemed appropriate on the Feast of the Assumption, Ruhl said.

Holy Family’s Forever Young group for parishioners 50 and older first organized the living rosary in 2015.

“We wanted to bring the devotion of Mary to everyone,” Ruhl said. Although other Marian feast days were considered, the parish’s living rosary always takes place on the Feast of the Assumption because the weather is usually best then, she explained.

Following the rosary, people enjoyed snacks — and lots of cold water to beat the heat, she added.