Journey with Mary of the Rosary

October 31 marks the end of the month of the holy rosary. To culminate it, let me share these wonderful sacramentals that have been journeying with me in my spiritual life. Much of them were given of which I am very much appreciative of (f.y.i. If someone would give me a rosary either as a birthday, thank you, christmas, etc. gift, I am very much delighted. It is a sign of Mary's call to pray harder and I remember the giver in my prayers).

This one was a surprise gift to me by Niño Rickson Acero, my co-seminarian and one close to my heart. He made it especially and in time for my birthday. It bore in it the 4 major basilicas of Rome as it's major beads with the salve bead that of Jesus the Eternal and High Priest. I had this held by the Blessed Virgin in the shrine at the seminary on her birthday. I keep this near me whenever I am in bed at night. I keeps evil forces away.

Grateful for helping her on her thesis (on the Trinity), Sr.Ma.Joy of the Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary had this personally made for me. She said thank you coupled with her prayers. It is a wooden benedictine rosary. I remember all the religious and pious men and women when I pray with this rosary.

When he entered the Benedictine Monastery, Kuya Debaron Tivi learned how to make a rosary. This is a benedictine rosary from cat's eye beads. This is another of my favorites especially when I pray for vocations and the priesthood. My special intentions go to the maker of this rosary as well as Fr. Jerry Gaela, then rector, who gave the piece of Jerusalem Cross that I attached on its salve bead.

This rosary was made by members of the SSpSA. It was a graduation gift from my godmother, Lina Ilag, in 2010. I remember the intentions of the Society who made this as well as my godmothers in prayer through this.

This is my very first rosary given to me by my godfather, Leopold Ilag. He gave it to me after his trip from the Holy Land. A piece of stone from the Jordan River accompanies it but I seemed to have lost it way way back (I dropped it among the gravel near Lola Nana's house and I couldn't find it anymore, sorry). This is my favorite as I still keep it in my pocket. Maybe this has been with me for almost 20 years already and one of my most sentimental mementos.

When I had my first retreat in the seminary, I forgot to bring my rosary (which was unusual). I left it in my other pants. This came from the Capuchin Retreat Ceneter in Lipa and I was able to use this as a rosary just 3 times. All the rest, I use it to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every Fridays.

This is a Christmas present from Fr.Nino then our Formation Director.

Get something from your room which has special meaning for you and give it to your batchmate- that was the instruction. This "summarized" rosary is especially themed with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The cross bears a magnifying glass where you can see the image of Our Lady. This was given by Jefferson Carmona, now our Liturgy chairman. Using this I remember his intentions, that of the batch, and for the defense of the culture of life.

This wooden rosary was a souvenir in the opening of our small religious store in the seminary. It was our formation batch that initiated in opening one to sustain a fund-raiser for the Institute.

This wooden rosary came from Rome. It is simple indeed and has an oak casing (the image of the Immaculate Heart and Sacred Heart interchange). This I keep in the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady MMediatrix of All Grace, in my room atop my bookshelf. I had this when I was mid-college already.