Dear Parishioners of St. Mary's, and all People of Prayer,

We have begun asking the intercession of Mary under her local title, "Our Lady of the Rivers," as of Easter Sunday 2020.

Today, April 13, 2020, the St. Mary's OMV Community visited and prayed at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rivers, and asked her to intercede on behalf of our Parish, all the local parishes, the Riverbend, Portage des Sioux and the entire world.

We promised we would lead a pilgrimage there in thanksgiving for her intercession on our behalf. Please join us in praying a Rosary each day for this intention. Please spread the word and invite others, no matter who they are, or where they are to join us in this prayer.

God bless you all.

Our Lady of the Rivers, Pray for us.

Fr. Jeremy, Fr. Dave, Fr. Ben, Fr. Paul, Br. Leland and Dcn. JIm

The power of prayer

In 1951, the people of Portage des Sioux prayed to be delivered from the rising flood waters of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Their prayers were answered! In fact, the place got its name from the place where the Sioux tribesmen carried (portaged) their canoes over land to escape the grasp of their enemy Missouri warriors. This is a place of deliverance, and it is a place that Mary has proven the power of her intercession!

Join together with all believers in the Riverbend area in asking for the protection and deliverance that Our Lady of the Rivers can obtain for us again, as we face the threat of the coronavirus here.

Every day, as we pray the Rosary, let us offer this prayer to Our Lady of the Rivers. When the danger has passed, we will go together to visit her riverside shrine in a pilgrimage of thanksgiving.

Our prayer

Our Lady of the Rivers,
when the rising waters threatened to overwhelm us,
you came to our rescue,
just as so many years before,
the Sioux escaped certain death
where you now stand.
Hear us, your sons and daughters,
who again cry out in our need.
As the threat of contagion rises like a flood,
steer us by the light of your crown and Rosary
into the Great River of Christ’s Peace and Life,
to the safe harbor of His Sacred Heart,
through whom we beg this deliverance.
Who lives and reigns with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.

How to Pray the Rosary

• Read background and full instructions from Dynamic Catholic here.

• If you cannot join our live rosary (at 3pm until April 20, and at 5:30pm after that), pray along with a straight-forward video of the Rosary from Catholic Crusade.

• In 1951, the flooding Mississippi threatened Portage des Sioux, on the Missouri side of the river just north of us. The local Catholic pastor prayed the Rosary to spare the town, and the flooding came right up to the edge of the town and no farther. The flood waters actually surrounded the town but did damage to only a single building.

• In 1957, after raising funds and building the fiberglass statue in Minnesota, Our Lady of the Rivers was installed at her current position jutting out into the river, where her lighted crown of stars serves as a Private Aid to Navigation. The commemorative statue was a combined effort of people of all religious backgrounds and trades, especially fishermen and boaters.

• The Blessing of the Fleet tradition continues from this point.

• The town of Portage des Sioux is named after the escape of the Sioux tribal warriors from the Missouri warriors who pursued them. The Sioux were able to take shelter along the riverbank as their enemies passed by on the water. The Sioux then traveled over land with their boats and supplies ("portage") to the Missouri river. This escape is commemorated in the name of the town, Portage des Sioux.

For further reading, see Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine historical documents and the  Wikipedia article on Portage des Sioux.