December 8, 2019

Traveling Rosaries Apostolate encourages Catholics to pray to Jesus through Mary

REGIONAL
Story and photos by David Martin

The founders of the Traveling Rosary Apostolate visited Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield, Sunday, Dec. 8.

WESTFIELD- Members of the Traveling Rosaries Apostolate visited Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield, Sunday, Dec. 8 on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The group displayed handmade rosaries after all the Masses.

Linda Gerlip, the president of the local Traveling Rosaries Apostolate said the ministry originated in the early 1980’s when they had many youth group members and women coming to her house making rosaries with plastic beads.  

Gerlip, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, said the Blessed Mother gave them an even bigger mission. She said she saw a story on EWTN about a woman with a rosary made out of the same cord that is used in the fishing industry.  

“The cord is made to withstand 350 pounds of pressure. Our rosaries are also hand and machine washable so we can guarantee them for a lifetime which makes them everlasting and more popular,” said Gerlip.

Gerlip’s husband Ron is the vice president of the Traveling Rosaries Apostolate and said visiting different parishes brings him great joy and peace. Recently the apostolate visited the Newman Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst during a Mass marking the canonization of St. John Henry Newman.

“Our mission is to serve the people by getting a rosary into the hands of the pilgrims and to use it, pray it, we all need that. It is the most powerful prayer against the devil,” said Ron.

Linda Gerlip said they have created more than 30 rosary devotions including specialty devotions like the breaking addictions rosary. She said this is very popular because of the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation. Gerlip said she and her husband feel very fortunate that God has called them to this ministry.

“It has helped us to become better Catholics, to be better followers of Jesus and whatever is given to us we give back in our gifts because Jesus wants us to share in our gifts and our talents. And we always felt that was what God wanted us to do,” Gerlip said.

The Traveling Rosaries Apostolate recently received a request from the Archdiocese of Boston to copy “The World Mission Rosary” created by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Every decade is a different color, red, green, blue and white representing different areas of the world. Gerlip said this was a challenge and an accomplishment since they dye the rosaries to compliment the prayer cards. Each bead had to be dyed one by one. The first order was for 200 which they just completed.

 Gerlip said they can barely keep up with their orders through Amazon and ESTY Online stores.

The Traveling Rosaries Apostolate is in the process of applying to attend the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield next year. Gerlip said the rest of their future is in God’s hands.  

Rosaries can be ordered from their website: www.travelingrosaries-ma.com. 

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.