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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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Exploring the works of sculptor Timothy Schmalz
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Rosary Reflection
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This week we take a look at our Rosary Bracelets.
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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 our prayers on All Souls' Day, grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed. Through the intercession of St. Martin de Porres, give us hearts of profound humility and active charity for those in need. Through the example of St. Charles Borromeo, grant us zeal for our faith and courage in times of trial. And through the wisdom of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, help us to recognize and rest in Your holy presence within us. 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 - All Souls' Day
- Tuesday - St. Martin de Porres
- Wednesday - St. Charles Borromeo
- Sunday - St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
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Along the Way
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A Multitude No One Could Count
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Linda and I first ran across Timothy Schmalz's work when we were in Fatima on a pilgrimage. It is installed in the Sanctuary Square that surrounds the site of the appearance of Our Lady. The Sanctuary Square has benches around the perimeter and the Homless Jesus sculpture was installed in place of one of those benches so it blends in and you could easily walk right by it without noticing it. There are no signs or anything else to indicate what it is. When we walked up to it, neither of us knew anything about it. It was not part of the tour we took part in. So when we looked on it we could tell right away that it was a depiction of a homeless person sleeping on a park bench and it is not until we looked upon the feet of the person that we realized that it was Jesus. The whole body is covered in a blanket with only the feet exposed. In the feet you can see the nail scars. Not knowing what it was we found it quite shocking to see Our Lord depicted as a homeless person. We kissed the feet and stood to admire it for a moment.
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We later learned that Timothy Schmalz is a well-known artist from Canada and replicas of the original are installed all over the world in over 100 cities. He exclusively does Christian-based sculptures some of which have been blessed by Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis.
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This week we attended the Funeral for Father Martin. It was held at All Saints Church in Haverhill. We were seated in a section that was right next to this beautiful sculpture. We were both struck by its simple beauty and the reminder that Mary was the first Tabernacle that held Jesus inside of her. I think it is the first time I have seen Jesus depicted in the womb as a fetus. I know it happened and Jesus was once a fetus but to see it was quite shocking to me.
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It also reminded me of an icon of Mary that we love called the Platytera. Many other people who attended the funeral stopped to admire this powerful image.
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It wasn't until after the funeral that a friend, who used to be a member of that parish, explained to us, that one of the people we when on a pilgrimage to Oberammergau with, arranged to get this statue for the parish. If that was amazing enough, he also said that it was from a famous sculptor from Canada.
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So I asked if he knew if it was the same one who did the Homeless Jesus and he said it was! I could not believe it. After the experience we had in Fatima the last thing I expected to see at Father Martin's funeral was another sculpture by Timothy Schmalz. And to be sat right next to it was amazing.
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I looked up the details about this statue on his website and found that it is called The Life Monument. The original was installed at the Catholic University in D.C. and is part of a curated route of four of his works called the Route of Mercy & Life. If we are ever in D.C. we will be sure to check it out.
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The Weekly Saint | Reflections for November 2 – November 8, 2026
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Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Saint. As we enter the first full week of November, the Church’s liturgical calendar leads us deeper into a season of quiet reflection, gratitude, and prayerful remembrance for the faithful departed. The holy lives featured this week remind us that true holiness is forged in selfless service, tender charity toward the suffering, and a steadfast dedication to guiding souls toward eternal life.
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Here are the feast days and saints guiding our reflections for this week
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Monday, November 2: The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day)
A Day of Mercy and Prayerful Remembrance
We begin our week with one of the most solemn and comforting observances of the Church year: All Souls' Day. While All Saints' Day celebrates those who already rejoice in the heavenly vision, All Souls' Day invites us to offer our prayers, sacrifices, and Holy Masses for the holy souls in Purgatory who are being purified before entering the fullness of God's glory.
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Praying for the deceased is a corporal and spiritual work of mercy that highlights the profound reality of the Communion of Saints. Our bonds of love and faith do not end at death; through our prayers, we can assist our departed family members, friends, and forgotten souls on their journey to heaven.
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- Takeaway for the week: Take a few moments today to write down the names of your deceased family members, friends, and loved ones. Place that list near your family crucifix or Rosary, and offer a quiet prayer each day for their eternal rest: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them."
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Tuesday, November 3: St. Martin de Porres (1579–1639)
Universal Charity and Humility
On Tuesday, the Church honors a beloved Dominican lay brother who became a shining light of charity in Lima, Peru. The son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed Panamanian woman of African descent, Martin faced severe social prejudice and poverty throughout his youth. Despite these hardships, he joined the Dominicans as a humble donado (a servant who performs manual tasks) before eventually being admitted as a full professed lay brother.
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Martin spent his life caring for the sick, poor, and abandoned of Lima—establishing an orphanage, a children's hospital, and a shelter for stray animals. Endowed with extraordinary spiritual gifts, including bi-location and miraculous healings, his profound humility led him to consider himself the "least of all."
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- Patronage: African Americans, barbers, public health workers, social justice, and Peru.
- Takeaway for the week: St. Martin de Porres sanctified the most menial tasks—sweeping floors,cleaning rooms, and feeding animals—by doing them with boundless love. Offer up your routine chores at home or work this week as acts of quiet love for God.
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Wednesday, November 4: St. Charles Borromeo (1538–1584)
Pastoral Reform and Unshakable Courage
On Wednesday, we celebrate a great cardinal, archbishop, and key figure of the Counter-Reformation.Appointed Archbishop of Milan at a young age, Charles Borromeo dedicated his entire life to implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent, establishing seminaries for priest formation, and drafting catechisms for the faithful.
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When a devastating plague and famine struck Milan in 1576, many civil leaders fled the city. St. Charles remained, using his personal wealth to feed over 60,000 people daily, walking barefoot through the streets to minister to the dying, and celebrating outdoor Masses so the sick could hear the Gospel from their windows.
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- Patronage: Bishops, catechists, seminarians, and intestinal disorders.
- Takeaway for the week: True leadership requires personal sacrifice. When difficulties arise in your family or community, ask St. Charles Borromeo for the courage to step forward in helpful, practical love rather than pulling back.
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Sunday, November 8: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906)
The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Trinity
We close our week with a modern French Discalced Carmelite nun and mystic whose spiritual writings have brought comfort to thousands. Born Elizabeth Catez, she was a gifted pianist before entering the Carmelite Monastery of Dijon at age 21.
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Elizabeth's spiritual insight focused on the profound truth of the indwelling of the Trinity: that through Holy Baptism, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell truly within the soul of every believer. Though she suffered and died from Addison's disease at just 26 years old, her life radiated interior peace and joyful praise.
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- Patronage: Sick people, loss of parents, and Carmelites.
- Takeaway for the week: You are a living temple of the Holy Spirit. Throughout your busy days, pause briefly to turn your awareness inward, offering a simple interior greeting to God who dwells within your soul.
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A Prayer for Your Week
Heavenly Father, through our prayers on All Souls' Day, grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed. Through the intercession of St. Martin de Porres, give us hearts of profound humility and active charity for those in need. Through the example of St. Charles Borromeo, grant us zeal for our faith and courage in times of trial. And through the wisdom of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, help us to recognize and rest in Your holy presence within us. 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 Rosary Bracelets
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Early on in our rosary business we decided to make a wearable one-decade rosary bracelet. Linda was chosen to be the rectora for a cursillo and wanted to gift each person on the cursillo with something rosary-based.
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Since not all people who make a cursillo are Catholic we decided that bracelet with ten beads could be used as a rosary chaplet or just worn for its simple beauty. We did make full rosaries for the team but felt the bracelets would be a better fit for the candidates.
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We played around with a few different styles until we finally landed on the one we use now. Each bead is surrounded by crystal rondelles. Every bracelet needs some bling right? We were so happy to find a small enough version of the Sorrowful Mother Crucifix that we love and the heart-shaped clasp just finishes it off perfectly. We have a few options in our shop but these could be done with any beads and we love custom requests!
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A Multitude No One Could Count
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On November 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, honoring all the saints in heaven, known and unknown, not only those who have been formally canonized. The following day, November 2, we commemorate All Souls Day, when we remember and pray for all the faithful departed, especially the souls in purgatory.
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This time of year has always been a reflective one for me.
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My dad went home to the Lord on Christmas morning twenty-five years ago. My mom passed away twenty-nine years ago in November, and November also brings the anniversary of my beloved Nonna Rosina's birthday. This year, those memories are especially tender as John and I continue to feel the profound loss of our beloved spiritual father, Father Martin, who recently went home to glory.
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I have always loved attending Mass on All Saints Day and All Souls Day. And All Saints Day holds another special memory for me, because it was the very first time I ever served as lector at my parish.
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I cannot remember how many years ago it was, but I remember the experience as though it happened yesterday.
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When I arrived at church, our pastor was looking for someone to proclaim the readings. He asked several people, but they declined. Then he looked at me.
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And immediately regretted it!
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At the time, I was serving as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and had occasionally proclaimed the readings at the daily noon Mass I attended, as well as at St. Basil's. But I had never lectored at my own parish, and there was no time to review the readings before Mass.
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As I stood near the altar, waiting for my turn, I was shaking. Every part of me wanted to turn around and run.
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I asked the Lord to go before me, to help me proclaim His Word in a way that would glorify Him, and to send His Holy Spirit to calm my heart and guide me.
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And when it was time to approach the lectern, a beautiful calm came over me.
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At the end of Mass, our pastor thanked me and invited me to sign up to become a lector.
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I have never forgotten that day.
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Later, I went back and spent time reflecting on the readings, particularly the passage from the Book of Revelation.
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One verse captured my attention:
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“I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites.” — Revelation 7:4
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I remember thinking, I want to be one of the 144,000.
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Over the years, I have heard and read that passage many times. And although I continued reading beyond verse 4, it was always the 144,000 that stayed with me.
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Until this past Saturday.
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John was serving as lector at Mass, and I had not read the day's Scriptures beforehand, as I often do in my Hallow app.
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As I listened to my beloved proclaim the reading from Revelation, something happened that I can only describe as a little God wink.
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This time, it wasn't verse 4 that captured my heart.
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“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” — Revelation 7:9
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A great multitude which no one could count.
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From every nation, race, people, and tongue.
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Standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
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It was as though I were hearing those words for the very first time.
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For so many years, my thoughts had rested upon the 144,000. But on this particular afternoon, my heart was drawn to that countless multitude gathered before the throne of God.
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And I found myself praying that someday, by the grace and mercy of God, I might be among them.
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As Mass continued and we entered into the Offertory, I envisioned my guardian angel bringing my prayers and offerings before the Lord.
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And there, in my heart, I could picture that great multitude in their white robes.
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I thought of my dad, my mom, my Nonna Rosina, Father Martin, and so many others whom I have loved and who have gone before us.
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I prayed that, through God's infinite mercy, they might be among that multitude gathered before His throne.
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And I prayed that I might live the remainder of my life in a way that brings glory to God, so that one day I, too, might join them.
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What a beautiful hope our faith gives us.
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All Saints Day reminds us of the glory of heaven and the countless souls who have reached their eternal home. All Souls Day reminds us of our responsibility to pray for those who have died, particularly those who are still being purified in preparation for heaven.
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And as I reflected upon these two observances, I was reminded of a prayer that the Lord placed upon my heart many years ago.
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I have always prayed for those I love, both the living and the dead. But years ago, I began praying in a particular way for those who might have no one to pray for them.
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Those who are living alone, forgotten, or without family and friends to remember them.
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And those who have passed from this life whose names may no longer be spoken, whose graves may no longer be visited, and who may have no one left on earth to offer a prayer for their souls.
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Including the holy souls in purgatory.
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I cannot remember exactly when this prayer first became part of my daily life. I only know that it was written upon my heart, and I have carried it with me ever since.
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This year, as I reflected more deeply upon All Saints Day and All Souls Day, I found myself especially grateful to the Holy Spirit for placing that intention in my heart so long ago.
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Perhaps that was the grace waiting for me in Saturday's reading. For years, I had focused on a number.
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But this time, I saw a multitude beyond numbering.
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A multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
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And I was reminded that God's mercy reaches far beyond the boundaries of our own families, friendships, and memories.
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There are souls known and loved by us, and there are souls whose names we will never know.
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But not one of them is forgotten by God.
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And so I will continue to pray for those I love, for those I have lost, and for those who have no one to pray for them.
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And I will continue to ask the Lord to help me live each day in a way that brings Him glory.
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Because someday, by His grace, I hope to stand among that great multitude no one could count, clothed in white, praising the Lamb upon His throne.
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And what a glorious reunion that would be.
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A Thought to Carry with You
There are souls whose names we remember with love, and souls whose names have been forgotten by the world. But no soul is forgotten by God.
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May we remember them all in prayer, and may we live each day with the hope of one day joining that great multitude before His throne
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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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