‘We felt that prayer was needed’: Local Catholics say rosary for Ukraine
Shortly after the situation in Ukraine began to be talked about, Catherine Huckaby and Claudia Morgan began to discuss what they could do to help.
The New Iberia residents are both devoted Catholics and graduated from Mount Carmel High School when it was still open in 1971.
“Claudia and I were talking about Ukraine one day and the horror of it all, and we felt that prayer was needed,” Huckaby said.
That discussion led to a bi-weekly practice that the two have been observing for almost two months. Huckaby and Morgan began going to the grotto near the Iberia Parish Library to say a rosary for those affected by the Ukrainian situation, with friends and devoted Catholics participating.
Although the prayer groups, which take place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday, have been small with no more than seven people, Huckaby said the ritual is open to any in the area who would like to be a part of it.
Along with the prayer, candles depicting Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Guadalupe are on display during the prayer. Huckaby said the group usually starts with a prayer of peace to Our Lady of Fatima which is followed by a recitation of the rosary.
The first time the group began a rosary at the grotto, Huckaby said she brought a boombox with an app that said the rosary that those praying could follow along. The group, which usually averages around four people, has since decided to take turns leading for a more personal touch.
“We love the Blessed Virgin, and more people should be more in faith with what she has said about prayer and war,” Huckaby said. “She said to pray the rosary for the end of wars and for peace.”
The grotto used for the bi-weekly rosary was built for the Christ Brothers of St. Peter’s College in 1941 and is a replica of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Lourdes, France. The grotto was restored in 1996 by Mayor Cliff Aucoin and remains a staple of downtown New Iberia.