By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Father Richard Vigoa, priest-secretary to Archbishop Thomas Wenski, helps Archbishop Curley Notre Dame students Ena Urbina and Christopher Estrada organize the rosary-bagging process.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Archbishop Curley Notre Dame students Ena Urbina and Christopher Estrada spent their day off from school bagging rosaries for the archdiocesan pilgrims to take to Cuba.
The rosaries are destined for Cuba, to be taken by the 300 or so pilgrims accompanying Archbishop Thomas Wenski to the papal Masses in Santiago and Havana, March 26 and 28.
“All of these rosaries are going to be brought to El Cobre and left there at the santuario (shrine),” explained Father Richard Vigoa, priest-secretary and master of ceremonies for Archbishop Wenski. “There’s thousands of pilgrims going to El Cobre so it’s just a little gift” that the archbishop wanted to give to the archbishop of Santiago.
The rosaries — plastic and colorful — were donated through the ministry of Mary Lynch, a Tamarac resident and retired TWA stewardess who has a network of rosary-makers nationwide.
“Rosaries have come from all over the country with the prayer intentions of all those rosary-makers,” explained Sister Elizabeth Worley, archdiocesan chancellor for administration and chief operating officer, who contacted Lynch to ask for the rosaries.
The rosaries came bound in groups of 10. Ena, 17, and Christopher, 18, both seniors at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School in Miami, spent the day packing them into clear Hefty plastic bags, three dozen rosaries per bag, one bag or so per pilgrim.
The request for the students to volunteer came at the last minute March 22, from one of their teachers. March 23 was a teacher professional day for most archdiocesan schools.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
The rosaries were re-packaged by the Curley-Notre Dame students into plastic bags with three dozen rosaries inside.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
The rosaries, made by volunteers throughout the country, come in packs of 10.
Both she and Christopher have completed the service hours required of all Catholic school students each year, so it truly was an act of generosity on their part. They began counting out and packing rosaries around 10:30 a.m. and were less than halfway through by 3:30 p.m.
Asked how long they planned to stay, Christopher said, “As long as it takes.”
