Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary’s arrival in Killeshandra (County Cavan, Ireland).
This significant milestone is not only a celebration of the congregation’s rich history but also an invitation to deepen our understanding and practice of the virtues embodied in the Rosary from which it gets its name.
Some years ago, a Presbyterian friend who had been married for 10 years and was childless approached me. She had been advised to pray the Rosary and seek the intercession of our Blessed Mother for a baby. In her clan, childless married women are disregarded and excluded from women’s groups. This left her feeling sad and isolated. I directed her to a sacramental shop and provided a leaflet titled ‘How to pray the Rosary’.
Equipped with a blessed rosary, she immersed herself in prayer. Three months later, she returned, not to announce a miraculous conception, but to share that she had not conceived due to a congenital reproductive challenge discovered after marriage.
Despite this, she testified that praying the Rosary had brought her inner healing and peace, she stopped blaming herself and developed a deep relationship with Mary. Her shame and pain transformed into acceptance of God’s will and this message she shared with many other people. She lived beyond the beads.
The Rosary is a profound prayer through which we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and reflect on the significant events in the life of Jesus Christ; his birth, public ministry, suffering, death and resurrection.
[...] Living beyond the beads is a call to be people who live out the rosary instead of people of only the beads so that all who encounter us will be influenced by our way of life. It challenges us to move from mere recitation to a transformative way of living that reflects the love and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The centenary celebration of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary is an opportune moment to renew this commitment and to inspire others to do the same. This may be a difficult journey, but it is worth making, because ‘the Lady behind the Beads’ is a faithful companion on the journey.