Catholics walk in faith, enjoy a picnic

Led by servers and children throwing rose petals, members of the Queen of Peace Catholic Church walked down Cloquet Avenue during a processional Sunday to celebrate the feast day of the church's namesake, Jesus's mother, Mary, aka Queen of Peace. Mary intercedes for us and prays for peace, said Father Nick Nelson.

The Queen of Peace priest explained that a processional is a couple things.

"It's kind of like a mini pilgrimage. Our life is a pilgrimage, with the end goal of heaven," Nelson said. "We also think of it like a parade. We don't worship Mary, but we honor her like we would honor a winning team. Mary is the greatest of all disciples, the greatest of all saints. We want to be like her in the way she followed Christ so closely."

Parishioners sang hymns about Mary as they walked in the processional and responded to a litany to Mary, that involved the priest listing dozens of different names for Mary, including Mother of Church, Mother of Hope, Virgin Most Powerful, Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Queen of Angels, Queen of Families and more.

"Each name emphasizes a different aspect of her maternal care," Nelson said. "Jesus gave her to all of us as mother. And so we honor her as our mother."

After services the parish members gathered at Pinehurst Park for a picnic, bounce houses, volleyball and other fun on a perfect weather day.

"It's a great time for family and community in our parish," Nelson said.