Over 20 Catholic students knelt on the steps of the Administration Building on Oct. 7 for a period of public prayer celebrating the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Students gathered as early as 7:25 p.m. before praying all 20 decades of the rosary, a set of prayer beads commonly used by Catholics to reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

The Administration Building steps were adorned with candles and religious iconography, including framed images of Jesus, Mary and St. Maximilian Kolbe.

The event concluded with a prayer of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, during which students prayed for “all the students and staff of Texas A&M University.” Following the consecration, the group took a photo together on the steps, passed out Miraculous Medals and dispersed around 9:30 p.m.

The event was organized by the College Station branch of the Militia of the Immaculata, or MI, a Catholic association founded by Kolbe in 1917 that continues today in individual chapters throughout the world.

In the mission statement on its website, the MI writes that it aims “To win the whole world for Christ through the Immaculata, Mother of God and of the Church.”

The MI chapter at Texas A&M is led by nuclear physics Ph.D. student and President Anthony Lestone. Lestone believes dedication to Mary is an important devotion for members of the Catholic faith, as Catholicism acknowledges Mary’s role in the salvation of souls.

“So, at the foot of the cross, Christ said to the Apostle John, ‘Behold your mother,’ and the Catholic Church understands that to mean it’s not just the Apostle John,” Lestone said. “Christ gave Mary as a spiritual mother to all Catholics, and she can act as an intercessor for us to pray for us to God.”

Lestone explained that Kolbe’s explicit goal for the MI was to convert the whole world to Catholicism, which is primarily accomplished through devout prayer.

“So that’s what we’re doing here,” Lestone said. “Our goal is to make everyone at Texas A&M Catholics.”

Biological & agricultural engineering senior John Leary, the vice president of A&M’s MI chapter, explained that everyone at A&M was in their hearts that night. 

“We’re praying that Our Lady, through her Immaculate Heart, will guide all the students, professors, administrators, faculty, staff [and] everyone involved with Texas A&M University … to virtue, guide them to true faith and guide them to all that is good,” Leary said.

Despite the resignation of former President Mark A. Welsh III, protests for academic freedom and other controversial campus events, Leary explained that the prayer demonstration had no correlation with recent headlines.

“We’re asking for [Mary’s] protection in general,” Leary said. “It doesn’t have to do with any tensions at all.”

Lestone said that the occasion was planned to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, a day celebrated by Catholics as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. When the Ottoman Empire challenged the Holy League at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, everything was at stake for Catholicism, Lestone explained.

“The Pope ordered that the full rosary be prayed throughout all of Christendom, so that’s Rome and all of Europe, for this battle, because otherwise Rome was going to be sacked, and it would be effectively the end of the Catholic Church,” Lestone said. “So, everyone prayed the rosary, and the battle was won, and Catholicism survived. So, that’s the origin of today’s feast day.”

Philosophy junior Nick Cardone praised MI members for organizing the event and expressed the importance of publicly exhibiting their faith.

“I think coming here to do this is a nice public expression of our faith and showing our love for all those here at A&M to enter into the Catholic faith, and I think it’s a beautiful testimony to our love of our neighbors here,” Cardone said.

Although not officially associated with the MI’s demonstration of public prayer, St. Mary’s Catholic Center held Mass on the steps of the Administration Building on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m.

“Prayer, it’s how you talk to God,” Leary said. “And a life without a relationship with God is barely life at all, and growing in virtue, that’s how you live life with God. … Living virtuously is living well. How you treat others and how you act in society matters about as much as your prayer life as well.”