Mass Offered on March 25, 2026 for the Members of the Children's Rosary

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation! A Mass was offered today for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. We continue to have a Mass said for this intention on the twenty-fifth of each month. The Eucharist is such a powerful gift from Our Lord that when we wanted to extend thanksgiving to all of you, we knew of no better way to express gratitude. May Our Lord's love be poured down on all of you through the powerful sacrifice of the Holy Mass. 

New Children's Rosary at St. Elias Church in Baabda, Lebanon

We are excited to announce that a new Children's Rosary will meet for the first time on March 25, 2026 at St. Elias Church in Baabda, Lebanon. This is our second Children's Rosary group in Lebanon. In honor of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord it is particularly special to have this new Children's Rosary forming.

Children's Rosary in Hamburg, Germany Turns Four!

We received a lovely email from the Children's Rosary group leader in Hamburg, Germany.

Last Saturday we celebrated the 4th anniversary of the Children’s Rosary. 

It was an opportunity to thank God for these past four years, during which the children’s prayers have reached God’s Heart directly, through the intercession of our Heavenly Mother  

Nearly 40 people attended, including babies, children, young people, and parents. 

Some even walked because of the public transportation strike.

We began with a short catechesis about Holy Week, then gave thanks for these four years with a prayer to St. Joseph, since the first Rosary was on March 19, 2022, and we continued with the Joyful Mysteries.

Then we had lunch; we sang “Happy Birthday” to the Children’s Rosary with a delicious cake made by one of the moms, and Philipp prepared some fresh Nutella waffles. 

Then we began making Mary’s candles, which had been blessed the previous Sunday by a priest. While we waited for the candles to dry, we watched a film about Holy Week 

Catechetical Students in the Shendam Diocese Participate in the 40-Day Retreat on Suffering

We received pictures from Fr. Paul Miapkwap who is the Director at the Catechetical Institute in Shendam Diocese of Nigeria. All of his students are participating in the 40 day journey and have received a copy of the book A Soul Prepared through Suffering. This 40 day retreat can also be done online HERE. These students come from nine dioceses in Nigeria and undertake two years of training. They learn how to start and run a Children's Rosary prayer group and how to implement the Children's Rosary retreats including the 33 Day Child Consecration to Jesus through Mary. Upon graduation they are given a Children's Rosary T-Shirt, and rosaries to help implement the Children's Rosary in their home parishes in Nigeria. They each also receive a Child Consecration book and A Soul Prepared through Suffering book to use in their parishes.

An Evening of Prayer in Puerto Rico

Last night, on the Solemnity of St Joseph, I had the blessing to visit St. Francis of Assisi Parish in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They had Adoration from 8:00a.m.to 8:00 p.m. Arriving around 6:30 p.m. the sun was setting and the monstrance on the altar was illuminated with lights projected on to it and candles flickering beside it. The Church was getting increasingly dark and the magnificence of the oldest church in San Juan was the beautiful backdrop for Adoration. Around 7:00 p.m. the pastor of the parish processed in to lead an hour of prayer. He knelt for most of the time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. In between prayers music was played that had violin sounds and the name of Jesus repeated over and over. One of the songs invoked the Holy Spirit in Latin. With the wind blowing through the open doors from the ocean it was a perfect place to spend the evening. Toward the end of the evening, the priest led prayers asking for the intercession of St. Joseph. 

In a special way, I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. There are many people working tirelessly on behalf of the Children's Rosary around the globe. It is hard to sufficiently thank these people enough. One can think of the many Children's Rosary group leaders that faithfully invite children to their meetings. 

Praise God many projects are moving forward some of which were unexpected. One such exciting development is the recent completion of the Afrikaans translation of the Children's Rosary book. The printing has not begun but the translation was completed by the Oudtshoorn diocese in South Africa. We are grateful for their tremendous help and look forward to the release of this book which will open the door to further spread of the Children's Rosary in their diocese and others in South Africa and neighboring countries where Afrikaans is spoken. The journey here in Puerto Rico will come to a close tomorrow. 

All the rosaries and Spanish Children's Rosary books that were brought on the trip have been shared with people at various parishes and Fr. Rodolfo Vega at Casa de Niños Manuel Fernández Juncos. We pray these materials will help to spread the Children's Rosary on this island.

Greetings from Puerto Rico on the Feast of St. Joseph

Greetings from Puerto Rico on the Feast of St. Joseph. The picture above was taken at the Cathedral Basilica in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This week has been a lovely opportunity to visit different churches and help spread the Children's Rosary. On Sunday we visited the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. Not only is the Cathedral named in honor of St. John the Baptist but the city of San Juan is also named after him and there is a lovely statue present near the government offices overlooking the ocean.

During the week, I have attended daily Mass at Stella Maris Church. The walk to the 7:00 a.m. Mass is always a treat as we have the privilege of seeing the most glorious sunrises over the ocean. 

The Church of Stella Maris is shown below. The land was donated and the Church was built only 7 years ago.

On Monday we had the wonderful blessing of meeting Fr. Rodolfo Vega (shown below in the black shirt) who is a Franciscan priest. He is also the Executive Director of Casa de Niños Manuel Fernández Juncos. This is a home for orphan boys ages 8-18. He invited my husband and I to visit the facility this past Tuesday. We are exploring the possibility of starting a Children's Rosary at this orphanage. 

This week has been a wonderful time of prayer. Please know of my prayers for the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. 

Children's Rosary in Montreux, March 14th

We share pictures from the Children's Rosary in Montreux, Switzerland. They met on March 14 and prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Basilica at Knock Shrine, Saint Patrick’s Day

We received this lovely picture and update from the Children's Rosary group leader at Knock Shrine. "This Thursday, March 19, 2026, the Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph is the third anniversary of our Children’s Rosary group at Knock Shrine, Ireland. We look forward to celebrating with a  Children's Rosary, Adoration with Benediction and reconsecration of the group to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Prayers will be led by Fr. Keith Byrne in the Apparition Chapel, where St Joseph appeared with Our Lady and St John in 1879. We plan to have a pizza and cake party afterwards."

The Journey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Continues

Asher Kaufman, age 19, set out on June 28 for a yearlong trip to help spread the Children's Rosary in Europe and Africa. He spent the months of July, August and the first two weeks in September in France. He arrived in Uganda on September 15. From Uganda he traveled by car to Rwanda on September 28. After a week in Rwanda there was once more a return for more travel in Uganda. On October 11 he arrived in Tanzania and on October 26 traveled to Kenya. A visit for three weeks to Madagascar followed on November 7 and then South Africa. He spent several weeks in Cameroon. His journey has now led him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

"The last week here in the Congo have been quite delightful. Though there was some delay in receiving the necessary diocesan approval, that was accorded on Thursday of last week, as I will relate.

Early in the week, I passed by a young children’s school not far from here called Sacred Heart of Jesus School. It is run by a congregation of sisters that was founded in Italy but which is also now present here in the Congo.

I met Sr. Giliola(shown above), originally from Milan but in the Congo for the past 35 years, and Sr. Caroline, head of the school. I was able to visit the children and see the premises, which also include a healthcare center where Fr. François went to get new glasses.

I also visited a Primary and Secondary School run by a different community of sisters founded by Sr. Vincenzia Cusmano. 

After this visit, I went with Fr. Apollinaire to the auto body shop since the MSA car had recently begun emitting a noise that indicated a slipping belt. After some significant time went by, the gentlemen from the shop succeeded in replacing the faulty part and returning the car to us in working order, after which we returned to the MSA house for lunch.

On another occasion, I was taken to a primary and secondary school by Fr. François run by a different community of sisters. As before, I visited the students, received a tour of the whole campus, including a new school building that is still under construction, and shared information about the Children’s Rosary.

Last Saturday after some travel delays, Fr. Pierre Ateba and Fr. Leon Pascal, two provincial superiors for the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles for the Canada-Africa Province, arrived in Kinshasa for a visit to Fr. François and Fr. Apollinaire. It was good to see Fr. Ateba again, as I had seen him in Cameroon. They had rooms with the same community where I myself stay, the Society of the Most Holy Sacrament.

It has been remarked upon more than once that in the formation house of the Holy Sacrament fathers we are served typical Congolese food, whereas in that residence occupied by the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles it is rather Cameroonian fare.

As to the difference between the two, the heart of the matter lies in a substance colloquially dubbed fufu. This is a spherical, soft compound that is rather pale yellow in color and nondescript in taste. In appearance, there is much to be compared with ugali, an East African side dish unfailingly present at nearly every meal I consumed while in Tanzania and Kenya. However, fufu is a Congolese dish, and I certainly did not recall having ever eaten anything by that name in Cameroon.

Indeed, it seemed to resemble ugali to such an extent and to be so innocent and bland in appearance and generally accepted in gastronomic standing that I hardly gave it much notice and did not even know quite how it was to be described, variously calling it a “blob,” a “ball,” or perhaps most desperately, “something like rice.”

In fact, fufu is quite common throughout much of West and Central Africa, including in Cameroon (though there it is called couscous, thus explaining why I did not recall having heard of it during my stay in that country). It is made variously from plaintains, cassava, yams, cocoyam, or cornmeal, depending on the region. The exact ingredients seem to matter less than the end result, which is always a soft, easily manipulated dough that can be used for dipping into soups and meat sauces.

Well, so much for fufu; it is typically served with some stewed vegetables and fish or meat, and I include a picture below.

Certainly, at Fr. François's residence I have never eaten fufu, the role being taken by some slightly sweet, thoroughly cooked yellow plantains, that I certainly ate quite often when I was in Cameroon. Otherwise, the cuisine at the two locations is more or less the same.

A consistent characteristic of the eating habits of most of the African nations I have visited is that there exists a “staple food,” that is something served nearly every meal in traditional households and which therefore becomes indispensable to the local diet. Almost everyone knows instinctively how this food is prepared, how its constituent ingredients are grown, and how it is best consumed. When one goes to a restaurant, it is almost an unspoken understanding that at any buffet or communal repast of that nature, this dish must be present or else something is gravely missing, like a birthday cake with no candles or a Thanksgiving dinner with no turkey.

In Uganda, this dish is matooke; in Kenya and Tanzania, ugali; in Madagascar, rice; in Cameroon, plantains or manioc; and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, unquestionably fufu.

Indeed, the way in which the inherent obligation to consume these foods makes itself silently known in the minds of everyone meal after meal was something new to me.

In the course of my sojourn, I would be asked more than once, “So, what is the staple food in the United States?”

And curiously enough, I would find it nearly impossible to answer this seemingly obvious and simple question. I would typically make some weak attempt with mention of typical American food, like the burger (which is even German in origin) or pumpkin pie, but I knew these did not satisfy the definition of a “staple food,” since people don’t consume them at most or even many meals. Many Americans go for years without consuming either, or any number of oft-cited “American” foods, like fried chicken, deep dish pizza, hot dogs, or mac and cheese.

However, readily enough, the answer presented itself to me: I could not say what our staple food consisted of because it did not exist. We do not have one.

Indeed, as Americans, our whole culinary disposition seems created to resist any such staple food. I, like many of my countrymen, grew up thinking that if we had beef for dinner on Monday, we ought to have chicken or fish on Tuesday. If we had pasta for lunch on Wednesday, then naturally something else would be prepared on Thursday. Whole weeks were planned like this, with every day’s meals thought of in advance and carefully curated to be independent and distinct from the others.

What was eaten seemed to be less important than that it should not hold anything in common with what was consumed the night before.

I noticed that this same standard was applied to restaurants: if the previous night out had been Italian, then we would choose Thai or Chinese, which foods would then be crossed out until their turn came up again many months later.

In short, cut off from deep need of the agricultural society to grow its own food and live in step with what was easily grown in the local climate and soil, mesmerized by multifarious options for cuisine both from grocery stores and restaurants, we have trained ourselves to be dissatisfied and bored with man’s innate habit of eating his own food. The average American can no more say what our own staple foods are, what dishes would best correspond to our climate and growing conditions than he can say which forms of rock are most likely to be found in Yosemite.

As to whether this represents a positive development or a disheartening regression, I refrain to say. I will let the reader judge for himself. I merely make the observation.

On Wednesday, Fr. Pierre, Fr. Leon, Fr. François, and I set out for Kisantu to meet with the bishop of the diocese. As I have related in another post, the diocese in which I find myself, while within the city limits of Kinshasa, is not that of Kinshasa, but rather Kisantu, and so we directed ourselves to that city.

Perhaps, that is too neat a way of putting it; in fact, many obstacles presented themselves that day to prevent us from a timely departure. In the first place, Fr. François and Fr. Pierre set out at around 5:00 a.m. to another part of the city in order to pick up some documents. Upon leaving the building with the aforementioned documents, they were quite surprised and consternated to discover their car was not where they left it but nowhere to be seen. They quickly discovered that the police had towed it away because ostensibly it was improperly parked.

Both men were whisked down to the station, where they were told that the fine for this offense amounted to no less than $115.00. For comparison, the average ticket for a parking violation in New York comes out to about $65, this in the most expensive city in North America, and one of the most expensive in the world.

The unfortunate reality is that the police in Kinshasa have often been accused of widespread corruption, and while it is not within my ability to say whether this is on the whole true or not, what is beyond a doubt is that they are paid pitifully little, with the estimates I have heard locally not exceeding $130 per month.

After much haranguing and an hourslong process, the fine was paid and the car given back, but a stop had to be made because one of the tires was leaking air. Once that was fixed, it was late afternoon, and we were only able to get on the road once it was nearly dark.

However, the drive to Kisantu proceeded without incident, and we proceeded to the rooms Fr. François had reserved with a community of nuns not far from the Chancery.

In the morning, after attending Mass and breakfasting, we drove the short distance to the Chancery and met His Excellency, Jean-Crispin Kimbeni Ki Kanda, the Bishop of Kisantu.

The contrast between Fr. François and Mgr. Kimbeni was quite humorous even though the two of them have become, in fact, good friends.

Fr. François did the honors of presenting each of us and his reasons for the visit, reading from copious pre-prepared notes and giving luscious context and carefully cited quotes from the bishop himself which he had evidently written down himself during previous meetings. It seemed that no correspondence, no update in the relationship between the diocese and the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles had escaped Fr. François’s careful eyes.

The bishop, on the other hand, seemed eager to dispense with the formalities that accompany such a meeting and seemed to address matters in a straightforward, direct way.

I also was given the opportunity to speak to the bishop about the Children’s Rosary and seek approval for its initiation, which the bishop readily granted. He was even so good as to invite us to dine with him afterwards, really quite an extraordinary thing when one considers how busy a man such as himself is.

The more relaxed conversation at the lunch was rather enjoyable, and I particularly enjoyed his anecdote from seminary of telling a French classmate of his that the word in Lingala (the language of the western Congo) for “metaphysics” was mayebu, a word that in fact translated to “mushrooms.”

He agreed to write up a formal letter stating his approval for the movement to be present in his diocese and to inform the priest at the parish I would be visiting that weekend.

He had recommended to us that we pay a visit to the botanical gardens nearby, which we did not in the end undertake as everyone was tired and wished to return home. However we did drive through the gardens, and I wish to take a moment to mention them as they are really quite remarkable.

Upon approach, I noticed that the seemingly innocent forest and heather by the roadside was populated by trees, bushes, flowers, and all sorts of plants that were meticulously labeled with small black plaques indicating the species.

In fact, this garden has a history that dates back to about 1900, when Br. Justin Gillet, a Belgian Jesuit living and ministering in the Congo. Originally meant to provide fruit and vegetables for the missionary settlement nearby, soon Br. Gillet appears to have become fascinated with local flora, including many species from throughout the Congo and carefully documenting each one. Soon, he had a botanical garden, and through exchanges with other tropical botanical gardens around the world such as in Brazil, Java, and Sri Lanka, acquired plants altogether foreign to central Africa.

In 1927, he produced a guide to the plants found within his garden, wherein 1,775 species are enumerated.

The history of the garden continues rather serenely until 1997, when it was taken over by rebel troops and used for their headquarters; during this period, the garden fell into disrepair before being the subject of a revamping operation financed by the European Union in 2004.

That evening, we reentered Kinshasa hot and fatigued from the journey, but having achieved our mission.

As to what happened that weekend and the week following, I will leave that for another post."

To see all of Asher's dispatches from his journey click HERE

Visit to Puerto Rico

Today I had the great blessing to meet Deacon Bengie (in pink vestments) and Rev Benjamin Perez Cruz (in the white cassock) the Rector of the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is the oldest Cathedral in the Americas. Construction began in 1521.

They graciously welcomed me and we look forward to collaborating together with the Children's Rosary. Deacon Bengie in particular thought the families in the parish could benefit from the Children's Rosary and he would begin efforts to try to initiate the Children's Rosary in the Cathedral. We shared Children's Rosary books and Child Consecration books as well as handmade rosaries to help their efforts. 

Deacon Bengie mentioned that the island is under the patronage of Our Lady of Providence. A beautiful mural of Our Lady of Providence appears on the wall next to the Cathedral. 

During the visit to the Cathedral I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. 

Children's Rosary March 2026 Newsletter

  To view our newsletter click below:

Children's Rosary® March 2026 Newsletter

 

Interview with Msgr. Jim Lisante

Recently Asher Kaufman was able to sit down with Msgr. Jim Lisante on his program "Personally Speaking." This discussion explored Asher's recent travels in Africa to spread the Children's Rosary. The interview can be heard below. 

Click HERE

900 Handmade Rosaries Delivered

 A special thank you to Pam and Mary who dropped off 900 handmade rosaries this past Thursday. They are part of a rosary making group at St. Mary's nursing home in West Hartford, Connecticut. Three woman meet weekly at St. Mary's home and together they were able to make 900 beautiful rosaries. Pam holds one of the boxes they brought. This rosary making group has faithfully donated to us each year. These rosaries made with love are an integral part of the work of the Children's Rosary. These help us to put rosaries into the hands of children in new and existing Children's Rosary groups around the world. A special thank you to Ellen Fox who helped with packing three large boxes on Thursday for South Africa(shown below). In total the three boxes contained 16 Child Consecration books and 974 rosaries. Ten rosary making groups contributed rosaries to these shipments.

Today the box below was sent to South Africa with 2 Child Consecration books, 10 Children's Rosary books and 340 handmade rosaries. These rosaries will help multiple dioceses in South Africa initiate Children's Rosary groups and also help Children's Rosary groups to begin in the African country of Lesotho. Earlier this week, Fr. Edmund Nadolny who helps the Children's Rosary, sent an additional 6 boxes of rosaries to South Africa. Thus 10 boxes are enroute to South Africa to help the efforts there and in the neighboring country of Lesotho. 

Children Growing in Faith and Leadership

On February 8, the Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in West Hartford, Connecticut met to pray the Rosary. It was a particularly special meeting as one of our members who recently turned 6 had decided he would like to lead a decade for the first time. This is Liam who is shown kneeling in front with a gray sweater and light brown paints. However, as the first decade elapsed and I asked him which of the remaining four decades he would like to lead he said with a smile the 6th. He has a very good sense of humor. However, it did not take him long to get up his courage and as Peyton made her way to the podium to lead he asked to join her. This was a very big step for Liam and the excitement in the pews from the parents was palpable. Everyone was rooting for him. His voice became strong and constant as he led the prayers with Peyton. Liam had first arrived at the Children's Rosary when he was three and was a very big help placing flowers at the foot of Our Blessed Mother at the end of each decade. 

Liam's courage had some unexpected effects. During the last decade another boy of similar age to Liam asked to lead. This is Paul shown above in the red jacket. This was only Paul's 3rd time attending. We later found out from his mother that Paul had decided if Liam led that he would too. Additionally we were very happy to see Gia ask to help lead the last decade. Gia is shown in the top picture above all the way to the left with a pink chapel veil. This was Gia's first time at the Children's Rosary. It is always heart warming to see children take a step forward in their prayer lives. Each child grows at their own pace. It is also wonderful to see the mentorship. Peyton has been attending the Children's Rosary since she was 4 years old. She and several other older children have become strong mentors to the younger children. My mom who is in her seventies attended the Children's Rosary that day and she left very happy. We each it seemed were touched by the beauty of children growing in faith and becoming leaders in their faith.

Children's Rosary in Burgenland, Austria

The pictures included in this post are from the February 26, 2026 meeting of the Children's Rosary in Burgenland, Austria. This group is part of a school and every other month they meet in the school and on the alternating month they pray in the parish which is adjacent to the school. This is the Parish Church of Deutsch Tschantschendorf, Burgenland in Austria. The children pray in German. 

Children's Rosary in Grand Island, New York Celebrates One Year Anniversary

The Children's Rosary in Grand Island, New York celebrated their one year anniversary. The children met for prayers and then celebrated with cupcakes and also worked on a craft for Lent.

The group leader shared that the children are offering up little gifts daily.