Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke will celebrate a pontifical Mass according to the traditional rite this Saturday, September 5, and will then lead a procession and a rosary of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the heart of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The route will conclude in Vondelpark, the same park that just over a month ago hosted the opening of WorldPride 2026 and several of its activities.
The day is part of the international Rosary Rally organized annually by Radio Maria Netherlands and will also bring together Cardinal Willem Eijk and several members of the Dutch episcopate. The organizers present the event as a day of reparation, prayer for peace, and conversion of society linked to the devotion of the First Saturdays requested by the Virgin in Fatima.
Traditional Mass and procession through central Amsterdam
The program will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk), located on Keizersgracht, one of the canals in central Amsterdam.
According to the program published by the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Burke will be the principal celebrant of a pontifical Mass according to the Vetus Ordo.
At 3:00 p.m., a Marian procession will depart from the church toward Vondelpark. The faithful will walk through the streets of the Dutch capital praying and singing until they reach the park, where at 4:00 p.m. the rosary will be prayed and Burke will offer a reflection.
Radio Maria explains that the event aims to bring together Catholics of different nationalities and to celebrate the prayers in several languages.
“In the heart of Amsterdam, outdoors in Vondelpark, we pray in a spirit of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace and the conversion of our society,” the organization states.
The initiative began in 2021 and reaches its sixth edition this year. In 2024, during the Rosary Rally, the Netherlands was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, while last year the event was led by Cardinal Eijk.
A rosary of reparation in the park that hosted WorldPride
The choice of Vondelpark takes on particular significance this year. The park was one of the main venues for the opening of WorldPride, held in Amsterdam from July 25 to August 8.
The official WorldPride program confirms that on July 25 a so-called Pride Walk followed the route from Dam Square to Vondelpark and that the park later hosted the Pride Park, with activities from noon until 10:00 p.m.
Queen Máxima herself officially inaugurated WorldPride 2026 there. Before the opening ceremony, she toured various activities of the Pride Park, including Sport Pride and Youth Pride.
Just over a month later, the same space will be the destination of the Marian procession and the rosary of reparation organized by Radio Maria.
Father Pieter Zimmermann, director priest of Radio Maria Netherlands, has explicitly linked the two circumstances and stated that there is “no better place to offer reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary than this park.”
Amsterdam also played a historic role in the legalization of same-sex unions: in 2001 it hosted the first so-called “marriage” between persons of the same sex to be legally celebrated in the world. Precisely in 2026, WorldPride used the 25th anniversary of the legalization as one of the central elements of its programming.
Eijk and several Dutch bishops will take part in the event
The gathering will also feature significant representation from the Dutch episcopate.
Radio Maria confirms the presence of Cardinal Willem Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht; Bishop Johannes Hendriks, Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam and ordinary of the place; and Bishop Hans van den Hende, Bishop of Rotterdam and president of the Dutch Episcopal Conference.
The participation of Bishop Robert Mutsaerts, auxiliary bishop of ’s-Hertogenbosch, is also expected.
Hendriks will lead the procession from the Church of Our Lady to Vondelpark, while Burke will subsequently direct the prayer and offer his reflection.
Burke will celebrate on Sunday at Haarlem Cathedral
The American cardinal’s visit to the Netherlands will continue on Sunday, September 6, in Haarlem.
At 10:00 a.m. he will celebrate a pontifical Mass at St. Bavo’s Cathedral, this time according to the Novus Ordo. After the Angelus and the midday prayer, Burke will deliver a lecture at 1:30 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session.
During the day, a relic of St. Peregrine Laziosi, which the cardinal will bring from the United States, will also be exposed for veneration. The Servite saint, canonized in 1726, is traditionally invoked as an intercessor for cancer patients.
The visit will conclude with adoration, veneration of the relic, vespers, and a pontifical blessing.