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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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Are we really in control as much as we would like to think? Do we truly trust in the promises of Christ.
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Rosary Reflection
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This week we take a look at our Divine Mercy 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. Faustina, fill our hearts with unshakeable trust in Your Divine Mercy. Through the quiet witness of St. Bruno, teach us the beauty of silence and prayer. Through the courage of St. Denis, grant us fortitude to share the Gospel without fear. And through the pastoral heart of Pope St. John XXIII, make us instruments of Your warmth and joy in the world. 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. Faustina Kowalska
- Tuesday - St. Bruno
- Friday - St. Denis and Companions
- Sunday - Pope St. John XXIII
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Along the Way
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I hope you have joined us on the 40 days leading up to the release of season 6 of The Chosen. Next week, I will share which moment(s) from the week touched me the most. I will also be posting about it on our Facebook and Instagram pages, so be sure to follow us there so we can hear all about your favorite scenes in the comments. It should be a lot of fun.
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This week, I wanted to touch on a subject I often ponder: control. I often say that all control is an illusion—the best we can hope for is influence.
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I first began to struggle with this back when I coached gymnastics. I was young and naive, and I felt that the success or failure of my gymnasts rested entirely on my ability to train them. It led to so much frustration when I tried hard to push them to work harder and get better. Some would, but some would give up. I viewed every success as a reflection of my good work, and every failure as a reflection of something I had failed to do.
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It wasn't until I took a position under a great coach from Belarus that my perspective changed. He had a wealth of experience coaching at all levels, and I was excited to learn from him. However, the biggest lesson I learned from him was one I never expected.
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When motivating the gymnasts, he would often remind them that they had a great facility and great coaching—everything they needed to succeed. But that success would only come if they were willing to put in the work. Their success or failure was ultimately up to the decisions they made.
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It was a total shift in mindset for me. My job as a coach was to ensure they had everything they needed to succeed. The opportunity was right there, but I couldn't make them take it. It was up to them to make good choices.
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Now, to all the parents out there, I hope you can see the similarities between coaching and parenting. A parent’s job is to provide for their children's needs and offer opportunities for growth and development. But as we all learn sooner or later, you cannot force them to do anything. The best you can hope for is to influence them—and that needs to start early, because our level of influence naturally diminishes as they grow older.
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On a personal level, the things we can control all share one quality: they originate within us. Our thoughts, words, and actions are choices we make, and they are within our power. Conversely, what we cannot control also shares a common trait: how other people choose to speak, act, or treat us.
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How I react to others, however, is entirely my choice. Instead of thinking, "He did this, it made me mad, so it’s his fault," I can try to understand why his actions triggered that reaction in me. I can let him know how it made me feel, opening the door for him to treat me differently in the future.
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This can be especially difficult in close relationships because intimacy means both parties know exactly how to push each other's buttons. We all know that pushing buttons isn't fair fighting and should be avoided, but none of us are perfect.
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On a spiritual level, the choice is similar: I either entrust my whole life to Jesus, or I don't. I either trust Him completely, or I don't.
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"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" — Matthew 6:26
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Jesus promises that our Heavenly Father will provide everything we need, telling us not to be anxious. Yet, when I fall into the trap of believing I have to control everything, anxiety inevitably takes over.
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I know there are plenty of scripture verses reminding us to work hard and use our talents. But I constantly need to be reminded of what Paul writes: we must do all things for the glory of God. When we work with the primary goal of pleasing our Father, we never have to feel like failures.
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Our Heavenly Father possesses one of the best combinations of qualities: He is easily pleased, yet never satisfied. Whatever we do in the name of Jesus brings a smile to His face, and He gently invites us to grow more tomorrow.
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Ultimately, I can choose to serve the Lord or serve myself. Either way, I am not the one in control—I only choose to whom I surrender it.
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The Weekly Saint | Reflections for October 5 – October 11
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Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Saint. As we move further into October—the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary—our Church calendar brings us a deeply inspiring group of witnesses. From the mystical revelations of Divine Mercy to courageous leaders who guided the Church through times of transition and renewal, these saints show us how God’s grace operates in every era and every state of life.
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Here are the feast days and saints guiding our reflections for this week
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Monday, October 5: St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)
The Apostle of Divine Mercy
We begin our week with the humble Polish nun whose quiet life in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy transformed the modern devotional landscape of the Church. Helena Kowalska, who took the name Sister Maria Faustina, received profound mystical visions of Jesus, who revealed Himself as the King of Divine Mercy.
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At the request of her spiritual director, Faustina recorded her interior conversations with Christ in a simple notebook, now known as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. Through her, Jesus requested the painting of the Divine Mercy image (with rays of red and pale light streaming from His Heart), the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday.
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- Patronage: World Youth Day, Poland, and those seeking divine mercy.
- Takeaway for the week: No matter what burdens or past failures you carry, God's mercy is far greater than any human weakness. Pause at 3:00 PM (the Hour of Great Mercy) this week to offer a quick prayer of trust: "Jesus, I trust in You."
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Tuesday, October 6: St. Bruno (c. 1030–1101)
The Quiet Power of Contemplative Silence
On Tuesday, we honor a great scholar and founder of the Carthusian Order. Born in Cologne, Germany, Bruno was a brilliant professor and rector of the cathedral school at Reims. Despite a promising ecclesiastical career, he felt called to leave worldly honors behind to seek God in complete solitude and silence.
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Along with six companions, Bruno retreated into the rugged mountains near Grenoble, France, establishing the Grande Chartreuse monastery. The Carthusian order he founded remains one of the strictest contemplative orders in the Church, balancing solitary prayer in individual cells with communal liturgy.
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- Patronage: Monks, possessive people, and the Carthusian Order.
- Takeaway for the week: In a world filled with constant digital noise and notifications, carve out 10 minutes of intentional silence today—no phone, no music, no distractions—to listen for God's quiet whisper.
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Friday, October 9: St. Denis and Companions (d. c. 250)
Courageous Evangelization in the Face of Persecution
On Friday, the Church remembers the first Bishop of Paris and the patron saint of France. Sent from Italy during the 3rd century to evangelize Gaul (modern-day France), Denis and his companions, Rusticus and Eleutherius, successfully converted many locals to the faith, establishing the first Christian communities in Paris.
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Their success aroused the anger of pagan priests, leading to their arrest and martyrdom by decapitation on the highest hill in Paris—now known as Montmartre ("Mountain of the Martyrs").
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- Patronage: France, Paris, head injuries, and freedom from frenzy.
- Takeaway for the week: Standing up for your faith requires spiritual grit. Pray for those across the world today who face active persecution or isolation for believing in Christ.
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Sunday, October 11: Pope St. John XXIII (1881–1963)
The Good Pope and the Windows of Grace
We close our week with one of the most beloved popes of the 20th century. Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli to a humble family of Italian sharecroppers, he served as a Vatican diplomat and Patriarch of Venice before being elected Pope in 1958 at age 76.
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Expected by many to be a short, transitional pope, John XXIII surprised the world by convening the Second Vatican Council to "open the windows of the Church and let in fresh air." Known for his warmth, gentle humor, and deep pastoral affection for all people, he earned the affectionate title Il Papa Buono ("The Good Pope").
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- Patronage: Papal delegates, the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and Vatican II.
- Takeaway for the week: St. John XXIII showed that true holiness is accompanied by joy, warmth, and accessibility. Strive to bring a welcoming smile and encouragement to everyone you interact with this week.
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A Prayer for Your Week
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. Faustina, fill our hearts with unshakeable trust in Your Divine Mercy. Through the quiet witness of St. Bruno, teach us the beauty of silence and prayer. Through the courage of St. Denis, grant us fortitude to share the Gospel without fear. And through the pastoral heart of Pope St. John XXIII, make us instruments of Your warmth and joy in the world. 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 Devine Mercy Chaplet
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With today, October 5, being the feast day of St. Maria Faustina Kowlaska, we thought it was the right time to talk about our Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is something dear to both our hearts and it was one of the first chaplets we made. Linda first introduced me to the version of the chaplet that is sung and I found that singing it adds to the blessing of this amazing chaplet. It's available to listen to on YouTube so we will include a link to it at the end of the newsletter for anyone who wants to listen to it.
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For those not familiar with the chaplet, it was given to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in a vision she received in 1935. Then in subsequent revelations she was told that the chaplet was not just for her but for the whole world. She wrote all this in her personal diary. After her death in 1938 her spiritual father helped to promote devotion to the chaplet. In 1959, due to an inaccurate early translation of her diary, the Vatican banned it. But in 1978, after a new, accurate documentation review, the ban was lifted. St. Pope John Paul II promoted devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet. He canonized Saint Faustina in the year 2000, and officially established Divine Mercy Sunday as the Sunday after Easter.
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The Divine Mercy Chaplet is designed so that it can be prayed on a traditional pair of rosary beads. But if you are like us, the beads you use, can add to the prayer experience. So we decided to make our own version.
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The first version of our Chaplet we found these beautiful Murano style red and white glass beads. They were perfect for a Divine Mercy Chaplet.
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Unfortunately those beads have been discontinued and I have not been able to find them anywhere. So last year, as we were running low on the Murano beads, we redesigned our Divine Mercy Chaplet.
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The beads we chose this time are these beautiful teardrop-shaped red glass beads. They remind us of Jesus' blood that washes us clean. We also found these beautiful metal Divine Mercy beads that we used as the Our Father beads.
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As with all of our chaplets, we include an instructional prayer card on how to pray the chaplet.
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I have had a long-standing devotion to my Guardian Angel and to St. Michael and the Archangels, whose feast days we celebrated recently. I often send my Guardian Angel to the guardian angels of those I am praying for and call upon my Guardian Angel for intercession in difficult situations.
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I recently read an article about a teaching by Fr. Chad Ripperger on Guardian Angels. He spoke about the theological tradition that a priest is given another angel when he is ordained and that when a couple marries, an angel is given to guard the marriage. The article was careful to note that he described this as a common opinion among theologians.
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And Jesus spoils us with a Guardian Angel for our marriage—a common opinion of theologians, perhaps. It doesn't matter to us. We love the thought that from the moment we stood before God and promised ourselves to one another, another angel was entrusted with guarding the life we began together.
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And what a journey that angel has accompanied us on.
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St. Mary's quaint Adoration Chapel was a favorite of mine for many years before I met John. I was in the habit of visiting the Blessed Sacrament every day and often went there on my own. As John and I began our friendship, he would sometimes join me there.
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I spent years walking into that chapel and sometimes finding myself alone with Jesus. Yet whenever John and I went together, other people were always there. One evening, John and I had been out on a date and, as we often did, we stopped at the Adoration Chapel at St. Mary's to pray and sit with Jesus for a while. There were a few people in the chapel when we arrived. One by one, everyone left. John took my hand. I thought he merely wanted to hold it while we prayed. Instead, he stood and silently invited me to come with him. He led me to the altar rail, where we knelt together before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
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Then John turned toward me. With our rosaries still in our hands, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the most beautiful engagement ring. There, kneeling before Jesus, John professed his love, fidelity and commitment to me and asked me to become his wife. With tears of love and joy streaming down my face, I said yes.
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We remained at the altar rail for a while, offering prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Eventually, we returned to our seats, newly engaged and bursting with excitement. And, as if on cue, people began coming back into the chapel.
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We thought we were joining our hands to one another. Looking back, I can see that Jesus had been joining our lives all along.
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But the story of our engagement really began a few months before that night at St. Mary's. John had been thinking about proposing, and during that time his mother asked him when he was going to do it. After another inquiry from her, he finally told her that he didn't yet have the money for a ring, thinking perhaps that would stop the inquiries for a bit. Instead, soon afterward, his mom came to him with his grandmother Albertine's engagement ring and told him he could give it to me when he was ready. John was deeply touched. He owed so much of his relationship with Jesus to his grandmother, and now, in another way, she was helping him begin a new life with me.
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John knew it would be special for me to wear his grandmother's ring, but he wanted to make it even more meaningful. He contacted my sister Anna and told her he hoped to have a new ring made using the diamonds from his grandmother's ring and diamonds from my mother's ring. Anna explained that I had my mother's jewelry.
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So John had a dilemma. To continue with his plan, he would have to tell me about it and ruin part of the surprise. If you know my beloved, you know he loves to research. And so he began looking into the traditions of Italian engagement and wedding rings.
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He discovered the Fede ring, a style used for engagement and wedding rings dating back centuries. The name comes from the Italian phrase mani in fede—hands joined in faith or fidelity.
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John purchased a Fede ring and gave it to me as a promise ring. Then he told me about his plans for our engagement and wedding rings. I was so touched by the thought he had put into incorporating an old Italian tradition into something that would become ours. We ultimately decided to use gold from my mother's jewelry and the diamonds from John's grandmother Albertine's engagement ring to create my engagement ring. There was enough of my mother's gold to make a copy of the Fede ring for my wedding band, and we used gold from Albertine's rings to make a larger Fede ring for John's wedding band.
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Our rings—created from my mother Maria's gold and John's grandmother Albertine's rings—are extraordinarily special to us.
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Hands joined in faith and fidelity.
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Fifteen years of marriage have taught us that having Jesus at the center does not mean being spared the difficult seasons. We have known joy and disappointment, laughter and tears, health and illness, certainty and uncertainty. Like every married couple, we have been asked again and again to stretch, forgive, surrender, trust and grow.
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And this season is asking that of us again.
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Yet perhaps that is one of the great graces of the Sacrament of Matrimony. The promises we made were never intended only for the highlight reel.
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They were made for these days too. The ring on my finger still contains Albertine's diamonds and my mother's gold. The mani in fede still reminds us of hands joined in faith and fidelity. And the man who took my hand in that little Adoration Chapel and led me toward Jesus is still beside me today. And I am still beside him. With Jesus in the middle.
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Perhaps there truly is an angel who has been specially charged with guarding this marriage since the day we exchanged our vows. I love imagining that—an unseen companion who has witnessed every ordinary day, every celebration, every struggle, every prayer, every tear and every moment when we have reached for one another's hand. But whether or not I understand all the mysteries surrounding the angels, I know this:
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We have never walked alone.
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He was there before either of us knew what He was preparing.
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He was there in that little chapel when John reached for my hand.
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He was there when we exchanged our vows.
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He has been there through fifteen years of marriage.
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And He is here now, in this season too.
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How can my heart not overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving?
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For my beloved. For our families, whose love and faith we literally carry with us.
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For the angels God sends to guard and guide us. For the Sacrament that continues forming us. And above all, for Jesus—the One who has been in the middle of it all.
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A Thought to Carry with You
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What area(s) of my life am I trying too hard to control? What would happen if I stopped trying to control it and surrendered it to Jesus?
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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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