In anticipation of the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul held an event to pray for a peaceful transition of power.
Seventeen Sisters of St. Joseph, three of their consociates and a husband of a consociate joined in the “Circle the City with Love” event at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel at their motherhouse in St. Paul Jan. 15 from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. They began with a prayer for healing followed by a time of silence before closing in song. Sister Susan Hames coordinated the event.
Sister Hames said, “the invitation was to pray where you are for a half an hour and to simply be in solidarity with all those who at this time are in prayer” for the inauguration.
During that half hour, many other “Circle the City with Love” events took place around the country, including Cleveland, where the event began. Sister Rita Petruziello of the Congregation of St. Joseph in Cleveland organized the first event, held in July 2016.
That first event came in advance of the Republican National Convention during a heated election season. Sister Rita then organized another event for Jan. 15 before the inauguration, and she asked people from around the nation to hold the it in their cities. According to the Catholic News Service, 17 cities participated in the event Jan. 15.
