Visit to Our Lady of Purgatory Parish

We are very excited to announce that a new Children's Rosary is starting at Our Lady of Purgatory Parish on Saturday November 7. Asher Kaufman was able to visit the parish yesterday and he shared this note.

On Sunday, November 1, the Feast of All Saints, I visited the Maronite parish of Our Lady of Purgatory in New Bedford, MA. The parish priest there, Fr. Vincent Farhat (shown above), had been in contact with my mother about starting a Children's Rosary there for some time, so I agreed to pay a visit to drop off some materials and speak briefly to the parishioners after Mass about the initiative. 

I wish also make a quick note of the name of the parish. It is not a common parish name, and indeed I know of no other in my experience named after that particular Marian title. Nevertheless, it is quite beautiful, as it evokes Our Lady's role as the patron and intercessor for the suffering souls, an image that is particularly pertinent for All Saints' Day as well as All Souls' Day. 

I arrived not long before the 10:30 a.m. Mass and was introduced to Fr. Vincent, Fr. Jean (the celebrant), as well as Subdeacon Vincent. All were very hospitable. I was invited to serve the Mass, after which I made a small announcement regarding the Children's Rosary, which Fr. Vincent is aiming to start each month during a Lebanese heritage night hosted at the parish.

After the Mass, there was a lunch in the parish hall, which I attended and during which I managed to meet Mother Marla, Sister Therese (shown below), and Sister Emily, nuns from the Maronite Congregation of Maronite Servants of Christ the Light, a religious order based nearby in Dartmouth, MA. They will be helping to start the Children's Rosary at the parish. 

I was so grateful for everybody's kindness and enthusiasm and look forward to the formation of a new Children's Rosary group in New Bedford!

Children Providing Leadership

On the Solemnity of All Saints, we held the Children's Rosary at St Peter Claver Church in West Hartford, Connecticut USA. Benny, age 9, attended the Children's Rosary for the first time today(shown above). He was joined by 5 children who were around the age of 6. For all of these children it was the first time attending a Children's Rosary and I believe also praying a rosary. Benny immediately took the leadership role. He led the first decade and then an invitation was made to anyone else who wanted to join him. Richie lifted his hand and assumed a position next to Benny. We had another volunteer to help for the third decade and by the fourth decade Nora had expressed interest in leading and there were four children at the podium. Throughout the Rosary it was Benny who reassured the younger children and provided the steady voice to lead the prayers.

 We closed by playing the theme song for the Children's Rosary. Three children stayed at the podium. The song was new to all the children. Benny did something I had not expected. With the song playing and my poor accompaniment singing he started creating harmonies and also taking the song to higher notes that were beautiful. He had never heard the song but he anticipated where it was going and through talent did something remarkable with it. This is a link to listen to the theme song. It does not have Benny singing it but you can enjoy the song as it was originally recorded. As the song came to a close, he softly mentioned to me that he had something he wanted to say. He said a short prayer asking for God to bless all the children who attended. All who were there seemed touched by this impromptu prayer from the heart of a 9 year old boy. Benny assured us he will be at the December meeting. He also said he will invite more children. We were grateful for his leadership today and going forward with this group. 

*A special thank you to Ellen Fox who is the Children's Rosary group leader at St Peter Claver Parish. She puts a great deal of love and effort into preparing for the meetings. Ellen brought beautiful flowers some of which were from her garden for the children to place before a statue of Mary during the rosary. Thank you to those who prayed with the children from the pews. The presence of so many was a great encouragement to the children. 

Children's Rosary in Grand Island, New York Enjoys Two Visitors to their Meeting

Yesterday we received this lovely picture and update from the Children's Rosary at St Stephen Parish in Grand Island, New York.

Last night the Faith Formation Leader had a talk on Mary before the Children's Rosary. Seminarian Andrew Erdman (he had to leave before the photo) taught the children about All Hallows' Eve and suggested they pray a Hail Mary between each house for the person that gives them a treat! He also had heart warming stories that stirred their hearts. This was the first time the children were the leaders of every decade. (We started in February of 2025.) It was a wonderful night!

Children's Rosary in Dormitz, Germany Celebrates Third Anniversary!

We received this lovely note from Heidi and Matthias who lead the Children's Rosary in Dormitz Germany.

According to our schedule, we did not hold a Rosary gathering in September, but we did have two sessions in October—on the 4th and the 25th. On the latter date, by the grace of God, we celebrated our third anniversary.

Eleven children attended, accompanied by their parents. This year’s session began with a visit to the cemetery located right next to our church. The children were asked to bring photos of their loved ones; each child lit a small candle, and we concluded by praying together for the souls of the departed—essentially observing All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day a bit early. During the Rosary, we also noted that October is a special month dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. Our priest had intended to join us, but he was unable to attend due to a family emergency involving his elderly father. To our surprise, one of the children, Robi, volunteered to lead a catechetical reflection on St. Carlo Acutis—his favorite saint. Three children dressed as saints: Robi (as Carlo Acutis), another as Saint George, and a third as Saint Francis of Assisi. To conclude, the children were invited to choose specific "fruits of the Holy Spirit" they wished to cultivate and hang them on the "Rosary Seed" tree—taking inspiration from Carlo Acutis, who dedicated himself to nurturing these virtues within his own life. Together, we give thanks to our Heavenly Mother, who inspires each family to contribute to this day—whether by helping with games, piñatas, refreshments, or food.

Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference 2026

The Children's Rosary had a booth at this year's Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference on October 10. It was a grace filled day of Mass and veneration of many relics including that of St John Paul II (shown below). 

We also saw friends and made new ones. One of which was Father David Aufiero shown above. He is the pastor at St. Patrick's parish in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He was very interested in starting a Children's Rosary at his parish. We are praying a novena with him to help this come to fruition. We also met Mark Swartzberg and his wife Pam from Relevant Radio. They invited Asher and I for an interview that aired live today. We are extremely grateful for their help spreading the Children's Rosary. The interview can be heard HERE.

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

 A Mass was offered on October 25, 2026 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. 

The pictures included in this post were recently taken of the Children's Rosary at Model Colony, Lahore Pakistan.

Children's Rosary Event October 13, 2026 in Nicaragua

Members of the Children's Rosary from Parroquia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus Parish in Ticuantepe met on October 13 for a special Children's Rosary. This was a special meeting where children from the parish chapels were invited to come together at the main Church. The evening began at 5PM with the rosary led by the children. 

This was followed by Holy Mass. The children took a leadership role in the Mass by bringing up the gifts. 

There were beautiful roses placed at the foot of Our Blessed Mother. 

The children put intentions in their Children's Rosary intention box to lift up in prayer.