In a community room at the Holy Family School in Orange, at least 20 women gather each Tuesday, spreading colorful beads and strings among themselves to make rosaries that are later shared throughout the local diocese and even with parishes abroad.
Some of the ladies come from the 8:15 a.m. Mass next door, others arrive on campus and head straight for their workroom. Then for a couple of hours, they sit around tables catching up and eating snacks while their hands are busy tying knots and stringing prayer beads.
The growing rosaries, which softly click as the women’s fingers work, will end up in the hands of strangers, often at an important moment in their faith journey: Children completing their baptism or first communion, or at a funeral where they are donated to soothe grieving hearts.
Before the women get busy, each Tuesday morning starts off with a prayer.
“Bless the rosaries we make today with loving hands,” Gie Lundy said, leading the day’s prayer. “Bless the ones in foreign lands, reach for them with outstretched hands … God, hear our call, for a world united and peace for all.”
The rosary, made up of 59 beads, a centerpiece medallion and a cross, is central to the Catholic faith. Each bead counts as a prayer and all together, the rosary represents the stories, also referred to as “mysteries,” of Mary and Jesus.
Larger beads — representing an Our Father prayer — divide a run of smaller ones — each signifying the Hail Mary — and it is in the combinations of colors between the two that the makers enjoy a little creative freedom.
On this workday, at least 100 rosaries in an array of color combinations are laid out on a table already completed by volunteers at home and brought in along with the homemade baked goods and other snacks the ladies will share to fuel their efforts.
Flo Winston, 94, is fairly new to the group and considers herself a novice. She is still getting the hang of the unique knot tying.
The women use barrel knots for the rosaries. While the first knot after the crucifix is easy using a thin metal tool, Winston said, the second knot following the first five beads can be tricky.
“I am overwhelmed by how many they make, and they send them all over the world,” said Winston who moved to California from Texas just over a year ago. “I’m glad to be part of it.”
To her left was Araceli Antolin, also called Shelly by group members, one of the unofficial teachers of rosary making. Antolin, 83, has been making rosaries for nine years and said it’s a relaxing process for her now.
“Now, I make them really fast, but at first I was just like (Flo). I just started teaching her,” Antolin said. “I’ve taught most of the women here.”
As she makes her rosaries, Antolin said she thinks of the people who will appreciate the pieces.
“They’re sent to different missionaries, different churches, all over,” Antolin said. “It’s really beautiful to share these with others, and even if I don’t know where they end up, I feel satisfied to make them. With all the enthusiasm, I make them as beautiful as they can be.”
Jeannette Stewart said she’s not a morning person, but she has dedicated every Tuesday for the last eight months to being the one day she wakes up early to get to the Holy Family School.
“(The rosary) is our connection to our Blessed Mother,” Stewart said. “For all our sufferings that we’re going through, it gives you faith and endurance.”
The group welcomes all newcomers with open arms, and the volunteers are enthusiastic about teaching others how to make the sacred rosaries.
“It’s all about community and takes you out of your loneliness,” Stewart said.
The women can also pack away beads and string to continue their work at home. For Teresa Segura, the activity has become a way to relax and unwind.
“It’s very beautiful to be part of this,” Segura said. “Sometimes I take three to four bags of beads and I make them at home. I sit at my little table and make rosaries, and with that I’m happy.”
Some weeks she makes at least 30 rosaries, Segura said, but she can also make up to 50 to 60 in a particularly productive week. The group all together makes some 15,000 to 20,000 rosaries in a year, Segura estimated.
The meet-up is more than a time to make rosaries. The women said they have found community within the space and often organize potlucks or other crafting activities like knitting beanies for veterans and people experiencing homelessness during winter.
“These are my friends now. We talk, we mingle, we have potlucks at the end of every month. And we pray for each other, too,” Segura said. “I’m sometimes anxious for Tuesday to come around so I can come here.”