Dupage Policy Journal

A Unite Our Nation rally designed to bring peace, prayer and healing to the nation is scheduled in Naperville on Saturday, Oct. 10.

The gathering will be held at Smykal Free Speech Pavilion at noon and is sponsored by Mother’s Rosary Group.

The Unite Our Nation gathering is a prayerful, non-political event and part of a nationwide movement to bring healing through prayer.

"Straight forward, it is time that we actively bring peace back into our world," Leslie Hetzel, a co-organizer of the event in Naperville, told the DuPage Policy Journal. "The only way to bring peace to this tired and confused world is to bring God back into this world."

"I know there is no other way. So many people are scared, confused, angry, frustrated and just plain lost," Hetzel said. "Look back historically and you can see the simple cause – we allowed God to be kicked out of our lives and everything went crazy from there."

Hetzel said that many people are lost and have no where to turn.

"Everyone is walking around dazed and confused, as if a bomb went off and no one knows what to do," she said. "It's so simple – turn on to our Lord! We need God." 

Hetzel said that the easy part is to know God is a loving and merciful father and "will allow us to wreak havoc with our free will just like parents allowing their child to make his own mistakes and learn the natural consequences until we go too far." 

She added that people have gone too far and the result is a society in a mess, cities are in shambles and only God can fix what has been broken.

Dozens of Unite Our Nation events have been held nationwide. The first gathering occurred two months ago in Wisconsin with more than 3,000 people attending the prayer rally in Madison, as reported by the Wisconsin Catholic Tribune.

Margie Donofrio, the event organizer, said in a press statement, “America is at historic crossroads. God is more offended than ever as people ignore Our Lady’s maternal request to 'stop offending God.' He will hear us if we pray through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. That’s why we’re leading the 2020 Public Square Rosary Crusade.”

The Naperville rally will be lead by clergy and a patriotic rosary for all 50 states will be prayed. 

Unite Our Nation's website states: "Where there’s chaos and crisis, we bring Christ." 

Hetzel said she became involved because "though we can do nothing without God we can do anything with God." 

"(On) Oct. 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, for the sixth time," she said. "The great Miracle of the Sun took place, in the presence of over 70,000 witnesses-believers and unbelievers alike. Even secular newspapers reported the inexplicable miraculous event!  The three children were given a message from Heaven, delivered by The Blessed Mother, regarding events in the world that would occur if mankind did not repent of their sins--all which came true."

The Blessed Mother asked a simple request, Hetzel said: "To amend our lives, and pray the rosary to obtain peace in the world, was all she asked."