Rosary clubs have the makings of success

Bead by bead, the Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church in Tribes Hill are spreading their love of the Blessed Virgin to her faithful followers near and far.

The group has made nearly 4,000 rosaries for hospital patients, Air Force personnel, prisoners and even parishioners of a church in India.

The ladies who are involved in this ongoing labor of love are glad to help increase devotion to Mary through their work. "She's always been there for me, so anything I can do for the Blessed Virgin, I'm happy to do," said Catherine Babravich.

Putting it together

The Rosary Makers evolved from the parish Rosary Altar Society after a Rosary Rally was held at St. Stanislaus Church in Amsterdam in 1995. The annual event brings together Catholics in the Amsterdam area on the third Sunday of October to show their devotion to Mary through a liturgy and recitation of the Rosary.

During that first rally, rosaries made by parishioners from several Amsterdam area churches were displayed around the Pilgrim Virgin statue, recalled Virginia Szyjkowski, a member of the Rosary Altar Society of Sacred Heart Church.

"We were just so overwhelmed with so many beads," she said, and it wasn't long before the Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church took shape.

The group began meeting in early 1996 and joined Our Lady's Rosary Makers, an organization based in Louisville, Ky., that provides supplies to rosary makers and publishes a monthly newsletter listing people both nationally and internationally who have requested rosaries.

Handing them out

It wasn't hard for the Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart in Tribes Hill to choose the first recipients of their beads: A parish named Sacred Heart Church in India was one of the groups requesting rosaries.

The Rosary Makers next sent rosaries to a Lithuanian mission, followed by such destinations as St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and prisons in the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz. The Rosary Makers also have given rosaries to youths in the parish religious education and Confirmation preparation programs.

Altogether, the group made 1,500 rosaries in 1996 and 2,250 rosaries last year. Every rosary is given free of charge; supplies and postage are funded by parishioners and the parish Rosary Altar Society.

Bead work

On a recent Tuesday morning, Mrs. Babravich, Mrs. Szyjkowski and Marion Cassidy sat around a table in the Sacred Heart church hall, as they do every Tuesday, and busily worked on a shipment of rosaries, this one for the same parish in India where they had sent their very first shipment.

Each woman had an array of colored beads, chains or cords of string, and crucifixes in front of her, along with a few tools of the trade, including a small implement that helps in tying knots. They chat throughout their session, and their fingers are in constant motion as they arrange 10 beads for each decade of the Rosary, with white beads for the Our Father tied in between.

The color of the beads and the material used to form the rosaries vary, depending upon who is receiving them. Red and dark blue beads can't be used in rosaries being sent to prisons, for example, since those colors are affiliated with certain gangs. Metal chains are considered contraband and can't be used in such rosaries, either.

It takes between 20 and 30 minutes to make one rosary, and the Rosary Makers send shipments of 100 rosaries at a time.

All for her

For these ladies, making rosaries is just another way of showing their life-long devotion to Mary. As a young girl, Mrs. Babravich would frequently recite the Rosary with her grandmother, and she attended Immaculate Conception Church in Corinth, where recitation of the Rosary always followed Stations of the Cross during Lent. Her grandmother also belonged to the parish Rosary Society, and Mrs. Babravich would deliver its newsletter door to door and receive a snack at each house.

"She's always been a patron of mine. Anytime I've needed spiritual guidance or help, I've prayed the Rosary, and she's answered me," Mrs. Babravich said.

Mrs. Szyjkowski also was raised in a family devoted to Mary. "I can always remember my mother and grandmother paying special attention to the Blessed Mother," she said.

Mrs. Cassidy's mother had a May Altar in their home, and her parish had an annual May crowning and procession. Mrs. Cassidy also belonged to the Junior Legion of Mary, and her mother was a "praying member," she pointed out.

"The real reason we do this is because we want to spread devotion to Mary through her Rosary," Mrs. Cassidy said.

(For more information on Our Lady's Rosary Society, write PO Box 37080, Louisville, KY 40233.)

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