Sacred Heart Faith Formation of Gramercy opened its doors to a new twist in faith sharing. Spearheaded by Cathy Schaff and aided by the first–sixth grade teachers, the first ever parent/student session was a huge success. With more than 92 percent parent participation and 99 percent student attendance “Family Faith Sharing” program kicked off with a bang.

As the parents and students gathered in the Sacred Heart Center they listened to a presentation by Schaff about the history of the rosary and why the month of October is dedicated to it. Schaff explained the rosary is one of the most cherished prayers of the Catholic Church. The use of prayer beads and the repeated recitation of prayers to aid in meditation stem from the earliest days of the church and have roots in pre-Christian times. Evidence exists from the middle ages that strings of beads were used to count Our Fathers and the Hail Mary. The structure of the rosary gradually evolved between the 12th and 15th centuries.  Tradition holds that St. Dominic devised the rosary. Moved by a vision of the Blessed Mother, he preached the use of the rosary in his missionary work.  

Following her presentation each child was given a make their own rosary kit. Included in the kit were instructions on how to pray the rosary using the Mysteries. While listening to a CD of the rosary being sung in the background, the students and parents made their rosaries together.