Rosaries to be sent with Army captain - troops see rosary as sacred and powerful

By JAMIE MCCLURE, Globe reporter
Oct. 25, 2007

In order to offer hope for many soldiers in Iraq, four high school students from the Diocese of Sioux City have made hundreds of rosaries to help them in their time of spiritual needs.

These four students, who all attend Hartley/Melvin/Sanborn School, have sent a hundred rosaries with a Captain of the Army, Sean O'Brien to give to his troops and many other people, including people from Afghanistan.

The students' names are Emily Lorch, 15; Maria McCarty, 16; Alison Bernier, 17 and Alyssa Johnson, 18.

"I started making the rosaries because I've always thought that they were pretty," said Lorch. "I also thought it was a good way to say the prayers and that more people should be able to use the rosaries."

According to McCarty, "I think it's important to make the rosaries for the soldiers. People have taught me how to make them and they are a lot of fun to make."

Johnson said, "It gives me a lot of pride to make the rosaries for the soldiers because they can pray the rosary when they need it the most. I would say my faith has inspired me to make them."

McCarty has been making the rosaries for about three years. In the three years, she has heard comments from other people about her and the other girls making the rosaries. The people have said that it is a good thing they are making them and many people have appreciated that fact.

"It is important to pray the rosary because it brings you closer to God, and it takes your mind off of things," said McCarty. "It gives your troubles to God."

Johnson said she started making the rosaries at one of the youth conferences that she attended in Des Moines. She has been making them for about two years.

"It was a trip to Mexico that got me started on making the rosaries," said Bernier. "Kelly O'Brien, Sean's father, suggested that I send the rosaries with him."

The reason Bernier likes to send the rosaries to the soldiers is to give them a sense of religion when they have the time for it.

"In my life, the rosary is a way for me to get closer to God," said Bernier.

CALLED TO DUTY

O'Brien has been active in the Army for 12 years. He was enlisted for eight years before being selected for Officer Candidate School. He was then commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery followed by a promotion to captain.

"I initially became enlisted because of job benefits, pay and opportunities that the Army had to offer," said O'Brien. "After 9/11, I decided to become an officer and offer myself to the businesses at hand."

When O'Brien first went overseas to Afghanistan in 2005, he took his Knights of Columbus rosary with him to pray. He said he never made any of the rosaries that were sent with him, and he could never figure out how the girls were making all of the small knots in the rosaries with their fingers.

"The men identify with 'holy' things when they are faced with adversity," said O'Brien. "Interestingly, many of those interested in the rosaries were non-Catholics. There were even Afghanistan people interested in them."

He also said that the Afghanistan's have rosary looking beads, which the American soldiers would call 'worry beads'. He said the elders would walk around thumbing their beads.

"I asked them once, 'What are you praying?'" said O'Brien. "They would always reply with, 'God is great!' for each bead."

O'Brien said the beads looked like a rosary, but they were lacking decades that American rosaries have. Where the crucifix would be on the American rosary, the Afghanistan 'worry beads' ended with a tail of unwoven string or cloth.

"I would give them rosaries every time I could, while also explaining what I did with my rosary," said O'Brien. "They would always tell me that they appreciated my faith."

O'Brien said his men were happy to receive the rosaries. He said it's important to the interior of a man, regardless of their outward nature.

"We are all created the same way," said O'Brien. "I think of the rosary as peace and understanding of adversity. The grind of a deployment and a war will take away all of those other things that we 'make ourselves into', and the only thing remaining is the soul...which wants to be called and recognized by God."

He also said the rosary is important to him because it is an expression and a tool of intercessory prayer. It is not a focal point, but a conduit to the focus...Jesus.

"I know that my mother's, grandmother's and my wife's rosaries said on my behalf were not wasted," said O'Brien. "I wouldn't be writing if that was not the case. I know that Mary was on the battlefield with me."

DESIGNATED CHAPLAIN

O'Brien was designated as a Catholic representative by one of his chaplains before he left for Afghanistan.

"Being the Catholic representative, this basically meant that I would provide a liturgy of the word for the faithful due to the huge shortage of chaplains," said O'Brien. "While I was overseas in 2005, a couple of hundred rosaries were sent to me. They were welcomed and appreciated. To receive those rosaries was simply understood as a necessity. I knew they would go fast...and sure enough, they did."

O'Brien also said the rosaries often opened up discussions about faith. The rosaries were important to them for different reasons.

"Many of my men I know treated them as a charm or something that they identified as sacred or powerful, but obviously pointing to Jesus Christ," said O'Brien. "I spoke of the power of the intercessory prayer when I could, and also referenced the Catechism and the Bible. I let my men do the readings."

When O'Brien deploys to Iraq in late November from Fort Polk, LA., he will take 283 rosaries with him.

"For me to make the rosaries, I feel like I'm helping the men who are serving our country and I think it means a lot to them," said Lorch. "I began making them because I thought it would be fun, cool and that I would be helping out other people."

According to Sean's father, Kelly O'Brien, Sean was involved in a lot of combat. While he was overseas in 2005, he received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

"While I was overseas, I was humbled at the power of man versus the power of God," said the captain. "Receiving the Purple Heart was a reminder that I was glad I was in front...not the medical guys I was escorting."

O'Brien also said he is excited to have an un-interrupted 15 months of straight prayer time.

Home