ASCO Students, Youth, Lecturers and other volunteers round the world pray the rosary online for cure from the Covid-19 pandemic, following Pope Francis’ invitation

45 participants from Countries in Africa, America, Europe and Asia joined to participate in the prayer event, Friday 29th May, in which they reflected on the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on University – College education, students and young people and society in general as well as on Pope Francis’ message.

Students, lecturers, youth and adult groups from four continents of the world, held an International Online Rosary Prayer Meeting to prepare spiritually for Pentecost and implore divine intervention to end the Covid-19 pandemic, Friday, 29th May, 2020. The Rosary prayer meeting held in response to the invitation of Pope Francis to pray the rosary in families and groups as special devotion to Mary in the month of May for her help particularly in this year of the pandemic, was organized by the Assumpta Science Center Ofekata – Owerri (ASCO), an International Initiative of university and youth cooperation with Africa in informal science learning activities, under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture. ASCO science center activities, with the main branch in Ofekata – Owerri, Nigeria, and satellite units planned for various regions and countries in Africa, are meant to promote the development of sustainable science and technological culture in dialogue with religious faith as well as exercise of fraternity and solidarity with the less privileged in science and technological culture.

Participants in the online Rosary prayer which was offered also for the happy repose of late Mr. Sanchez-de-toca, recently diseased father of Mons. Sanchez-de-toca, included the ASCO Referent and Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Mons. Melchior Sanchez-de-toca himself, His Excellency Mr. Patrick Omotoshon, Chargè d’Affairs of the Nigerian Embassy to the Holy See, and Mons. Vittorio Formenti, former Chief Statistician and Head of Vatican Statistics Office.

ASCO units of students, lecturers, adult and other volunteer groups in various countries in the four continents alternated to lead reflections on the mysteries and praying of the decades of the five decades of the glorious mysteries of the rosary. The Fatima formula was used with the first part of the Hail Mary and Our father led in the leading ASCO Unit’s local language or lingua franca, whereas all other participants responded the 2nd part of Our Father and Hail Mary together in English. Short reflections were given by each leading Unit, drawn from the mysteries and scripture readings accompanying them in relation to present world situation as well as initiatives to which Pope Francis invites young people and students in the circumstances. Each leading ASCO Unit also formulated a prayer intention for the mystery – decade it led as well as executed a Marian Song in their local language.
They prayed for the Holy Spirit to illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research so that they may realize that science and technology are gifts of God’s Spirit and so deploy their gifts, skills and efforts in the field more for the better integral good and needs of mankind, respecting the dignity of the human person created in God’s image. They also prayed that we may use and share the gifts of the Spirit including those in science and technology more in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need, as Cardinal Ravasi, President of Pontifical Council for Culture, loves to emphasize.

The ASCO main branch Unit in Ofekata – Owerri, Nigeria who led the 1st mystery on the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, reflected on the need to call upon the Mercy of Jesus to heal us from the present evil as well as enable us to imitate him in every field. He Jesus Christ who before and after His resurrection from the dead, went about doing good, healing, forgiving and rescuing people from the devil, would hearken to our prayers to heal the world from this present pandemic. He would help us also imitate Him in doing good and showing mercy in every field we find ourselves.
The Papal Foundation Scholas Occurrentes led the 2nd mystery on the Ascension of Christ into Heaven and reflected on Christ’s missionary mandate and command to his disciples that focused on teaching. According to the Scholas at the Prayer Meeting, the mystery and mandate of Jesus, recalled Pope Francis call for global educational pact to improve education and pedagogy for the young, for a better present and future human world. They shared Pope Francis’ message with participants in the prayer event.
The third Mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles was reflected upon by ASCO Italy. They emphasized on the need to recognize that faith, science and technology are God’s gifts and strive therefore to use them in intellectual charity. The 4th mystery, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, was led by the ASCO Unit in Switzerland. They reflected on and called for the need for everyone to imitate Mary’s humility in all fields of endeavor.
The U.S. ASCO units led by the Lyke House Catholic Center at Atlanta University, USA, led the praying of the fifth mystery. They prayed that Mary our Mother intercedes with her Son Jesus Christ, for us all especially students, so that God may protect us from present challenges including the global Covid-19 pandemic, racial inequality, social injustice, and lack of respect for the dignity of all human life. Students and all were enjoined to imitate in particular the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by having a prayerful heart and life, a drumbeat of prayers!

Speaking earlier at the beginning of the online rosary – prayer meeting, ASCO director Rev. Fr. Tobechi Anyadike, said it was providential that the ASCO online rosary prayer meeting, which was the second edition in the month of May in keeping with Pope Francis’ invitation held on the 29th May, the Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI. This is because Pope St. Paul VI, whose Pontificate established the Pontifical Council for Culture, ASCO’s patron Institution, was also the author of the concept of intellectual charity that marks ASCO’s efforts and activities in the field of informal science learning and the dialogue between science and faith.
Students, lecturers, youth and other ASCO volunteer participants at the prayer event from accross the globe who interacted long after the prayers, called for a repeat of the online – rosary prayer meeting more regularly, especially during the autumn semester like in the Marian month of October when schools, colleges and universities are in full session.

The International online-rosary prayer events, with participation from various ASCO branches, members and collaborators in for instance Nigeria, Togo, Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States of America, etc., were some of ASCO special interventions during the current Covid-19 pandemic that aslo drastically affected ASCO activities and projects, aimed as humble contributions towards ending or controlling it. ASCO produced and continues to diffuse a flyer of the most useful scientific information about the epidemic. The flyer information are presented from an integral point of view, harmonizing religious and scientific contents. The ASCO international community of volunteers, participants and people, from Africa and the rest of the world, built during these years around and in the ASCO initiative, interacted and worked to produce and diffuse the flyer and has continued to do so on its updating and distribution. The creation of this international community that looks positively to science as well as to the religious aspect, constitutes a privileged engine of progress for the diffusion of a sustainable science and technological culture in harmony with religious faith as well as with respect for human life also in developing countries.

About ASCO

It will be recalled that the Assumpta Science Center Ofekata – Owerri (ASCO) Initiative, under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture, was launched by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in 2005/6 as international initiative and platform for international university and youth cooperation with Africa in Informal Science learning activities through science centers for the development of sustainable science and technological culture in dialogue with religious faith. It kicked-off concrete activities in Africa with an International Science Festival organized and realized in Owerri, Nigeria in 2009. The science festival was the first of its kind in Sub-Saharian West African region.

Pope Francis blessed and continued the initiative and on May 29, 2016 at the Vatican, he also blessed the foundation stones for its buildings.

The main protagonists in the initiative are volunteer university lecturers, students, teachers, young people and other volunteers from different parts of the world who work together with their African colleagues for the initiative in a Catholic-inspired, non-governmental and non-profit Association (ASCO), under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

ASCO carries out its activities of stimulating curiosity, interest, support and sustenance for skills in sustainable science and technological development in society especially among the younger generation, mainly through experiences in its science centers, with their trademark concrete interactive mechanisms, of hands-on and minds-on interactive exhibits and activities.
These provide ideal atmosphere for integral and fully human multidimensional formation in these involving exploration and learning with the mind, the hand and group encounters. A science education realized through an atmosphere of encounter, bringing young people together to explore and generate meaning. Pope Francis also recommends these in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si teachings on science education for sustainable development.
Very unique and pivotal to ASCO successes in these activities, is that they are realized through cultural mainly scientific, technological, economic, social, philosophical, linguistic, etc., interdisciplinary exchanges. Volunteer lecturers, students, young people, teachers or other interested parties from various parts of the world, every year embark on ASCO missions of short or long-term period of time, according to the possibilities of each volunteer participant, to the ASCO science centers. Not only to experience Africa but also mainly to work with their African colleagues in the educational activities of the Science Centers. They can serve as science-explainers to visitors to the science centers using the interactive exhibits to learn something in science, in the training of their local young colleagues and ASCO volunteers, or in the management of the centers, etc. This has been a very successful experience that broadens the horizon of the participants’ perspectives in the exercise of intellectual charity that allows greater mastery of one’s discipline and also builds bridges of friendship, fraternity and solidarity with developing populations.

In 2015, the Pontifical Council for Culture (PCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government of Nigeria represented by the Federal Ministry for Science and Technology (FMST) to collaborate in the realization of the ASCO Initiative for Africa. After the visit of the current FMST Minister Dr. Ogbonnaya ONU and his meeting with both Pope Francis and the President of the PCC., His Em. Cardinal Ravasi at the Vatican in April 2016, to agree on modalities for implementing the MoU, the FMST has built the first pavilion – Chemistry Pavilion – at the ASCO main branch. Currently after the commissioning of the Chemistry Pavilion by FMST, ASCO through the support of donors and sponsors, especially from Switzerland, is building the Congress center. These are all parts of a building complex in the main branch which will include hostels, student accommodation, other pavilions of various scientific disciplines, sports facilities, a Chapel, canteen, library, conference center, etc. This is to ensure capacity to carry every year, short or long-term ASCO missions according to the possibilities of each volunteer students, young people, teachers or other interested parties.

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