Rosary making an act of love for aunt, niece

At 3 a.m. Ione Schexnayder LeBlanc, 90, of Darrow often puts on a pot of coffee and sits at her dining room table and begins making rosaries that will be placed in the hands of patients and their families at local hospitals.

Each rosary, which comes from the Latin word “rosarium,” or garden or garland of roses, provides the sweet, healing fragrance of faith and hope.

LeBlanc, the last surviving member of 14 siblings, was raised in Burnside on a plantation and her family attended St. Anthony of Padua Church in Darrow. She and her siblings crossed the Mississippi River by ferry to attend Ascension Catholic School in Donaldsonville, where she graduated from in 1950.

“I was always scared we would sink,” grinned LeBlanc about the ferry rides.

The rosary is intertwined with LeBlanc’s family history. Her mother, Edith Schexnayder, frequently prayed the rosary. LeBlanc’s sister, Sister Mary de Montfort OP, was assigned to the former Rosaryville Spirit Life Center in Ponchatoula for many years.

LeBlanc also had an aunt who was a Carmelite nun. LeBlanc was also in the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary when she attended St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans, where she graduated from in 1954.

She taught kindergarten at St. Theresa of Avila School in Gonzales for 27 years and retired in 1998. She spent much of her time teaching students arts and crafts.

LeBlanc has a bond with her niece, Karen Vidrine, that has become stronger as they make the rosaries together.

“She’s my momma now,” said Vidrine, whose mother passed away. LeBlanc has seven children, 21 grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.

After retiring in the past two years from a 33-year career as an engineer with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Vidrine has pursued several hobbies.

“One of them was making rosaries because I’m close to the Blessed Mother and I pray the rosary every day,” Vidrine said.

One day, Vidrine called LeBlanc and asked if she would like to help her make rosaries.

LeBlanc told Vidrine when she called, “Come over here and tell me what I have to do, because I can’t see myself stringing rosaries.”

And this arrangement has worked out well.

“The problem I have is that I don’t have the color scheme together because I’m an engineer, I’m a numbers girl,” said Vidrine. “So ‘kindergarten teacher’ puts the beads together (counts and coordinates the colors) and I just wire them up.”

The beads are ordered online and are typically crystal and eight millimeters in diameter for adult rosaries and six millimeters for rosaries for babies and children.

“The crosses are smaller, the center pieces are smaller for the babies,” said Vidrine. “For the babies we put in the Miraculous Medal. For the adults we put in the Miraculous Medal or the Holy Family medal.”

To count out the 53 Hail Mary beads for each rosary, LeBlanc places 10 beads each in four small plastic cups and 13 beads in a fifth cup (which includes the three Hail Mary beads prayed for the virtues of faith, hope and charity at the beginning of the rosary).

Countless beads have passed through LeBlanc’s hands during the past couple of years. She and Vidrine estimate they have made more than 300 rosaries.

“And she’s never made a mistake because I recount them,” beamed Vidrine with pride.

Vidrine delivers the rosaries to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. Medical staff at Baton Rouge General Hospital will also request rosaries. The rosaries are blessed by the hospital chaplain before they are distributed.

Patients and their families gladly receive the rosaries, according to Larry Sanchas, an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist who distributes Communion at OLOL.

“After we pray and they receive Communion, I ask if they would like a rosary. If they do I remove the rosary and show them. I tell them they are blessed,” said Sanchas. “They always smile, say they are beautiful and often cry.”

Several of the patients Sanchas encounters are no longer able to attend Mass. They frequently tell him they have a rosary at home but did not bring it to the hospital since they did not know they would be staying.

“Words cannot describe the look in their eyes when I hand them the rosary,” said Sanchas. “The rosaries come in assorted styles and colors and come in a pouch. They are truly amazing and so appreciated.”

He continued, “When patients return to the hospital and I visit them they show me the rosaries they received on previous visits and tell me how much they mean to them.”

Family members also tell Sanchas the rosaries are beautiful and express their thanks.

“They remark to the patient family member how beautiful the rosaries are,” he said. “Frequently, the family members are in tears and remark that it is the first time the patient family member has smiled since being in the hospital. And sometimes the patient has been unresponsive but will pray and respond.” 

Offering a beautiful, blessed rosary along with the Holy Eucharist to a patient is a blessing for Sanchas.

“Seeing their tears of joy and hearing their family stories and their thanks is heartwarming,” he said. “I am in awe when I see the power of faith and always hear how prayers are working.”

“I am so thankful to (Vidrine) for providing the beautiful rosaries,” he added. “I wish I could find the words to express to her the joy she brings to all that receive them, their families and to me for allowing me to distribute them.”

Next issue: How a rosary made by LeBlanc and Vidrine has helped inspired a family to come into the Catholic Church this Easter.