Last month, four longtime parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Westminster made a special visit to the pre-kindergarten class of the parish school. Sally Vellanoweth, Sharon Hansen, Jodie Gawer and Cristina Fuentes dropped by to greet the 4-year-old students and deliver handmade rosaries. In fact, the four friends have been making rosaries for those in need for the past 10 years. Almost weekly, they gather to assemble the rosaries in large quantities.
Sally Vellanoweth’s daughter, Cristella, is a former graduate and now an Early Childhood teacher at Blessed Sacrament School.
“My mom has always made chain link rosaries for her 11 children and continues to make them for her grandchildren today,” Cristella said. “If there was a First Holy Communion, you could always count on having a homemade rosary from my mother. I remember at a very young age watching her make them, which in turn has sparked my own interest in making jewelry. I honestly can say that I remember her making them throughout my entire life.”
On this occasion, Cristella invited the four ladies to visit her students, who were more than delighted to receive their special gifts.