Posted by Sharon Hennessy-Bonas, coordinator of Our Blessed Mother's Rosary Makers

Happy Spring fellow parishioners! We’re all experiencing God’s gift of renewing the earth. This is also a beautiful time to update you on our Rosary Making Ministry.

We’ve been shipping monthly on a regular basis. We continue to ship to schools, hospitals, leprosy centers, orphanages, women’s rehabilitation centers, and missions in Africa. We also ship to a monastery in India who distributes them to priests who receive the rosaries for the poorest areas they minister to. We’ve received a few letters in response to receiving the rosaries that we’d like to share with you.

This first letter is from a woman who visited our parish from California and after donating to our ministry asked for a dozen rosaries. She visits a senior-living residence center. “I give the rosaries to seniors who pray in bed at night. The rosaries do not break if they roll over on them. The faceted beads used for the Our Father’s prayer lets their fingers know when to pray the Our Father. These rosaries are so loved.”

“With gratitude we acknowledge your parcel of rosaries. We had a course for all the Superiors & Delegates of our Poor Clares Monastery specifically from the poorest areas of India, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan. We were able to share the rosaries with those who came. Two monasteries asked for your address to help them in the work they do for the poor. We were obliged to share it with them. We hope it is okay for you. “
Mother Mary Amala and Sisters

“I am very grateful to you and your corroborators for all the good work you have done both in making the rosaries and in raising the cost of posting them. The design of the beads is excellent for Black Africa. They are both strong and colorful. Many of the recipients are children and teenagers. They can be very boisterous, so the beads will break if they are not strong. Africans like bright colors because they are so used to living in sunny conditions, so the variety of colors appeals to them. Allow me to talk about our orphans. The marriage system has broken down so we have many unmarried mothers. The children are brought up by their mothers alone or their grandmothers. In the 1980’s-90’s we lost many adults to AIDS. Presently our mission has 25 outstations, comprising about 2000 Catholics. I gave 50 rosaries each to the priests who asked for them. It is very rural here with no industry and virtually no employment. This is typical of Zimbabwe. The people are classified as subsistence farmers, meaning there are no breadwinners, the people survive off the land. There are about 20 orphaned children we try to help in whatever way we can. I would be very grateful if you could manage to send us more rosaries. May God bless you all for the good work you are doing. It is very much appreciated out here. May God protect and guide you and bring us all one day to the happiness of heaven.”
Father Tim, Hwange, Zimbabwe

We have made and shipped 337,010 rosaries to date. The need for rosaries for the poorest of the poor continues. They want to pray and hope in Mother Mary’s intercession for their needs.  Thank you for your continued support. We meet the second Wednesday of the month from 9-10:30am in Faith/Genesis. Mass is at 11am. We mostly make our rosaries at home. We’ll train
you and provide you with the supplies you will need. Please consider joining us.