ROLLING PRAIRIE – Persistence paid off for Mary McKenna as she tried time and time again to thread a small bead before succeeding despite a broken wrist. The next one went on a little easier as she made progress on the rosary she was making.
“A broken wrist is not stopping me or slowing me down,” stated McKenna. “I love doing it and it makes me happy to see other people happy, to see others smile. It makes the day go better. It makes God happy too.”
McKenna and six of her friends, all Sharing Meadows villagers, gather regularly to make rosaries which are then sold to help raise money for the Rolling Prairie community.
Sharing Meadows is a 200-acre residential community for other-abled adults in northeast LaPorte County. It consists of five three-home villages. Each home is inhabited by two villagers and one steward. Father Dennis Blaney envisioned a community for other-abled adults and purchased the land in 1991. The first homes were occupied in 1994.
“It’s amazing their patience. I wouldn’t have the patience to do that,” said Bill Harmon, Sharing Meadows executive director.
“This is an opportunity for them to use their God-given talents and minds to be able to produce beautiful pieces of art,” said Harmon. “What better way to give back to a community that’s been so kind to them and to bring those people closer to God through (praying) the Rosary,”
He said the idea of making rosaries arose when they wanted to do something in conjunction with the crafting of jewelry, necklaces and bracelets.
“It seemed like a natural fit, especially with Father Blaney as our founder. The idea has taken off,” said Harmon.
Nearly 200 rosaries have been sold since the group began making them eight months ago. Harmon said they nearly sold out at a recent spring luncheon event.
Each rosary is unique as each one is made by a villager’s creative touch. “We don’t want them all the same because none of us are all the same. Their personalities come through each rosary that’s made,” explained Harmon.
The wooden beads are ordered directly from Bethlehem. And Catholics aren’t the only ones buying the rosaries, according to Harmon.
“There’s a lot of people interested in buying them that aren’t even Catholic. We’ve had people on tours learn about the rosary for the first time, because the villagers are making them. It’s a cool way to witness,” he said.
Besides bringing the villagers closer to God, Harmon explained how making rosaries helps the villagers work on their dexterity as they have to manipulate the thread through the small hole in each bead. He said concentration and focus help the villagers use their brains in different ways while they keep track of the number of beads and where they’re at along the rosary.
Patience and persistence are the keys to threading the beads, especially the extremely small ones. Villager Jenny Woodward is new to rosary making but gave insight into what helps her.
“I relax doing it. I take my time and not be in a hurry,” she said.
“There’s a healing part for us as well, as a community and individuals,” said Harmon.
He shared a story of a villager, Tonya Murphy, who deals with muscle tremors. He said the tremors subside while making rosaries.
“She finds healing and calmness making rosaries. That’s the healing power of the rosary,” said Harmon.
Murphy said it’s all about “concentrating and focusing on what you’re doing. It’s not hard at all.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Murphy was busy working on a colorful rosary that included her favorite colors, orange and black. They remind her of October, which includes Halloween and her birthday on the eighteenth.
Despite being a little challenging at times, Chelsea Oliver is optimistic about the challenges.
“It’s a little bit challenging, but that’s the fun part of it, learning something new. I didn’t know how to make a rosary before and now I know how to finish them off, too,” she said.
Oliver admitted the real challenge at times is finding the right colors for each of her rosaries.
The important part is working together as a community. “We have a lot of fun. We talk and listen to music and have a good time. It’s relaxing to me,” she said.
John Marchese, a Sharing Meadows steward, shared how impressed he is by the love, effort, and excitement the villagers put into making each rosary.
“It’s become a passion for them,” he said. “They know so many beautiful people support them, and they love (that) they can do something beautiful for them and show that same love back.”
Harmon reminded anyone who buys a homemade rosary from Sharing Meadows is “not only united to Christ through the Blessed Mother, they are also united to our villagers as (the villagers have touched) every single bead.”
Murphy has one hope for those who buy one of the group’s rosaries. “I hope when they get our rosaries and use them, they feel love and think of God. That’s the key.”
Rosaries can be ordered from the Sharing Meadows website at https://sharefoundation.myshopify.com/
Caption: Sharing Meadows Villagers Mary McKenna, Chelsea Oliver, and Chris Urbanski make rosaries in a craft room of the St. Timothy Center on Sept. 19. (Bob Wellinski photo)