fingers collected momentum as we moved from bead to bead across the chain through the first three Hail Marys and asked for the gifts of faith, hope, and love. My dad’s voice often cracked as he recited the words

God. In the early 1990s, poor health was preventing me from being able to fast on bread and water as Mary recommends to all (except the weak and the sick). Another community member and I were part of the

had never even heard about. He read the caption and it said they were looking at the "Blessed Virgin Mary." He was so poorly versed in religion that he didn't know who the Blessed Mother was. "I thought Jesus