It Began in Bentonville
Where It Began
Bentonville Square · October 4, 2026
On the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Catholics gathered in the heart of downtown Bentonville to pray the Rosary publicly together.
One Public Rosary
A simple idea became a public witness.
The idea for the gathering came during prayer: bring faithful Christians together for a public Rosary in one of Northwest Arkansas’s most visible civic spaces.
Bentonville Square was chosen precisely because it was public. In front of the Benton County Courthouse, prayer would not be hidden away. It would be a peaceful, unmistakably Catholic witness in the heart of the community.
October 4 was also the first Sunday of the Month of the Holy Rosary, giving the gathering a fitting place in the Church’s devotional life.
Catholics from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Stephen, and St. Vincent de Paul came together to pray and bear public witness to the faith.
What Stood Out Most
The joy.
Children, families, working adults, and retirees prayed side by side. People came from different walks of life and cultural backgrounds. For that afternoon, they were united in prayer.
The gathering offered a small glimpse of the universality of the Church: different people, different backgrounds, one faith and one prayer.
October 4, 2026
A Rosary in the public square.
There was no elaborate program—just people gathered in prayer, contemplating the life of Jesus Christ through the mysteries of the Rosary.
From One Gathering
That first gathering became the beginning of the Northwest Arkansas Rosary Rally.
It was joyful, faithful, and fulfilling—and it showed that Catholics from across the area could come together in a public place for a simple purpose: to pray.