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Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage

A National Pilgrimage Devoted to Christ and Our Lady

Dominican Friars

Introducing the 2025 Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage Speakers

Each year, the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage invites the faithful to draw closer to Christ through the preaching, prayer, and liturgy of the Order of Preachers. This year’s pilgrimage features a gifted team of friars who exemplify the Dominican charism. Fr. Austin Dominic Litke, O.P., serves as the principal preacher, bringing the wisdom of the Church Fathers to life through his preaching. Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., will offer the homily at Mass, drawing from years of pastoral experience and theological depth. And Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P., the Province’s newly appointed Promoter of the Holy Rosary, will serve as the main celebrant, guiding pilgrims in prayer and leading us to a deeper devotion to Mary.

FrLitke

Fr. Austin Dominic Litke, O.P.
Principal Preacher

Fr. Austin Litke, O.P., is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph. He was ordained a priest in 2011 and has served as chaplain to patients at Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital in New York city as well as to students at New York University. He earned a doctorate in Patristic Theology from the Pontifical Patristics Institute of the Lateran University in Rome and has taught at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum) in Rome as well as the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. He is currently a professor in the Department of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. This Fall, he will move to Rome to teach at the Angelicum. Fr. Austin is a member of the Hillbilly Thomists.

Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P.

Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P.
Promoter of the Holy Rosary & Main Celebrant

Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P. entered the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in 2010. He made his solemn profession on August 9, 2014 and was ordained a priest on May 21, 2016. In the spring of 2010 he graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a Bachelor of Arts and subsequently received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Masters of Divinity from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Joseph-Anthony served as the chaplain to Catholic Hoos at the University of Virginia from 2017-2024. In 2025 he began to serve as the Promoter of the Rosary for the Province of St. Joseph and Associate Director of the Dominican Friars Foundation. He is a co-host of the Godsplaining podcast alongside three of his Dominican classmates. Over the years he has worked in overseeing large-scale liturgies which include World Youth Day Krakow, USCCB Convocation, Fr. Emil Kapaun Homecoming, Amazing Parish conferences, and the National Eucharistic Congress. A native of St. Clairsville, OH, he is the youngest of three.

FrHofer

Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P.
Homilist

Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., is Ordinary Professor and Editor-in-Chief of The Thomist at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Dominican House of Studies and Master of Students for the deacons of the Province of St. Joseph at St. Dominic Priory in Washington, DC. Previously he served as a parochial vicar in Rhode Island, a missionary in Nairobi, Kenya, a doctoral student at the University of Notre Dame, and formator at the Dominican House of Studies. He is an author of many publications including The Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh, Magnificat’s Way of the Cross and Rosary for a Eucharistic Revival, and he co-authored A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life and Our Father: Our Prayer of Hope. He enjoys preaching on the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A 9-Month Novena for the third annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage

The Dominican Friars of the Province St. Joseph are beginning a 9-month novena to pray for the success of the third annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. 

The 9-month novena begins on Saturday, January 25, 2025, and will be prayed every last Saturday of the month for nine months. The friars want the faithful to join them again  in praying for the success of this year’s Rosary Pilgrimage and encourage people to visit rosarypilgrimage.org to get the novena prayer card sent to them and to view monthly video reflections on the Rosary.

Last year’s Rosary Pilgrimage, held in September at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., “was another great success,” said Fr. John Paul Kern, O.P., Executive Director of the Dominican Friars Foundation, “and we want this pilgrimage to bring more and more people together each year to deepen devotion to Our Lady and her Rosary, to pray with the friars and to lead many souls to Jesus through Mary.” 

The second annual pilgrimage brought 3,200 Catholics from across the country together for a day with great preaching by the friars, praying of the Rosary, Adoration,  and Holy Mass. At the end of the day-long pilgrimage at the Basilica, pilgrims were treated to an evening concert on the lawn of The Catholic University of America by the Hillbilly Thomists, who were wrapping up their summer tour with their new album, Marigold.

“There have been so many graces received on this day of Pilgrimage two years in a row now and Our Lady wants to continue to give us these graces this next year,” said Fr. John Paul. “So, begin praying with us now, every last Saturday of the month, for the success of the third annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, and then join us for the next Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage on September 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C.”

Meet the Authors: Book Signing at the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage

During the lunch break on September 28th, make sure to visit the bookstore for an exclusive book signing event as part of the second annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. This is your chance to meet several Dominican friars and have their books signed personally. Don’t miss out—books will also be available for purchase, so you can add these Dominican written works to your shelf.

Meet the Authors

Fr James Brent O.P 1500

Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Father James Dominic Brent, O.P., is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph. Born and raised in Michigan, he completed his doctorate in Philosophy from St. Louis University and licentiate in Theology from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC where he now teaches. He frequently lectures for the Thomistic Institute and Aquinas 101. Fr. Brent’s new podcast Contemplata is born from years of traveling the world lecturing, preaching retreats, and meeting increasingly more people who hunger to know God more deeply in contemplative prayer. He is the author of The Father’s House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity (Pauline Books, 2023). Fr. Brent was the homilist at last year’s Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage.

Fr. Patrick Briscoe O.P

Fr. Patrick Briscoe, O.P.
Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., was ordained to the priesthood in 2016. He is currently the editor of Our Sunday Visitor. A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fr. Patrick joined the Order of Preachers after graduating from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he studied philosophy and French. In previous assignments, Fr. Patrick has served as a parish priest and college chaplain. He is the author, with his Dominican brother Fr. Jacob-Bertrand Janczyk, O.P., of St. Dominic’s Way of Life: A Path to Knowing and Loving God (Our Sunday Visitor, 2021), and the OSV seasonal devotional My Daily Visitor. Fr. Patrick co-hosts the Godsplaining podcast.

Fr. Gregory Pine O.P

Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.
From Pennsylvania, Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. He previously served as the Assistant Director of Campus Outreach for the Thomistic Institute in Washington, DC, and associate pastor of St. Louis Bertrand Catholic Church in Louisville, KY where he also taught at Bellarmine University. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of dogmatic theology at the Dominican House of Studies and an Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute. He is a contributor on the Pints with Aquinas show, a co-host of Godsplaining and the Catholic Classics podcast. Fr. Gregory is the author of Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly (Our Sunday Visitor, 2022) and co-author with Matt Fradd of  Marian Consecration With Aquinas: A Nine Day Path for Growing Closer to the Mother of God (TAN Books, 2020). Fr. Gregory was the principal preacher at last year’s Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage.

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Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.
Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., is the Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome. He is the author of various books and articles including Wisdom in the Face of Modernity: A Study in Thomistic Natural Theology (Sapientia Press, 2011), The Incarnate Lord, A Thomistic Study in Christology (The Catholic University of America Press, 2015) Exodus (Brazos Press, 2016), The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism (Catholic University Press, 2017), and The Trinity: On the Nature and Mystery of the One God (Catholic University Press, 2022). He is co-editor of the journal Nova et Vetera, a Distinguished Scholar of the McDonald Agape Foundation, and a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Participate in the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage

As we approach the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, we are filled with a deep sense of anticipation and devotion for Our Lady.. For those who cannot join us in person this year, there are still meaningful ways to participate and experience the graces from the Pilgrimage.

Human beings, as pilgrims on a journey from earth to heaven, find profound spiritual benefit in the practice of pilgrimage, which serves as a reminder of our eternal destination. This tradition is exemplified by Christ Himself, who journeyed through various lands and ultimately to Calvary and ascended to heaven.

The Rosary, a prayer that reflects Christ’s own pilgrimage and encompasses aspects of human life, serves as the ideal spiritual companion for our pilgrim state. The Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, beginning with a nine-month novena and culminating in a national event on September 28th at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, integrates this spiritual practice with a communal pilgrimage, inviting participants to unite their journey with the devotional power of the Rosary.

Each aspect of this pilgrimage is a chance to grow in holiness and strengthen our relationship with God.

Ways to Participate

  1. Commit to Prayer: Even if you are or aren’t attending the Pilgrimage in person, you can be part of the Pilgrimage through prayer. Dedicate time to pray the Rosary daily, especially on the day of the Pilgrimage.
  2. Share the Pilgrimage with Friends and Family: Invite others to join in the journey by sharing information about the Pilgrimage and encouraging them to participate in praying the Rosary.
  3. Receive Indulgences: A plenary indulgence is granted if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory. See here for the general conditions.

Join Us Through the Livestream

For those unable to be physically present, we invite you to join us via livestream. On the day of the Pilgrimage, you can access the livestream here on our website. Additionally, by subscribing to our email list, you will receive a direct link to the livestream, allowing you to participate in the Pilgrimage from wherever you are.

The Rosary: A Private or Public Devotion

In 1961 Venerable Patrick Peyton gathered 550,000 people in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to pray the most holy Rosary. This was a tremendous victory for promoting the praying of the Rosary as well as family prayer. Ven. Patrick Peyton was known for the maxim, “the family who prays together stays together.” He believed that the praying of the Rosary would bring so many graces into family life. Since that day in 1961 though, devotions like the Rosary have been argued to remain as private devotions so as to not shove religion into people’s faces and cause them discomfort.

This begs the question, what kind of devotion is the Rosary? It seems like the Rosary has a private devotional life for people. People pray it when they’re on their way to work, when they’re in eucharistic adoration, when they’re in a time of great need, and many other times. There is an intimacy involved in the Rosary that is brought about by private recitation. A person can come to know the Blessed Virgin Mary through the Rosary. Still, more importantly, a person can come to know Jesus Christ more intimately through the Rosary. The private recitation of the Rosary allows one to reflect on the words and mysteries they are praying at their own pace. All of these are good things, but do they warrant the keeping of the Rosary as a private devotion?

The Rosary has another dimension to it that can only be seen when it is prayed in common. The Church offers a plenary indulgence for those who “devoutly recite the Marian Rosary in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, or an association of the faithful, and in general when several of the faithful gather for some honest purpose” (Manual of Indulgences). Ven. Patrick Peyton also asked families to pray the Rosary together, and not in their own separate rooms. What is it about the public or group recitation of the Rosary that is different from the private recitation?

Praying the Rosary in a group gives a person the opportunity to enter into the 3 vows religious brothers and sisters take of poverty, chastity, and obedience. A person enters into obedience by following the pace of the group praying. The pace may be slower or faster than what a person is used to. A person enters into poverty by losing control of how the group might be praying the Rosary. There might be devotions that a group adds to the praying of the Rosary that a person may not think are necessary, but this is how that group has come to pray the Rosary. A person enters into chastity through the mind while praying the Rosary. St. Thomas would call this spiritual chastity. He says that if the human mind delights in union with God, and not union with things contrary to God, this is spiritual chastity.

The public praying of the Rosary can also evangelize the world. This is why St. Pope Paul VI said that the Rosary is the “compendium of the gospel.” The general life of Christ can be explained with these simple beads that we use to pray and those beads are a helpful tool to explain to those who do not believe in Christ.

To conclude, the Rosary cannot be contained to being either just a private devotion nor can it be contained to being just a public devotion. It is both. The Rosary has transformed many people into saints. And the Rosary has the power to transform us into the saints that God has made us be.

This article was written by Br. Jerome Masters, O.P..

Photo by John Osterhoudt.