Rascals Making Rosaries

Are you ready for the “piece de resistance” of tiny rascal prayer focus techniques???

Wait on it ... waaaaait on it ... They make rosaries while saying the rosary!!!  That sounded much more climactic in my head but you get it. It’s a two for one. 

Besides the fact the rascals are busy making the actual tool that we are praying with, they typically choose a person to make it for, pray it for them while they make it and then give it to them afterward. To quote someone who has been given one of the rosaries, “It is the gift of prayer paired with this tangible holy representation of that prayer.” 

They love to make them and more so they love to give them. We now look for chances to share one and very often we have the opportunity because if there is one thing we all need more of, it is prayer. It is hard nowadays to share our faith and to show people how much the Lord loves them. 

We have learned that when we give folks something as simple as a plastic rosary that has been already lifted up for them the conversation changes toward the savior and his mother for Catholics and non-Catholics. It’s not just fruitful for those who are gifted the beads. Our kids see the joy it brings to others, and they also sometimes receive notes in the mail that show appreciation. We try to make sure they understand the glory goes to God and that we do it for him but who doesn’t love getting a good ole piece of mail addressed to them in longhand with a pretty stamp?? 

How about a little more info on actually putting it all together? We get most of our supplies online, although supplies can also be bought locally. Beads, string, medals, crucifixes and knotting tools can all be purchased for very cheap and in bulk. There are tutorials, too.  

We can always find super special rosary supplies and special saint medals. It’s awesome. There are so many treasures to find that allow us to add thoughtful touches to our mission. 

If we hear of a newly pregnant momma ... here comes a St. Gerard rosary. Trying to discern a job change? How about a green St. Joe rosary? Definitely could always personalize it with alphabet beads and their initials inside one of the decades along with a medal of the person’s patron saint. Mostly we love to capitalize on oxidized medals. We add them as our centerpiece on the rosary. We remove the o-ring and then string it after the second Our Father.  

Just like everything else involving rascals the process is slow and patience is crucial. There are nights where I or my husband shut it down because of uncontrollables. 

The rosary making mission for us has been “learn by doing.” We ask our priest to bless a bulk amount of crucifixes so that they know that when they are finished it is a powerful weapon ready to go, and they respect it even more.  I now know that I must pre-cut the string to prevent waste or worse a situation where there is not enough left for finishing a complete rosary. We also pre-burn the ends of the string to keep our house from going up in flames. 

We suggest submitting to the fact that beads will be everywhere and occasionally you will step on one squarely on your heel, causing you to call out for the Lord. They are worse than Legos.  A super good idea is to have the rascals practice making knots because without fail you will be just getting into a good prayer meditation and someone will flip out because they can’t untie a botched knot and poof, there goes the peace. It’s not a brain buster craft for ages seven and up but it does require some muscle memory and support from adults. 

You may be wondering how it is that you get young kids to get interested in making rosaries. Well for our kids it was the same tactic that worked on me when I was young. Once I saw an adult that I loved doing something and enjoying it, I wanted to be a part of it. My husband and I have been making rosaries for some time now. 

If you get on the floor and play or craft with a kid they see it as worthy of your time. The reason I still bother with making sweet dough tarts is because my mawmaw did it with me and shared them with everyone. I like to pull weeds because a woman I cared for very much showed me the value in it. If you participate alongside a child, or anyone for that matter, with good intentions and try your best to share with a pure heart ideally the love spreads. In any case, I encourage you to call on the sweet Blessed Mother to support you in all new endeavors. 

The columnist is a Catholic mom living in the Diocese of Baton Rouge facing the same challenges all families face.