Parish experiencing the fruits of praying the rosary

Karen Hannon, a mother of eight and grandmother of 14, had never made a habit of praying the rosary until last summer.

That’s when Hannon joined what has become a growing movement in her parish of St. Luke in Long Valley to encourage the faithful to ask Mary for extra help by praying the rosary regularly — both privately and together in public. The spiritual seeds of this rosary revival were planted in May 2022 and have blossomed as St. Luke’s becomes ever-more dedicated to the Blessed Mother. More and more parishioners are taking up the rosary — from experienced penitents to first-timers, such as Hannon — thanks to the Holy Spirit.

Now, Hannon prays the rosary every day, which has brought her closer to Mary, her trusted guide, and, in turn, to her son, Jesus.

“The Blessed Mother understands me as only another mother could. I look at her journey as a mother [including her suffering through the passion and death of Jesus], and it gives me great comfort in my journey,” Hannon said. “I also get a better understanding of Scripture by praying the rosary. It’s the story of the life of Jesus. I meditate on that.”

Praying the rosary — a quiet, meditative devotion — has caught on at St. Luke’s, located in the Long Valley neighborhood of Washington Township. The rosary movement started last summer when a group of parishioners, including Hannon, started praying the rosary after 9 a.m. Mass on Saturdays. Last fall, Father Owen Moran, St. Luke’s pastor, suggested that the parish become a more rosary-praying faith community dedicated to Mary.

This prompted the founding of two ministries Hannon facilitates: the Rosary Makers, established last fall, and a Rosary Society, started this spring. The Rosary Makers put together rosary beads that are available to parishioners on a display rack in the church narthex. They run out quickly.

“The more people, who pray the rosary, the better,” said Hannon, who noted that the Rosary Makers have distributed more than 1,000 rosaries. “Mary is blessing us all the time. People are on fire with faith and are finding a home at St. Luke’s.”

During the year, the Rosary Makers regularly meet at the parish to make rosary beads, as well as work at home. They also make them for St. Luke’s homebound ministry and newly baptized children. The ministry teaches members how to make beads. St. Luke’s learned to make rosaries from a rosary-making ministry at the Shrine of St. Joseph in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township.

“The Rosary Makers and Rosary Society pray to Mary to see where God is leading them. They also get together and make friends,” said Father Moran, who is leaving St. Luke’s in October to become pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison. St. Luke’s rosary revival, he said, also led to an increase in Bible study participation, the founding of a prayer shawl ministry, and greater outreach to welcome people to the parish. “When the Blessed Mother gets to work, miracles happen.”

Teaching new Rosary Makers the craft of assembling rosary beads is Terri Tomlinson of Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, also in Long Valley. Her father made rosaries, but she learned how at St. Joseph’s Shrine. Ministry members pray before starting the assembly process.

“I pray to the Blessed Mother all the time because she offers me support,” said Tomlinson, a widow with two children and a Rosary Society member.

Another Rosary Society member is Gina Tupaczewski, a mother of two teenage daughters, who prays daily.

“God was whispering in my ear: this is the next step in your prayer life,” Tupaczewski said of praying the rosary regularly. “I love talking to Mary. I get peace from praying to her.”

For information on the Rosary Society or Rosary Makers of St. Luke’s, contact Karen Hannon at 804-874-4591 or at [email protected].