Q: When should I arrive?
A: Gates open for parking at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, so arrive any time after that. Opening ceremonies will begin at 12:00 noon, so don't wait until the last minute to get there! Parking, gate check-in, and getting to your seat takes a little time.
Q: Where is the entrance to Hughes Stadium?
A: The stadium entrance is on Panther Parkway, off of Sutterville Road. Please see the map on the "Location & Schedule" page for a visual guide.
Q: Is there sufficient parking?
A: Yes. When you enter the main entrance on Panther Parkway, you will be directed to show your pre-paid parking ticket (on your smart phone or printed paper). You will then be directed to an available parking lot.
Q: Are tickets required for this event? Will tickets be sold at the event itself?
A: Tickets are required for all persons over age 3. We do not plan on selling tickets at Hughes stadium on the day of the event (May 28th). Please buy your tickets early, as once the stadium is sold out no more will be available. Again, tickets can only be purchased online. Please see the Tickets & Merchandise page for a link to buy tickets.
Q: How much are tickets to this event?
A: Ticket prices are as follows:
Q: What should I bring?
A: Bring your rosary! Make sure to have water bottles as well, since it may be warmer at the end of May. EZ-UP Canopies are allowed, but only on the highest level seating along the top of the stadium.
In addition, it will probably be a warm sunny day. A wide-brim hat, sunscreen, and seat cushions smaller than 20" wide are encouraged.
We want everyone to have an enjoyable time; for your safety and security some items are prohibited at the college stadium, see list of Prohibited Items. And for security screening at the entrance gate, please check the list of Approved Bags.
When the event is over, please pick up and dispose of your trash on the way out. Our volunteers will be busy all day and we would prefer that they don't have to stay after to clean up after everyone. Thank you!
Q: Are strollers allowed in the stadium?
A: No; stroller movement is extremely tricky and dangerous in the stadium bleachers. However, there will be a secure "Stroller Parking Lot" inside the stadium. When you go through the entrance gate, if you have a stroller, please ask an usher for directions to the Stroller Lot.
Q: Will food be sold at the event?
A: Yes. Food trucks will be parked near to the south end of the stadium; ushers can explain the location if you have questions.
Food will be available before the event begins, from 10 am - 12:00 noon, and again during the mid-afternoon break.
Q: Once I enter the stadium, can I leave and return during the course of the event?
A: Generally, No. However, emergency situations will of course be considered. Please check with on-site security if you have an urgent need.
Q: Where does my ticket money go?
A: Part of your ticket price goes toward covering all the costs of the Rosary Crusade. Any additional monies will go towards charitable projects designated by the Knights of Columbus. These include causes such as seminarian education, pregnancy resource centers, and feeding the hungry.
“Apart from me you can do nothing”, Jesus told his disciples (Jn. 15:5). The Catholic priesthood is under assault by an array of elements within the culture, and without doubt, countless unseen demonic forces as well. If they had their way, they would drive the priesthood into extinction. Many good, holy priests find themselves in exceedingly adverse and strenuous conditions requiring nothing less than an epic response. And sadly, some priests have entirely lost their way; they have traded their magnificent identity as Alter Christus (Another Christ) for the worthless admiration of others and become shallow creatures, cleaver only in the second rate and worldly art of seeking their own comfort and pleasure. They place service to their “earthly king” before duty to Almighty God and the fight for souls to whom they are entrusted. The destiny of countless souls lies in the balance. And unfortunately, the loss of morale factors-in as a risk for every priest.
For the many good priests, the battle to achieve holiness and win souls is waged against seemingly overwhelming odds. And yet all priests, both the good and the nefarious, have as priests a supreme dignity and nobility. As St. Francis of Assisi teaches, “Look at your dignity, you brothers (who are) priests, and be holy since He is holy (cf. Lev 19:2). And as the Lord God has honored you above all other persons because of this ministry, so you should love, reverence, and honor Him above all others. It is a great misery and a miserable weakness that when you have Him present with you in this way, you concern yourselves with anything else in this entire world.”
For our times it is the call of the laity to support and pray for priests; for fortitude, resilience and perseverance, and conversion for those priests who lost their way. So they will understand themselves as a father to and a victim for the souls whom they promised to serve. So they will understand they must die to themselves. One holy priest can change the world; the devil said as much to St. John Vianney. Archbishop Fulton Sheen says of the laity’s role, “Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, nor our priests and religious. It is up to the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious.” Catholics need vigorous, battle hardened priests to lead the way in a culture that considers Christian truth to be hateful and revolting.
Priests who are ready to forfeit their comfort and willing to lay down their life for their spiritual children; these will restore the dignity and nobility that is intrinsic to every priest. Priests such as these, who are configured to Christ, will restore the Church to her place of respect and authority as a beacon of light. And the Church will restore our lost culture to that glorious rightly ordered submission to the love of God.
The Rosary Crusade 2022 will draw thousands of faithful Catholics together, and many thousands more through media sources, to stand in unity and pray for priests. Prayer to the glorious Mother of God, and to Saint Joseph, to intercede on our behalf, for the renewal, restoration and purification of the priesthood. That every priest will ascend to the foot of the Cross with Mary and John, will die to self and come to know and live his identity as Another Christ. That every priest will know the intense love Jesus has for His priests and how He desires their time spent in Eucharistic Adoration. That every priest will come to know the infinite value of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to Saint Joseph.
The Rosary Crusade 2022 does not conclude with the end of one day. It begins there. Pilgrims will be petitioned to commit to continued prayer, novenas, fasting and sacrifice for priests. For the particular priests who minister to them, and for all priests. And for seminarians, that they will persevere and one day become true soldiers for God’s Kingdom. Pilgrims to the Crusade will be encouraged to have their families and friends join them in prayer and sacrifice for priests. Our Blessed Lord and His Immaculate Mother Mary, our Mother, will triumph!
Michael Solton
11 April 2021 – Divine Mercy Sunday