Mike Nuzzo felt summoned. A district coordinator for Men of Christ, Nuzzo will coordinate a Eucharist procession in Kenosha for Unite Our Nation on Sunday, Oct. 4.

He said the mission of Unite Our Nation is simple: “To bring Jesus to the entire nation, both those who know him and those who do not. Unite Our Nation, founded by the laity, was formed to help bring peace and prayer to local communities, and healing to our nation. We are passionately patriotic, with a deeply rooted love for America.

“We believe in the power of the Eucharist and the serenity of the rosary,” Nuzzo said. “In unison with our bishops and priests, we help the faithful plan processions throughout our country, as a balm to violence and fear.”

Mike Nuzzo | Submitted

Unite Our Nation was founded this year by a group of Catholic men in Wisconsin who wanted to offer an alternative to the street protests and unrest they were witnessing. They organized a Eucharistic procession and patriotic rosary rally in Madison on Aug. 15, and more than 2,000 people attended.

Nuzzo saw the need for a similar event in Kenosha, the scene of several days of protests and riots following the Aug. 23 shooting of James Blake by a Kenosha police officer. Protests were held Aug. 23-29.

“Being in the midst of the recent turmoil in Kenosha, I feel a calling to contribute to the solution,” Nuzzo told Catholic Tribune Wisconsin. “I have been blessed to have discovered the healing and saving power of Jesus and would like others to know of his love.”

He said it’s important to keep Unite Our Nation nonpartisan and not affiliated with any party, candidate or campaign.

“The problems we face in our country cannot be solved by politics. We must each individually return to the Christian moral values that our country was founded on,” Nuzzo said. “Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are the gift of God?’”

Nuzzo, 46, and his “very special wife, Anna Nuzzo,” who is a Catholic singer-songwriter with a website that promotes her music and her faith — www.AnnaNuzzo.com — live in Kenosha and have two sons, who are 20 and 19. He works for Southport Engineered Systems in Caledonia.

Nuzzo said he has not been politically active but says the Kenosha event is more important than partisan battles.

“This is not a political event, nor have I done any," he said. "It is a ministry to bring Jesus to the world and into all our hearts.” 

His Christian faith and Catholic upbringing has him convinced it is the solution to the nation's pain and division.

“Jesus is the one who died so we may have life and is the giver of all liberties,” Nuzzo said. “It is one way for us to enact our universal call to evangelize and share the good news of the gospel."

There are many ways others can get involved, Nuzzo said.

“Pray for us. Specifically ask for the intercession of Mother Mary,” he said. “Join us Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kenosha. Sign up. To start your own procession, go to UniteOurNation.net.”