Lifting Up the NYPD in Prayer

By Katie McFadden

On Saturday, November 22, a group of NYPD Prayer Warriors surrounded the 100th Precinct to lift the officers there and all across the city in prayer as they face whatever challenges they may encounter as members of New York’s Finest.

Earlier this month, Mary Ruane of the Rosary group at St. Helen Church in Howard Beach, wanted to help boost the spirits of and offer support for the city’s police officers by praying the Rosary over nearby precincts. She reached out to Phyllis Inserillo, president of the Howard Beach Civic and Chief of Staff to Councilwoman Joann Ariola, for assistance and the effort has now become a city­wide mission. So far, the NYPD Prayer Warriors have prayed the rosary over the 106th and 102nd Precincts in Howard Beach and Richmond Hill, and on Saturday, the group came to the 100th Precinct on Beach 94th Street to do the same, inviting members of the community to join.

The group hung large signs saying, “God Bless and Protect Our Police” and “St. Michael, protect our police so that they can protect us!” on the outside of the precinct and brought a statue of St. Michael, standing above an NYPD badge, as each member held rosary beads and prayed through word and song. At the end of the ceremony, Ruane said, “We pray and offer our support so that our officers don’t lose hope, no matter what,” and shared a story of a recent conversation she had with an officer who told her that he felt hopeless. “I feel so bad for him. I don’t want him to feel he has no hope,” she said.

The NYPD Prayer Warriors will continue to say the Rosary over every precinct in the city, with plans to head to the 101st Precinct sometime next month.