Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Seventy-five years ago, in a small cellar area below a utility room, a Xaverian Brother thanked Our Lady of Fatima as he refurbished the little room into a shrine. That night, he died in his sleep, leaving his secretary to record and pass down this tender moment, captured in the latest newsletter of Our Lady’s Rosary Makers. Brother Sylvan Mattingly’s little shrine was located in St. Xavier High School. Although his name may not be well known to local Catholics, his legacy reaches the worldwide church.

Inspired by Our Lady of Fatima’s request to pray the rosary every day, he established a ministry of rosary making — the “Our Lady of Fatima Rosary-Making Club” in 1949. Although his ministry began at the school, it soon spread. The rosaries were sent to missions around the world. Seeing the potential of the ministry, Brother Mattingly wrote to “Our Sunday Visitor,” which helped the movement catch on in several other U.S. cities. Within the first 10 years, the ministry was active across the nation, and two million rosaries had been assembled and distributed to mission areas around the world.

Since then, Our Lady’s Rosary Makers estimates that its rosary-makers have produced 250 million rosaries. The ministry is still based in Louisville at the International Rosary Center, 4611 Poplar Level Road, and its history is carefully recalled in its newsletters and on its website.

Reflecting on the 75th anniversary, Mike Ford, who serves as general manager, said, “It’s remarkable. It’s beyond remarkable… We’re still here and it’s still important.” Looking to the future of the lay apostolate, Ford said he hopes the gift of the rosary can be rediscovered. “It fits everyone” with its simplicity,” he said in a recent interview. “If your mother gave you a simple recipe for a peach pie, would you make it?” You might think, “It needs to be much more complicated to taste that good.” But often, simpler is better," he said.

“The Blessed Mother has asked us to pray the rosary for world peace.” It’s a simple recipe for a “peace pie,” he quipped, noting that the ingredients are as simple as childhood prayers —the Our Father and Hail Mary.

If the rosary is indeed this simple "peace pie" recipe handed down by our Mother then Louisville is its crust—a foundation for this international endeavor. Ford believes that like every good recipe should be shared widely.

Like Brother Mattingly's cellar room hidden away from high school bustle above it., Our Lady's Rosary Makers' building on Poplar Level Road can easily go unnoticed even by locals such as Ford himself who only discovered them during 1990s despite being raised by family frequently reciting prayers together

Our Lady's Rosary Makers currently seeks volunteer participants especially interested from archdiocesan schools along with welcoming requests towards providing necessary materials those engaged missionary work worldwide To learn more or get involved visit www.olrm.org

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