BOONE — The Knights of Columbus of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Council at St. Elizabeth Church in Boone recently hosted the traveling icon Mary Help of Persecuted Christians as part of the 18th edition of the Knights of Columbus Marian Prayer Program.
The icon, written by Fabrizio Diomedi and blessed by Pope Francis, depicts the Blessed Mother sheltering representatives of persecuted Christian communities in the world under her protection. The icon traveled among Knights of Columbus councils within North Carolina to promote personal and communal Marian prayer and especially to pray for the intercession of the Blessed Mother for the protection of Christians persecuted around the world. The icon also traveled to St. Aloysius Church in Hickory.
— Amber Mellon, correspondent