Bringing Our Lady’s Rosary Festival to Belfast
A joint apostolate of the Legion of Mary and the Knights of Saint Columbanus
Our Lady’s Rosary Festival is organised by the Legion of Mary and the Knights of Saint Columbanus, working together to spread the Good News and works of mercy across Belfast and beyond.
The festival grew from Belfast’s long-standing Annual Rosary Procession. In 2023, it developed into a week-long festival, with attendance at the procession growing from around 150 in 2022 to more than 800 in 2023.
Since then, the festival has continued to grow and develop each year, bringing new events, speakers and opportunities for prayer to churches and communities across Belfast and beyond. Previous programmes have included family events, talks and testimonies, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, retreats and pilgrimages, all culminating in the Annual Rosary Procession.
Today, the story continues, with another programme of events bringing people together in devotion to Our Lady and, through her, closer to Christ.
The Legion of Mary
Established in Dublin in 1921, the Legion of Mary has long been a pillar of prayer, devotion and evangelisation in Belfast.
With a particular devotion to Our Lady and the Holy Rosary, the Legion has faithfully organised Belfast’s Annual Rosary Procession for decades. This tradition provided the foundation from which Our Lady’s Rosary Festival has grown.
The Knights of Saint Columbanus
Founded in Ireland in 1915, the Knights of Saint Columbanus are a Catholic lay organisation dedicated to faith, charity and service to the Church.
Their motto, Instaurare omnia in Christo, “To restore all things in Christ,” reflects their mission and involvement in Our Lady’s Rosary Festival, helping bring the Catholic faith into the heart of the community.