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Hand crafted rosaries. Shared Stories. A Journey of Faith.
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Our Newsletter is here to share more about our mission, faith and the story behind what we do and what we make. We hope you join us each week to learn more about how this mission impacts our lives and those we serve.
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Moments of Grace
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We are all more connected than we would like to think.
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Rosary Reflection
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This week we take a look at our Holy Family Chaplet.
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A Thought to Carry with You
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Something to ponder or journal on
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A Prayer for Your Week
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Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. Matthew, grant us prompt obedience to Your Son's call. Through the prayers of Padre Pio, quiet our worries and fill our hearts with trust. Through the example of Saints Cosmas and Damian, bless all medical workers and inspire us to serve others generously. And through the zeal of St. Vincent de Paul, open our eyes to the needs of the poor. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Saints of the Week
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A short reflection on the Saints of this week.
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- Monday - St. Matthew
- Wednesday - St. Padre Pio
- Saturday - SS. Cosmas and Damian
- Sunday - St. Vincent de Paul
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Along the Way
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I may have come late to the vineyard, but I am here
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A few weeks ago, I shared about being one in the Spirit and how we are all connected by the Holy Spirit. Today, I was reminded of a revelation I had at a retreat I attended this past Lent.
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I was in the car when the song If We Are the Body by Casting Crowns came on. If you are not familiar with the song, its message asks: if we are the Body, why are His hands not reaching out to those in need? The song doesn't explicitly answer, but the reason is clear: when we fail to do what Jesus asks of us, the whole world suffers. The world needs Jesus, and He calls us to be His hands and feet. If we ignore that call, the people we were meant to reach may never be reached.
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While on retreat, this message was driven home to me in a more profound way than I had ever experienced before. I have always viewed my own sinful ways as affecting only my own salvation. When my prayer life suffered, I saw it as only affecting my relationship with Our Lord. But during this retreat, it was revealed to me that being part of the Body of Christ means my sinful nature affects the entire Body. When my prayer life suffers, the whole Body suffers. I’m sure I have heard this truth before, but this was the first time it truly sunk in—and it hit really hard.
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It reminded me of being on a sports team. If I didn't train hard, I wouldn't perform well, and that would affect the whole team. The better I got, the better the team became. I had never viewed the spiritual life as a team sport before; I was fooled into thinking it was all about me. It’s easier for me to accept failure if I think it only impacts myself. The realization that my failure affects the whole world is frightening. Moving forward, I need to keep reminding myself that I am a vital member of the Body of Christ, and the more faithfully I live, the stronger the Body of Christ becomes.
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The Weekly Saint | Reflections for September 21 – September 27
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Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Saint. As we cross the official threshold into autumn, the Church’s liturgical calendar brings us a powerful collection of witnesses. These holy lives remind us that Christ calls us from every walk of life—whether leaving behind past routines to follow Him, standing firm in moral courage, or dedicating our daily work to the service of the poor.
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Here are the feast days and saints guiding our reflections for this week
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Monday, September 21: St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Radical Conversion and the Call to Follow
We open our week with one of the Twelve Apostles and the author of the First Gospel. Before meeting Christ, Matthew (also known as Levi) worked as a tax collector in Capernaum for the Roman Empire—a profession widely despised for corruption and extortion.
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Yet, when Jesus walked past his tax booth and said two simple words, "Follow me," Matthew immediately got up, left his former life behind, and held a great banquet at his home for Jesus and his fellow tax collectors. His life stands as an enduring testament to the boundless mercy of God.
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- Patronage: Accountants, bankers, tax collectors, bookkeepers, and security guards.
- Takeaway for the week: No past mistake or routine defines your spiritual path. When Christ prompts your heart to make a positive change, move forward with courage and trust.
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Wednesday, September 23: St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) (1887–1968)
Prayer, Suffering, and Unshakeable Trust
On Wednesday, we honor one of the most beloved mystics and confessors of modern times. Born in southern Italy, Padre Pio became a Capuchin friar and spent most of his life at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo.
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Marked with the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) for fifty years, Padre Pio spent up to 16 hours a day hearing confessions, bringing millions of souls back to the sacraments. He also founded the Home for the Relief of Suffering, a world-class hospital built through charitable gifts.
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- Patronage: Civil defense volunteers, stress relief, adolescents, and Pietrelcina.
- Takeaway for the week: When anxiety or worries weigh on your mind, remember Padre Pio's famous advice: "Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worrying is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer."
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Saturday, September 26: Saints Cosmas and Damian (d. c. 303)
Generosity and Healing without Cost
On Saturday, we celebrate twin brothers who practiced medicine in Syria during the Roman persecutions under Diocletian. Known as the Anargyroi ("the silverless ones"), they treated all patients free of charge, asking only that their patients consider the love of Jesus Christ.
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Their selfless charity and effective medical skill converted many to the Christian faith, leading to their arrest and martyrdom for refusing to sacrifice to pagan idols.
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- Patronage: Physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, dentists, and twins.
- Takeaway for the week: How can you use your professional talents, trade skills, or everyday knowledge to help someone in need this week without expecting anything in return?
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Sunday, September 27: St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660)
Active Charity in the Heart of the World
We close our week with the great apostle of charity. Born to a poor peasant family in France, Vincent became a priest and dedicated his life to serving the poor, the sick, and galley slaves.
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He co-founded the Daughters of Charity alongside St. Louise de Marillac, organizing systematic relief for poverty, establishing orphanages, and training parish clergy. His legacy lives on globally through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
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- Patronage: Charitable societies, volunteers, hospitals, lost articles, and leprosy.
- Takeaway for the week: Real charity isn't just a feeling; it is action. Look around your local parish or neighborhood for simple ways to give your time or support to those who need it most.
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A Prayer for Your Week
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. Matthew, grant us prompt obedience to Your Son's call. Through the prayers of Padre Pio, quiet our worries and fill our hearts with trust. Through the example of Saints Cosmas and Damian, bless all medical workers and inspire us to serve others generously. And through the zeal of St. Vincent de Paul, open our eyes to the needs of the poor. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Have a blessed and beautiful week of prayer!
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Let's Take A Look At Our Holy Family Chaplet
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Recently, we were up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the weekend. On Sunday, I went to the Catholic church we normally go to when we are there, and I was very surprised to see a couple we know well from our Cursillo community. I had no idea they were also in the area, so it was a wonderful surprise when they walked into the church. I am taking it as a sign that this week we should take a closer look at the chaplet they asked us to make for them.
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It is called the Chaplet of the Holy Family. It is prayed to help us intercede for our families and to look to the Holy Family of Nazareth as a model for our own family life. I was eager to make this chaplet, as I wasn't familiar with it yet and was excited to learn more about it.
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It is a beautifully simple chaplet to pray. On the first bead, you pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. On the next ten beads, you pray this prayer:
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Mary, mother of faithful love; Joseph, gentle and humble man of God; Jesus, Son of Mary, bless, guide, and protect the families you created.
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It ends with the following prayer for families:
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Jesus, Mary, Joseph, model for all Christian families, I entrust my family to your care and protection. Bless each member of my family. Help me and the members of my family to love, listen to, support, and accept one another. Encourage us to challenge one another to be compassionate, merciful, and forgiving as we struggle with the difficulties of our lives.
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Guide us to seek goodness and holiness in our everyday choices, actions, and attitudes. Encourage us when our faith is weak and when we fail to lead one another to Christ. Make our home a real dwelling place of peace, joy, and love, where you are ever present among us. May we work to uphold each one’s dignity, integrity, and unique contributions to the well-being and growth of our family. And when our time on earth is complete, bring us all safely home to you in the company of heaven. Amen.
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That's it! Simple and beautiful, right?
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When it came to designing the chaplet, the form was simple enough since it is set to be prayed on a single-decade rosary. We have made many of those, so we already knew how to structure it—we just needed to decide on the materials. That turned out to be easy, too, as I knew right away that we had to use the olive wood beads we get from Bethlehem. A quick search for a Holy Family medal led us to a larger version that we immediately fell in love with; it really helps you focus on the Holy Family while praying. The Sorrowful Mother crucifix that we love to use also felt right, as it highlights the pain Jesus suffered for our salvation and all Mary had to endure and hold in her heart. We loved how it turned out, and so did our friends who asked us to make it. It is always a blessing to create something new, and this was no exception. We will include a link to this chaplet at the end of the newsletter.
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I may have come late to the vineyard, but I am here
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I listened this morning to a homily by the late Fr. Mark Beard on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard from Matthew 20:1–16.
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I have heard and read this Gospel many times. I understood that the landowner was free to be generous with what belonged to him. Still, if I am being truthful, I could understand why the workers who had labored all day might look at those who worked only an hour and think, Wait a minute. They received the same thing we did?
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But this morning I heard the parable differently.
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Fr. Beard said that whenever we hear a parable, we should “listen for the twist.”
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The landowner goes out repeatedly throughout the day looking for workers—early in the morning, then again and again, even going out near the very end of the day. And regardless of when they enter the vineyard, each receives the same wage.
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Fr. Beard connected those different hours to salvation history—from Adam and Eve, through Noah, Abraham and Moses, and finally to Jesus and the gathering in of the Gentiles.
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And suddenly my attention wasn't on the workers anymore.
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He could have stopped after gathering the first workers. But he didn't.
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Even when there was hardly any workday left, he was still looking for people to bring into his vineyard.
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That changed the parable for me.
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Instead of focusing on whether someone else had worked longer, done more, arrived earlier or somehow “deserved” more, I saw the generosity of a God who keeps seeking His people.
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He wants us in the vineyard.
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Maybe that is part of the twist.
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God's ways are not my ways. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. His love—as I reflected upon last week when thinking about my beloved—is beyond anything I can fully comprehend.
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So who am I to complain if someone comes late to the vineyard and receives the same extraordinary gift?
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Salvation isn't a prize for perfect attendance. It is grace.
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And perhaps this Gospel touched me differently because, when I look honestly at my own life, I recognize something of myself in those late workers.
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I was born into the Catholic faith—a cradle Catholic. Faith was handed down to me through generations of my family and, most directly, through my parents and my Nonna Rosina. I practiced my faith through college and for some time afterward. But eventually, although I still considered myself Catholic, still believed, and still felt close to the Lord and my patron saints, I wasn't practicing my faith in its fullness. I wasn't regularly attending Mass or receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
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Then my mother died in November 1997. Grief, along with other difficulties in my life, brought me to my knees—and eventually brought me back through the doors of the Church. At first, I cried through almost every Mass. It had been years since I had been to Confession, so although I attended Mass, I wasn't yet receiving the Eucharist.
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But something kept drawing me back. I felt close to my mother there. I felt peace.
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The tears came freely, but somehow they were healing tears. I felt as though I was being gently wrapped in arms of love.
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There was turmoil in the Church during that period, but that wasn't why I was there. I had a hunger to reconnect with my Catholic roots and an even deeper hunger for God.
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At the time, I didn't even fully understand what I was searching for.
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Then, in November 2001, amid some profound personal challenges and changes in my life, I lived my Cursillo. And a door opened. What had been faith became a much deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus. The grace and blessings that have followed are more than I could ever count. So if I were to place myself somewhere in today's parable?
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I think I might be one of the 5 o'clock people.
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Maybe I slipped into the vineyard rather late in the day. And yet He came looking for me. He didn't stand at a distance saying, Well, Linda, you should have been here hours ago. He called me in. And the gift wasn't smaller because I arrived later.
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That gives me something else to think about when I'm tempted toward judgment, pride, comparison or envy. I don't know another person's journey. I don't know when God will go looking for them—or how He will call them into the vineyard.
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And I certainly don't get to decide how generous He should be when they arrive.
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I'd rather spend my time being grateful that He keeps going out.
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I trust that the Lord's plans for me are greater than anything I could arrange for myself. I need only look at my beloved to recognize one of the extraordinary gifts and blessings God has placed in my life.
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And I am grateful for gifted priests and homilies that make me stop, think, examine my conscience and sometimes see familiar Scripture through completely different eyes.
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Most of all, I am grateful for a faith that gives me the Sacraments and continually calls me deeper into relationship with Christ.
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I may have come late to the vineyard.
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And perhaps that is what really matters.
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A Thought to Carry with You
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How much do I see myself as a member of the Body of Christ?
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Until Next Week
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Wherever this newsletter finds you today, whether your heart is full of joy or carrying a burden known only to you, know that you are remembered in our prayers. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus fill you with His peace, the Immaculate Heart of Mary wrap you in her loving mantle, and the humble and chaste Heart of St. Joseph guide and protect you this week. Until we meet again, may God bless you and those you love.
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Links for this week's Newsletter
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