Dave Hrbacek | The Catholic Spirit
Under different circumstances, Bailey Rodriguez would have been inside Annunciation church in south Minneapolis the morning of Aug. 27, 2025. That, she said, would have put her “in the line of fire” during a shooting that killed two children and injured more than 20 other people.
Instead, she was on a trip to Mexico with her mom, Deno Sterzinger, having left just the day before. With her upcoming wedding scheduled for Sept. 13, Rodriguez heeded her mom’s advice to step away from the intensity of wedding planning and go on a trip to refresh herself emotionally and spiritually.
An important part of their trip was connecting with Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the country. It also was a continuation of her return to the Catholic faith of her youth, a reversion tied to Annunciation and one of its parishioners, Amy Smith.
During a chance encounter after daily Mass in December 2023, Rodriguez, whose aunt worked at a hospital with Smith, walked over to Smith after a daily morning Mass at the urging of her mother, who had known Smith for years. The three women talked at length, and Smith began a process of drawing Rodriguez back to her faith. Rodriguez eventually started going to daily Mass at Annunciation, with a return to the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist happening along the way at the south Minneapolis parish.
Rodriguez particularly loved school Masses and rarely missed them. That routine was part of her hesitation in going on the Mexico trip Aug. 26. This particular school Mass was the opening Mass of the school year and drew people beyond the school community. Had Rodriguez stayed home, she would have been at the Mass and would have been sitting among the daily Mass goers in the back of the church.
Two greeters whom she knew well, a husband and wife who would hold hands during Mass, were injured in the shooting. Rodriguez noticed them later at Masses wearing bandages. As Rodriguez grew deeper in her faith, she began thinking of ways to pray for the Annunciation community, with the tragedy etched on her heart and soul despite her not being there the day of the shooting.
That desire for a meaningful and helpful response grew into wanting to pray for the whole state of Minnesota, including those affected by the recent federal immigration enforcement efforts plus the upcoming gubernatorial election in November.
The result is a novena Rodriguez wrote and plans to launch on March 12. It is a nine-month daily prayer called Novena for Minnesota and Our Country. Rodriguez wrote the prayer, which invokes God and Our Lady of Guadalupe. After revising an initial draft, she received an Imprimatur from Archbishop Bernard Hebda on March 6 and has been spreading the word, inviting people to join in.
“I just felt so convicted that we need to pray,” said Bailey Rodriguez, who moved to Watertown, South Dakota, the day after her wedding, with her husband, Jean. “We need to pray a prayer together… just like we got together in front of Annunciation (for nightly rosary in the weeks after the shooting). We prayed for Sophia (Forchas, who was seriously injured in the shooting) to heal, and she did. Her doctor said it was a miracle. And, I know that by praying to Our Lady, we moved the heart of God, and (Sophia) was able to be healed.
“I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. I know how much it’s transformed my life. I’ve seen it in real time and I’m just like, ‘We can do it again.’”
Rodriguez said she will pray the novena every day from March 12 through Dec. 12, the final day. Smith said she will “absolutely” pray it every day as well. She said doing so can have a great impact in Minneapolis, in the Annunciation community and across the state.
“I think it (the novena prayer) is just beautiful,” said Smith, 50, who plans to hang an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in her home to look at while she is praying the novena. “I love how she (Rodriguez) speaks to the Trinity. … She is speaking to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit directly for specific intercessions … and then ending it with Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Rodriguez said she will continue trying to get the word out and encouraging people to pray the novena and go online to get the prayer cards. She has called some priests and will keep dialing clergy and others to generate interest.
“I don’t expect everyone to start right away (on March 12),” she said. “I think many people will hear about it after the fact, and I just want them to join in. And by the time December 12th rolls around, I really hope that the majority of the Minnesota faithful are praying it.”
To view the prayer and order prayer cards, which cost $1.50 each, visit landof10ksaints.com.
NOVENA FOR MINNESOTA AND OUR COUNTRY
O HEAVENLY FATHER we humbly beg for your mercy on Minnesota and our country. We have sinned against you in our pride and weakness. St. Francis of Assisi emptied himself out so that he might be filled with your will to tend to the poor and unite those divided in their beliefs. In this Jubilee year of St. Francis, declared by your shepherd Pope Leo XIV, may we too be your instruments of peace and hope for those who
do not yet possess the riches of heaven.
JESUS CHRIST, we surrender everything to you. Help our unbelief. Calm the chaotic waters of our hearts and the world around us. You alone turn the darkness into light. You alone rescue souls from the power of Satan
and deliver them back to God.
HOLY SPIRIT, grant us the courage to love our neighbors as we are commanded, to know and repent of our sins, and to be strong witnesses to our faith by living out the teachings of the Gospel every day, even when the world hates us for it.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, as the patroness of the Americas, you crushed division and fear in Tepeyac in1531 through your obedient messenger, St. Juan Diego. O Blessed Mother, we implore your help to sow seeds of unity amongst us, inspire wisdom, uphold justice, protect the innocent, and bring millions of souls to the heart of your Son in Minnesota and our country.
With contrite hearts, we offer this prayer up to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the most venerable Virgin of Guadalupe and her Immaculate Heart,
St. Paul
St. Cloud
St. Louis
St. Michael
St. Peter
St. Anthony
St. Francis
St. Joseph
St. Charles
St. Augusta
St. Bonifacius
St. Clair
St. Mary
St. Martin
St. Hilaire
St. Leo
St. Rosa
St. Vincent
and all the angels and saints. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. We trust in you. Amen.
How can we get ahold of Baily’s novena?
It is included at the end of the article.