Jim Michaletz said it’s time to send a powerful message to the United States, one that can be conveyed “prayerfully, peacefully, quietly.”

That’s why he is an organizer for Unite Our Nation, an organization founded by the laity to help bring peace and prayer to local communities while healing the wounds so clearly on display this summer as riots, protests and fire illuminated our cities.

Unite Our Nation held a Eucharistic procession and patriotic rosary rally in Madison, Wisconsin on Aug. 15, as more than 2,000 people came together to support peace and love of their country.

Jim Michaletz | Provided

“We think it is a powerful message that needs to be seen at this time,” Michaletz said.

He said the Eucharist, or a sacrament and sacrifice, a thanksgiving for God, relies on one of the great mysteries of the church, as Catholics believe the real presence of Christ is in the host distributed at communion.

“It truly is the body of Christ,” Michaletz said.

Unite Our Nation wants to use these processions to share its message of faith, love and peace to heal the nation’s wounds, he said, “in the presence of Christ himself, in the presence of God.”

Although the events have drawn mostly Catholics, people of other faiths have participated and are welcome. The important thing is to share a message of hope for better and more united times, the group says.

“We want people to see the contrast and we want people to say, ‘What do we want our world to be?’” Michaletz said. “Do we want a world where signs are held up high: No justice, no peace. There is no end game.”

Instead, they can work together to make a difference and change the nation for the better.

“See the contrast. What world do you want: Unrest, fear, or a world going forward?” Michaletz said. “I think we can change some parts before a critical election. What sort of world do we want, do we want freedom or a police state and lockdowns?”

That is why he decided to join the effort and bring his skills as a communications professional who works in advertising and business-to-business marketing to Unite Our Nation.

Once he joined the group, he led an effort to build a web presence, which was accomplished in five days. UniteOurNation.net provides information to organize an event, including prewritten correspondence, graphics, letters to law enforcement agencies and to potential sponsors.

“We said, if we’re going to make this happen, we really have to package everything and give everyone everything they need, and give them a playbook,” Michaletz said.

It is especially beneficial for people who are not writers and need assistance to communicate with church and local officials. He said it can save people “hours and hours of time” and allow them to focus on holding a “wonderful, prayerful, peaceful event.”

Unite Our Nation has seen a tremendous response, he said, with 40 events planned, 30 with firm dates already set. Michaletz said they hope to see marches on the state, city, parish and collegiate level.

“We’re asking students to carry this mantle as well,” he said.

Michaletz said there is room for everyone to get involved. They can register and start an event, take part in organizing it or take part in one in their community.

By doing so, they are “providing a witness to something that is intrinsically good. Attend and walk with us prayerfully. Lead if you can, if you feel so moved," he said. "But follow along.”

Holding a large public event when there is major concern about the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some churches to not participate and has led to some questions for organizers.

Michaletz said Unite Our Nation recommends following local ordinances. It suggests people to march with family members and utilize social distancing.

Some people wear masks, while others choose not to do so in an outdoor setting. He said United Our Nation respects both viewpoints.

“We ask them to be responsible,” Michaletz said. “We are not a naysayer to what is happening.”

A Cedarburg, Wisconsin resident, he and his wife have five children.

Michaletz, 55, said he has been struck by the word “tolerate” being so freely used during public demonstrations and protests this year.

“It’s just a terrible word,” he said.

Michaletz said people need to love each other and help them, not tolerate mistakes and issues. That’s what he tells his kids, he said.

It’s a belief based in his “good, solid Catholic upbringing” who holds conservative views on most issues. That doesn’t mean he wants these events to be partisan, and organizers ask people not to wear hats, shirts and symbols that express a political point of view.

“And people were great about it,” he said.

Michaletz said while he is conservative, he has voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates. Unite Our Nation welcomes people from both sides of the aisle, he said.

It’s important to get involved in shaping our government and choosing the direction it travels, Michaletz said.

“We believe it’s not just a duty, it’s an obligation,” he said. “I just want to make sure at the end of the day, I can look myself in the eye and say, ‘Did I uphold my duty as a citizen?’”

That’s why Unite Our Nation invites all to join, as long as they support peace and oppose violence and hate, they are welcome, Michaletz said.

Although the marches are being held before the Nov. 3 election, he said Unite Our Nation will not end once the political season passes.

“That’s our great hope,” Michaletz said. “There’s no reason not to. There’s no reason to stop.”