On Oct. 12, for the first time in recent memory, a public recitation of the rosary will be led by the bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu.

The “Festive Rosary in Honor of the 90th Anniversary of the Last Appearance of Our Lady of Fatima” will start at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace with Bishop Larry Silva presiding.

Bishop Silva said the idea for the event began with a discussion with Deacon Andrew Gerakas, who has written a book on the rosary and formed a rosary sodality.

“As a way of promoting the daily recitation of the rosary, I thought it might be helpful if I presided over a public recitation,” the bishop said. “As I looked for an appropriate date, I could think of none more appropriate than the 90th anniversary of the last appearance of Our Lady of Fatima, since her message itself promoted the rosary.”

When he was on sabbatical in Rome in 1991 as a priest of the Diocese of Oakland, then-Father Silva attended several public recitations of the rosary by Pope John Paul II and remembers feeling uplifted by them. Pope John Paul II would often pray the rosary in public and broadcast it on Vatican Radio the first Saturday of each month.

Office of Worship director Sacred Hearts Sister Helene Wood said that the Oct. 12 rosary recitation will begin with the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Silva will then say the opening rosary prayers and each decade will be followed by a Marian hymn.

The evening will conclude with Compline, or Night Prayer, from the Liturgy of the Hours.

“It’s another avenue, another way in witnessing to Jesus very much in keeping with the bishop’s motto,” Sister Helene said.

“I would like to promote any solid Catholic devotion, because these can help us all grow in holiness,” Bishop Silva said. “The rosary is certainly one of the finest of our Catholic devotions.”

The Blessed Mother appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, between May and October 1917. On the day of the final apparition, Oct. 13, the Miracle of the Sun took place, in which the sun seemed to spin in the sky, a phenomenon visible to the thousands present.

On Oct. 13, the actual 90th anniversary of the final appearance, a lay group will lead a public square rosary crusade at Thomas Square in Honolulu from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Another group is also planning public rosaries that day at church locations.