House of Mary Shrine, Yankton, South Dakota

If two strands are stronger than one, imagine the supernatural power of dozens of people praying the Rosary in one accord and with one intention. Folks at four Catholic churches in Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri don’t need to imagine — they know.

When their men left to fight in World War II, parishioners at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta, Georgia, St. Mary’s Church in St. Benedict, Kansas, St. Mark the Evangelist Church in St. Marks, Kansas, and St. John Church in Leopold, Missouri, also went to war — spiritual war. They gathered weekly, often daily, to pray the Rosary, imploring Mary to cover their soldiers with the mantle of her protection. Nobody knew if or when they would see their loved ones again.

Week after week, year after year, the Rosary warriors prayed. “Spare our husbands, sons, and brothers,” they pleaded, their tears splattering the church floors.