It was the personal wish of Pope Francis that the young people at the World Youth Day in Panama should receive a rosary from the Holy Land. In this way hundreds of thousands of young people would be able to join together in praying for peace in the world. Pope Francis is profoundly convinced of the power of the Rosary, describing it as „The summary of the history of God‘s Mercy“.
The fact that the rosaries given to them were actually made in the Holy Land, the land where Jesus was born, adds greatly to the symbolic significance of this gift to the young pilgrims. But at the same time it was also an act of solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land, who still struggle to make a living against great adversity in this conflict-torn region of the world.
And so one million rosaries were made out of local olive wood by Christian families in the Bethlehem region. In this way some 200 families were able at the same time to find work and support themselves for a full year. Prisoners, refugees and the unemployed were also gainfully employed in this scheme.
Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, ACN was able to contribute €100,000 towards the cost of this project. Our heartfelt thanks to all our benefactors, and may God reward you!
Code: 398-00-49