Altar Rosary societies aging but still active

* A teenager carries on a Polish tradition by joining the same ministry that her deceased mother belonged to.

* A group of women recite the Rosary at the funeral of a beloved 100-year-old woman, who was the oldest member of their group.

* A handful of women plans their parish's biggest fund-raiser, one that nets thousands of dollars in income every year.

The common denominator in those stories is an Altar/Rosary Society, through which generations of women have been quietly working behind the scenes to help the Church. They raise money for their parishes, pray for the intentions of others, and, traditionally, keep track of altar linens and flowers to decorate their parish churches.

'Count on us'

While membership has dropped, she continues the tradition of the group in her Polish parish any way she can. That includes events held each May and October.

"Because both of those months are dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, we have the May Crowning every year in church," she explained. "In October, we have a service every Wednesday in the church. We pray the Rosary, and the pastor celebrates Benediction. That is open to the parish, and a lot of people attend."

Every Wednesday in May, the group meets at church to pray the Rosary. Additionally, they pray for deceased members and parishioners throughout the year, and send get-well cards to the sick and homebound.

Staying active

"Things have changed in our parish over the years," she said. "People don't seem to be too interested anymore in a ministry for the altar or praying the Rosary. But the women that are still active in our group continue to experience the calling they felt when they first joined.

"We still do a couple of bake sales every year, but that's about it as far as raising money goes. We used to have a lot of raffles and rummage sales, according to what the needs of the parish were. But people have moved away, and there isn't anyone left to do the work that's required for their success."

Age-old ministry

"It's really hard to get younger women interested in joining our group because most of them work during the day and that's when we have our meetings," Mrs. Corrado said. "But I keep looking!"

All the money the group raises through their bake sales goes into the parish treasury for use by the pastor. "All Father has to do is ask, and we will do whatever we can to help out. Our work is for the Church," she said.

Into action

"If anything is needed, the pastor always contacts our group, and we go into action," she said. "We have three major fund-raisers every year. The largest is our annual crafts bazaar, held the week before Thanksgiving."

They also host two rummage sales and a number of card parties. In addition, they help with other parish functions, such as the annual parish Strawberry Festival and receptions for special events. The group prays the Rosary at every meeting and usually invites guest speakers to present topics of interest to the 100 members, who range in age from their forties through their eighties.

"We have a strong, active group here at Sacred Heart," Ms. Ambrosino said.

(05-23-02) [[In-content Ad]]