Sharing faith & love with rosaries

by Anne Marie Cox | January 30, 2025

In little El Dorado, Kansas, there’s an 85-year-old mother who keeps herself busy by making things for others.

Tucked in his luggage, her son carried from St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines, Iowa across the globe to South Africa hundreds of small packages, each holding a rosary. Today, far from Kansas, he shared her love for Christ and love for others by handing out the rosaries at St. Omaar Catholic Church in a rural community. Dressed in their Sunday best, people were overjoyed, boldly singing God’s praise, as they came forward to accept the gift! Some put the rosary around their neck to wear as a necklace, the crucifix resting near their heart. One elderly lady, maybe in her 70s or 80s, sat next to me, pointed to her rosary packet, and held up two fingers. She wanted a second one. I gave her mine and she nodded in gratitude.

After we left the church, I took a closer look at the handmade rosary. At the center, the bead that binds the decades together, is in the shape of a heart. How beautiful. The tie that binds the elderly mother in Kansas with the people of St Omaar is a faith that is rooted in love.

To the St. John the Evangelist rosary makers in Kansas, thank you!