The Council of Catholic Women of the Archdiocese of Washington (CCW-ADW) is hosting a nightly teleconference recitation of the rosary for healing in the Church and healing during this time of worry about COVID-19.

The phone rosary includes praying the appropriate day's mystery, recitation of the Angelus, reciting the prayer composed by Pope Francis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and a novena. Volunteers lead the rosary and those who phone in respond.

“We know that every prayer matters, and every prayer counts,” said Carol Monaco, spirituality committee chairman for the CCC-ADW, the Washington province director for the national council, and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bethesda, Maryland.

Monaco said that people who wish to join in praying the rosary - which is prayed seven nights a week at 8 p.m. - can call 605-468-8016 and then punch in the access code 357090# when prompted.

At a time when Masses and other liturgical events have been temporarily canceled in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus, joining in the telephone rosary helps foster a sense of unity, Monaco said.

“We like hearing each other's voices during this time of social distancing. The idea is to hear each other pray to feel a unity, to feel a connection,” she said. “The people who have been on the call find it very comforting and there is a friendship, a bond that has developed even though we have never seen each other.”

The teleconference recitation of the rosary began in 2018, Mondays through Saturdays, as a way for praying for the Church during the recent clergy sex abuse scandal.

“When President Trump announced the national day of prayer (for March 15) we extended it to seven days a week,” Monaco explained. “The response has been heartwarming.”

“I'm such a strong believer in the rosary. There are so many blessings and graces you can get from praying the rosary,” Monaco said. “There are so many healing graces from prayer and faith that come into play when you deal with a situation like this.”

Monaco said that since “we begin the rosary promptly at 8 p.m.,” people should dial 605-468-8016 and enter the code 357090# when prompted about five minutes before the start of the rosary.