Children's Rosary Newsletter: Preparing for Pentecost

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Children's Rosary® Newsletter: Preparing for Pentecost

Journey through South Africa and Lesotho

Asher Kaufman, at 18, 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 and then the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Angola, South Africa and Mozambique followed. There was a relatively short journey through Botswana and Namibia. This dispatch chronicles his return to South Africa and journey to Lesotho. 

After arriving back in Johannesburg from our exciting trip to Namibia and Botswana, there was still one place left to go, one more expedition to set forth on. That, of course, was Lesotho. We have never had any Children’s Rosary groups in Lesotho that we know of, and yet it is a very Catholic country and one with a very profound and developed spirituality.

A family member of Gail’s named Pavel generously agreed to drive us into Lesotho on short notice, and so the three of us set out a day after arriving back from Namibia.

Unlike Namibia, Lesotho is a mountainous and chilly nation, often called the “Switzerland of Africa.” And it is true that the natural, rocky beauty of Lesotho is quite impressive. It is the kind of country that seems built for a camping trip. I found the weather to be surprisingly pleasant, rather like a crisp New England October day and not overly cold, even in the early mornings.

Our drive (as you might expect by this this point) took rather longer than we had anticipated. We only arrived in Mohale’s Hoek (the diocese we were staying in) at about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, and we had left around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m.

We were hosted by Bishop John Tlhomola, the bishop of Mohale’s Hoek, and by Sister Elizabeth, a nun who also worked at the chancery. His Excellency very generously gave us two rooms within the compound where he lives.

Sr. Elizabeth was instrumental to the organization of the events that transpired during our visit. In fact, on the very afternoon of our arrival, we immediately went straight for a local school that had just finished their school day. In the late afternoon chill, we stood outside with them and spoke about the Rosary. I found that their participation was quite admirable and their interest high, which of course I was pleased to encounter.

That evening, Bishop Tlhomola and Sr. Elizabeth spent quite some time with us simply “shooting the breeze,” or speaking in a leisurely way about very casual matters, which I thought really showed his openness and willingness as a bishop to make himself available to his guests.

The next morning was Sunday. We had morning Mass at a local parish, which was replete with dancing and singing. I was able to recognize some of the words in Sesotho as they seemed to bear a resemblance to those of the Setswana language we had heard in Botswana. I was later told that they came from the same language family and that speakers of either language could understand speakers of the other with relative ease.

We were given the opportunity to speak after the Mass, and the animators of the children were so very interested by our address on the Rosary (which by this point had come through much refining after various visits in Botswana and Namibia) that they gathered the children in a nearby grotto afterward for a longer session with us.

That afternoon, we paid a visit to another priest in a different parish, and then we spent the evening with Sr. Elizabeth back at the bishop’s house.

The next morning we visited a couple of schools run by Sr. Elizabeth. One was a kindergarten, so we only popped in briefly, just long enough to say hi to the young children in each class. The other school included more grades, and we spoke to them all out in courtyard. Once again, their participation was excellent, and when I would ask various trivia questions from the Bible that related to what I was saying (such as, which angel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation), the children showed a surprising ability of recall.

After lunch, we went to Roma, another important town in Lesotho. We only had one school to visit there, and upon realizing how limited the program was, Pavel proposed we head back to Johannesburg that very night.  After some discussion, it was agreed, and so after visiting that school, we got into the car and began the long journey back to Johannesburg.

We crossed the border almost immediately as the towns we had been visiting sit right on that demarcation, but the drive afterward stretched on longer than I think we had anticipated. Those of you who read my last post will assuredly be familiar with our overnight journey through Botswana and Namibia that occurred on my last road trip. Even though this trip was not through the night, nevertheless I do recall feeling so tired as the evening wore on that I realized at some point after 10:00 p.m. that we desperately needed to keep the rather pitifully uninteresting conversation we were in the midst of going so as not to fall completely asleep. I was worried even for Pavel, the man who had volunteered to drive us. Thankfully, the conversation continued, and everyone remained awake until we crossed safely into Johannesburg. It had been a long day, and I was glad to not have to set my alarm for the next morning.

The next few days were, of course, my last in South Africa. We remained quite occupied, what with meetings and distribution of materials.

On Tuesday, we went up to Pretoria with Cecilia from that archdiocese. We visited the Cathedral where we spoke with some people from the chancery. There, they mentioned that they had interest in organizing a Rosary procession in October such as they had had in Pretoria in years gone by. We thought this would be a wonderful idea, especially since the children of the Children's Rosary were to lead the Rosary for all the attendees. After this, by a blessed chance, we happened to see the archbishop as we went into the chancery. We were not supposed to see him that day, but we did, and we were able to give him materials concerning the Children's Rosary that we had promised to give. Overall, it was a gratifying day and I look forward to what will happen with the Children's Rosary in the Archdiocese of Pretoria.

On Wednesday night, we had a dinner with some of the members of the Lebanese Maronite Catholic Church in South Africa. Thanks to Gail’s coordination, they would soon be praying a cross-country Rosary with a Children’s Rosary group in Lebanon. We saw Br. Ramzi, Joumana, and Fr. Saade of Our Lady of Cedars Catholic Church. It was a lovely dinner, and I was so glad that they are part of our South African Children’s Rosary team.

Interestingly, just before we entered the restaurant, we were still standing in the parking lot when we heard much shouting and saw people running. A group of store workers gathered around a car and began blocking and kicking it. The car drove towards the exit but then was blocked by a car coming in, and whoever was inside was made to get out. As the scene developed, people began running from all corners to see what was happening and to help in collaring those in the car. Apparently, as we learned from a coffee shop worker as she walked back from the scene, the would-be escapees were pickpocketers who had managed to make off with some goods from people on the opposite side of the strip mall; they had been spotted, and thus the chase that I witnessed.

The next day, Thursday, Gail and I visited the printer who was the one printing our Children’s Rosary book locally in South Africa, a wonderful Christian enterprise that incidentally did a very nice job printing our book. That evening, we met with Fr. Deneys Williamson, the head of the Catechetical Department for Archdiocese of Johannesburg. Fr. Williamson was a very delightful priest with a thoughtful, refined manner of speaking and very open and easy demeanor. He had helped us in making sure the Children’s Rosary was officially approved to go in the Archdiocese.

We wrapped up the evening by meeting Fr. Jean-Marie, the chancellor for the archdiocese, and someone else who has greatly helped us, for dinner. Fr. Jean-Marie had helped us, for instance, get a brief opportunity to meet Cardinal Brislin back in December 2025, and he had also connected me with the vicar for the Archdiocese of Kinshasa when I was in that neighborhood.

The next day, Friday, was my last in South Africa. The main event for that day was the brunch that Gail worked so hard to put together with all of the Children’s Rosary team leads from the Johannesburg area who could attend where we had some time to get to know each other and also some strategic discussion on how to implement the groups further in the Archdiocese.

We saw, in the course of things, some of the other tables getting a birthday celebration that included restaurant employees bringing over a cake with a candle and singing a traditional birthday tune while everyone claps along. Somehow my birthday came up in the discussion; Gail said that she had forgotten to send some birthday message back in February and that, in place of that, she would have them come with a cake for me. I was mortified, not the least of which because I felt like a birthday fraud. What should happen if they asked my birthday.

“Well, actually, it’s in February,” I would inevitably answer.

I could see it happening before my eyes.

But yet, nothing of the sort did happen. They brought the cake, sang the song, and everyone loved it, including me.

However, all good things must come to an end, and after the brunch, off we went, Gail and I, to the airport. She dropped me at the check-in desk, and I began the next phase to my trip which would take me back to Europe. How I fared on the journey back to that ancient continent I will leave for the next installment.

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

Children's Rosary Informational Meeting for Portuguese Speakers Sunday May 17th

We will be having our first Children's Rosary informational Zoom meeting for Portuguese speakers on Sunday, May 17 at

3 p.m. PM Eastern Time

4 p.m. local time in Brazil

8 p.m. local time in Portugal & Angola

9 p.m. local time in Mozambique  

Please feel free to invite people who you think might have interest in the Children's Rosary. 

Topic: Portuguese Informational Meeting
Time: May 17, 2026 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83474082011?pwd=B8nZnyAqRH0xu8EnjRgTK1bZFqobJc.1

For more information about the Children's Rosary in Portuguese visit our Portuguese website https://rosariodascriancas.org

Preparing Flowers for Our Blessed Mother

The Children's Rosary in Lisdoonvarna Co Clare, Ireland shared pictures of the flowers they prepared for their May Children's Rosary meeting. As May is the month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, it seems hearts are even more drawn to making each gift extra special. One can see the great care that went into preparing these flowers with ribbon. The children were encouraged to each take a bunch of flowers home at the end of the Rosary to help create a little home altar. 

As a special treat for the end of the Children's Rosary meeting, Lourda made special gingerbread cookies for the children.

Here is a video one how to create a home altar:

First Children's Rosary in Iraq

We are excited to announce that a Children's Rosary is forming in Iraq. The new group will be meeting at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh (Bakhdida) next to Mosul, Iraq. Fr. Rony Marzina has gathered one hundred and fifty young people age 11-14 who will be forming this new group at the parish. They are shown below. 

Children's Rosary Introduced in the Santa Elena Diocese of Ecuador

We are grateful to Henry Bukenya for traveling from the Archdiocese of Quito to the Diocese of Santa Elena to provide an informational session about the Children's Rosary to catechists at San Juan Buastista Parroquia. 

The three hour session was held on Sunday May second and 62 people attended. 

Thank you to Rev. Fr. John Mary Sekayima Parish priest, Madam Mirella – the Parish Secretary and Mr. Jessy for their nice arrangement.

Missionary Disciples

On May 3, 2026, members of the Children's Rosary gifted rosaries at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut. This was a wonderful experience for the children. They were able to take their experience of prayer and share it. This gave them a wonderful taste of being missionary disciples. With big smiles they invited all those who entered to pray with them on the second Sunday of the month at 9:45AM in the lower chapel of St Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. This is where the Children's Rosary began 15 years ago. 

Liam, age 4 was also overflowing with joy. He left most of the explaining to the older children but he was unmatched in his delivery of rosaries to those who entered. Thank you to Ethel (shown below) who has been helping the Children's Rosary. She returns to Ghana at the end of May and she will bring with her a missionary box of materials to help start the Children's Rosary at her home parish. Ethel has been studying at UConn Law School and was able to become confirmed at St. Thomas and St Timothy parish at Easter.