Local Catholics Making Rosary Beads for Students in Dominican Republic

 

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, September 17, 2014

 

   A group of parishioners from St. Denis Catholic Church in Fort Fairfield have banded together with a similar group from Augusta, Maine to create homemade rosary beads for students at St. Luke’s Primary School in the Dominican Republic community of Pointe Michel.

   While attending an annual Pontifical Mission Societies meeting, Ruth Oakley, the Director of Pontifical Mission Societies and Catholic Relief Services for the Diocese of Portland, encountered Sr. Annita Peter, principal of St. Luke’s school.

   “She shared her dream of someday providing mission rosary beads for each of her students at the school,” said Oakley.  “When I offered to help find people willing to make them for her children, she was so touched that kind people would help her prayers be answered by creating these mission rosary beads.”

   The Precious Blood Rosary Guild has teamed up with a similar group in Augusta to create 900 sets of mission rosary beads, with a goal of having them all delivered in time for the students to receive them for Christmas.

   “We’re making 450 sets,” said Mary Ruth Nichols, from the Precious Blood Rosary Guild.  “We’re in our fourth year and just restarted last Tuesday after taking the summer off.”

   While rosaries are traditionally done in one color, World Mission Rosary Beads are comprised of five colors representing five different continents around the world.  The colors are:  Red, North/South America; Green, Africa; White, Europe; Yellow, Asia and Blue, Pacific Islands.

   “When the children are praying this rosary, they are in effect praying for world peace and everybody in the world,” said Nichols.  “When you consider the condition the world is in today, with all the wars breaking out, I think that’s a nice message for the next generation to reflect on.”

   In addition to this special project, the Precious Blood Rosary Guild also sends rosaries around the world to all missionaries and to some U.S. prisons, pregnancy centers and hospitals.  “We would never turn down a request,” said Nichols of the rosaries that are all provided through donations, “We’ve been fortunate to have been able to keep going as well as we have.”

   Over the past four years the Fort Fairfield group has made over 12,000 rosaries.

   Nichols says beginners are lucky to make one rosary per hour when first starting out but the more skilful can complete one in fifteen to twenty minutes.  “One of our members, Pauline Jandreau does up to fifty per week.”

   The Precious Blood Rosary Guild meets twice a month on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Main Street in Fort Fairfield.

   Those interested in learning how to join the Guild may contact Mona Lynch at 473-7909.  Donations may be mailed to Andrea Pelletier, 60 Fort Hill Street, Fort Fairfield, Maine 04742.