Diocese of Gary

OTIS – The Catholic Church designates October as the Month of the Holy Rosary, a special time to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and meditate on the life of Jesus Christ.
    
The Altar and Rosary Society at St. Mary accepted that opportunity to host two gatherings at the church grotto, inviting the parish’s religious education students and fellow parishioners on two Saturdays, Oct. 4 and 17. On the first date, the group prayed the World Mission Rosary, designed by Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in February of 1951.
    
Reportedly described by the recently beatified Archbishop Sheen as “giving the world a big hug,” each of the decades of the World Mission Rosary features a distinct color representing a specific region or continent on Earth.
    
“We prayed the World Mission Rosary to honor newly named Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen and his introduction of the World Mission Rosary 51 years ago for the people of the world,” said Mary Ann Groszek, director of religious education at St. Mary. For her students, she added, it was “an example of faith in action.”
    
Michelle Benson, a second grade catechist at St. Mary, said it was “especially nice to bring the generations together to pray the Rosary. I feel the Lord listens best when families come together, and we have a wonderful family here.” 
    
With 40 religious education students, the St. Mary faith formation program meets from 9:15-10:30 a.m. Sundays. “We have very dedicated people in the program, and it is the perfect time during the month of the Rosary to bring everyone together,” Benson added.
    
Deacon Jim Conrey, who led the Rosary on Oct. 4, called October “an important month because the Catholic Church has expanded it to honor Our Lady, and it was great to have so many young people there.”
    
He also provided an historical perspective, noting that Pope St. Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, later changed by Pope Gregory XIII to the Feast of the Holy Rosary, on Oct. 7 in 1571. “It was to commemorate the Christian naval victory of the Holy Roman Empire over the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto, where they were heavily outnumbered. Pope Pius ordered the churches opened day and night “and asked the people to pray the Rosary” to petition for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the conflict.
    
On Oct. 17, those gathered at St. Mary will pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, focusing on the early life of Christ and the incarnation, as is the common practice on Saturdays.
    
Meet at the grotto at 3:15 p.m. to pray the Rosary before the 4 p.m. Mass, “and we will follow Mass with a reception featuring an array of appetizers for everyone to enjoy,” said Phyllis Rudziewicz, the president of the St. Mary Altar and Rosary Society. “Our Lady is everything to me, and there isn’t anything you can say except how wonderful she is, so we wanted to do something for her during October. We served appetizers last year after a Rosary, and had about 70 people join us, so we hope it will be enjoyed again.”
    
Rudziewicz, 90, joined the Altar and Rosary Society in 1956 and is a lifelong St. Mary parishioner who lives “about a mile from the church with a Michigan City address.
    
“I depend on the Blessed Mother for everything, praying to her when we need good weather for an event or a good turnout for a fundraiser, and it seems she always comes through for us,” said the leader of 50 members not only from St. Mary, but also from Valparaiso and Michigan City parishes.
    
“We hold a number of fundraisers annually to help meet the needs of the parish, like a bake sale we will have in November, and a dinner we recently catered for a Farm Bureau meeting,” Rudziewicz said. “Last year we bought new vestments for St. Mary, Sacred Heart in Wanatah and St. Martin of Tours in Lacrosse, our three sister parishes. We have also bought red, white and clear candles, a vacuum cleaner and banners.”
    
Rudziewicz said the Altar and Rosary Society also helped the local Knights of Columbus Council purchase Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for the churches, and provides funding to buy snacks for religious education classes. “We just try to help with whatever is needed by the churches,” she said.
    
Rudziewicz considers the best thing about her parish – which she identified as the second oldest Polish parish in the U.S. – is its “absolutely beautiful church, more than 150 years old, and the beautiful parish grounds. “The people are the nicest and try to be welcoming to all visitors,” she said. “We have many young families, and people stop after Mass to visit and talk with each other.”

An average of 220-250 attend weekend Masses at 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. on Sundays.

Join the St. Mary Altar and Rosary Society in Otis to recite the Rosary at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the grotto in front of the church, followed by a 4 p.m. Mass and an appetizer reception in the church hall.
 

Caption: Religious education students, staff and families joined members of the Altar and Rosary Society at the grotto at the front of St. Mary in Otis to pray the Rosary on Oct. 4. During this Month of the Holy Rosary, they will gather again at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 to pray the Rosary before the 4 p.m. Mass, followed by a reception with appetizers. (Provided photo)