Statue of Our Lady, who appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima , Portugal , in 1917.

"Simple yet profound, (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary) still remains… a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness," Pope John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter on devotion to the Virgin Mary in 2002.

In 2007, May 1, hundreds of parishioners gathered at the Church of the Risen Christ to pray this simple yet profound prayer in a special Mass and a candlelight procession, in honour of our Blessed Lady.

Candles were distributed to all parishioners before the Mass began. At 6.30pm, the Shalom Choir led the congregation to sing the opening hymn, as the Altar boys, the Communion Ministers and Fr Loiseau entered the church and walked towards the Altar.

Beside the Altar stood the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, exquisitely decorated with small white and pink flowers, leaves and peach-orange roses.

In his homily, Fr Loiseau emphasized the importance of praying the Rosary. He asked everyone to contemplate that like Mary, we too should say, "We are the servants of the Lord."

After the Holy Communion, the Wardens lifted the Statue of Our Lady, then carried it out of the church to the hymn of "Hail, Queen of Heaven”.

The Rosary procession began. The congregation followed behind, and lit up their candles once they stepped out of the church.

The Statue of Our Lady was carried out, to mark the beginning of the procession.	It only takes a spark to get the candles lit, and going.	The Altar boys lead the candlelight procession around the church.

During the procession around the church compound, the hundreds present prayed solemnly. The Hail Marys were recited in English, Mandarin and Tamil, with "Ave Maria" and other songs sung after every decade of the Rosary by The Indian Catholic Movement Choir and the Shalom Choir.

At the grotto, the final blessing was given. Soon the parishioners flocked to the Statue of Our Lady, while the Wardens distributed the flowers from the Statue's decoration to them.

Age and gender know no boundary in devotion to pray the Rosary.	At the final stop, the grotto, the final blessing was given.	A Warden shares some flowers with other parishioners.

The Rosary procession ended at around 8.30pm, but our devotion to the Virgin Mary continues. In this Marian month of May, let us keep the spirit to serve and be faithful to the Lord like Mary. Let us continue our devotion in praying the Rosary – a prayer for peace, a prayer for family, a treasure to be rediscovered*.

* from Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary), 2002.

The Rosary is an echo of the prayer of Mary, through which the faithful receive abundant grace*.