May 24, 2017

By Suzanne Pietropaoli
Staff writer

This month marks the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s 1917 appearances to three young children in Fatima, Portugal.  There the Blessed Mother asked the faithful to do penance in reparation for sin, to pray the Rosary daily, and to promote devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In 1949, in Louisville Kentucky, Xaverian Brother Sylvan Mattingly responded to those requests by teaching children how to make Rosaries for overseas missions, an effort which grew quickly and became known as Our Lady’s Rosary Makers (olrm.org). 

Through their bimonthly newsletter, Our Lady’s Messenger, the apostolate connects members with organizations requesting rosaries; members purchase supplies, make the rosaries, and ship them at their own expense to the destination of their choice.

Our Lady’s Rosary Makers, currently 15,000, thus offer time, talent, and treasure to send Rosaries—important symbols of the faith and aids to prayer-- wherever they are needed.

To date, members of this apostolate have distributed more than 200 million rosaries free of charge to missions, prisons, hospitals, religious education programs, and military installations across the country and around the world.

Among those involved in this ministry is Linda Jock of Bombay Who recently completed  300 rosaries destined for Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and a mission in South Carolina.

A parishioner of St. Patrick’s Church in Brasher Falls, Mrs. Jock has made rosaries for the last 30 years.
An active member of Our Lady’s Rosary Makers, she works tirelessly to share with others her own devotion to the Blessed Mother.