Short History

The Ranger Rosary Ministry originated in February 2003 at St. Mary's parish in Annapolis at the start of the Iraqi War. It soon spread to nearby parishes in the Baltimore Archdiocese. In June 2004, a group formed at Resurrection. Today, in Maryland, more than a dozen parish groups operate as either free standing entities doing their own purchasing of materials and shipping directly to chaplains whom we assign to them or as satellites of either St. Mary's or Resurrection. Some recent consolidation within the network has resulted in economies of scale in purchasing and an enlarged army of rosary makers operating at multiple sites.  During COVID, our group at Resurrection took under its wing groups at both St. Joseph’s in Cockeysville and St. Joseph’s in Eldersburg.  In addition, a new satellite group recently started at St. Michael’s in Poplar Springs.  Another dozen or more groups that cropped up across the country over the years continue to operate, making our network truly national. More information about the network is available at www.rangerrosary.org.

 

Since 2003, the 25+ network churches have collectively sent an estimated two million rosaries to our troops through over 2000 chaplains of all faiths-- Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant and even at least one Jewish Rabbi--in all branches of the services. For its share of the total effort, Resurrection coordinates all chaplains' orders and shipments for the entire network. It has also supplied around 233,000 rosaries in the past 19 years--nearly 15,000 a year from 2009 until COVID reduced demand for a while because chaplains were relating only virtually with their troops.  Currently, new orders and reorders from chaplains are happily picking up. We are delighted to be able to supply these chaplains again because they continue to tell us that our rosaries provide hope and remind the servicemen and women that God and His Mother, the Queen of Peace, are watching over them and their families.

    

Volunteer Opportunities

​This is a wonderful opportunity for every member of the parish, old and young, families, the homebound, to be involved in working for peace. There is a job for everyone: counting crucifixes, bundling parachute cord, bagging kits, actually making the rosaries, providing financial support, and above all praying for peace.
 

A daytime group meets the first and third Wednesday mornings of the month from 9 until 11. An evening group meets from 7:30 to 9:00 pm on the Tuesday evening before each of the Wednesday morning meetings.  While this may sound convoluted, we explain it this way because a few times a year the first day of the month is a Wednesday. When that happens, the Tuesday evening meeting occurs on the last day of the preceding month.

 

The Tuesday evening meetings purposely occur back-to-back with the Wednesday morning meetings so that we only need to set up and pack up once per set of meetings.  That’s so to allow the morning shift to simply pick up wherever the evening shift left off. This dual evening/morning schedule operates year round to provide opportunities for--

 

• people who work during the day or students who need to earn service hours for school or confirmation to come in the evening; and

• Retirees and other “daytime people” who may want to go to morning mass before coming to the morning session or just come there directly.

 

We do ask that new rosary makers come for a few sessions to get trained. Once trained, you can pick up kits and drop off finished rosaries at the Chapel/Pastoral Center and simply work from home. We can always use more rosary makers!  Come join us! We’d love to train you!

 

The Ranger Rosary ministry continues to operate during our building renovation program.  However, to have ready access to our rosary making supplies and shipping materials, all meetings are currently being held off campus at a location close to Mt. Hebron High School.  Contact Julie Walton (see below) for directions to meetings or more information. 

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Financial Support

Financial support to buy supplies (including cord, beads, crucifixes, prayer cards, rosary guides, etc.) and to mail shipments (an ever increasing cost as we ship via USPS Priority Mail in flat rate boxes) comes solely from private designated donations. The cost of making and shipping a rosary made of parachute cord and opaque plastic beads and crucifix, along with a Rosary Guide and Divine Mercy prayer card + whatever additional devotional materials we are able to provide is rapidly approaching $1.00 per set.

 

If you would like to help fund this ministry, donations designated for Ranger Rosary may be sent to or left at the church office any time. One poor box a year, generally held in July, is devoted to the support of this ministry. Faith Direct also provides a way to support Ranger Rosary through monthly EFT donations.  Seniors who are old enough to have to make annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) from IRAs may choose instead to write an annual check. All checks should be made out to Church of the Resurrection with Ranger Rosary noted on the memo line.

 

Military Prayer List

The Ranger Rosary group maintains a virtual prayer list on the parish website of those on active duty in the military, safely returned, injured, or killed in service to our country.  A Military Prayer Picture Board where family members could have pictures posted of their loved ones who are serving in the military was formerly located near the link entrance to the church.  It has been retired during our building renovation program. 

 

The virtual Military Prayer List prayer is updated semi-annually. To arrange for inclusion of a loved one on the prayer list or have the name of someone who is no longer serving deleted, please contact Agnes Nicholas at 443-676-8450 or williamnicholas1@verizon.net. For the next updating, please submit additions to, or deletions from, the prayer list by September 7, 2023 for the Veterans’ Day reposting in November.

 

​Thank you for your support and prayers!

 

COORDINATOR: Julie Walton, (H) 410-461-4603 or (C) 443-831-0217  or juliehwalton@comcast.net