This bracelet rosary I bought for myself in Manaoag Church here in Pangasinan two Sundays ago. My daughter egged me on visiting the shrine of the miraculous Virgen Milagrosa de Manaoag, for want of spiritual upliftment before going back to school for the second semester. Also, she wanted to buy some religious items to give as tokens to her classmates who are going for a six-month internship in Beijing, China at the end of November.
Here are more items we bought:
Mini rosaries
Bracelet with crucifix for my mother who, at 86, still fancies wearing bead necklaces and bracelets. 
And oh, that is my chubby wrist in picture by the way.
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I am not really a devout Catholic, but my daughter is. She religiously goes to church every Sunday and is in fact a very active member of the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth. Most of the time, she admonishes me: “Mama, bakit hindi ka nagsisimba?” (Mama, why don’t you want to hear mass?)
Not that I don’t want to. But I just can’t move my butt to go to church on Sundays, especially when I have to do the marketing and grocery shopping on these days. These tasks just stress me a lot because when I get home after shopping, I have to arrange everything in the cabinets and refrigerator. You see, I usually make it a point to have everything ready for cooking before storing them in the ref. This means marinating the pork chops; segregating the chicken in packs in such a way that one pack is good for one cooking; washing and draining the fish and so on, aside from cleaning the refrigerator and at the same time getting rid of expired left overs. Hence, by the time I finish, I am already too tired that I just want to sleep the whole afternoon.
But I do pray. I have a quiet time and place, known to nobody but me. And I have great trust in God.
I also recite the rosary. I believe in the intercession of the Blessed Mother, especially when someone in the family is ill.
Religious articles such as those in the above photos are just objects. Many non-Catholics question (or mock) the Catholics’ veneration of such objects. However I beg to disagree. For me, it is not the beads that I venerate when I say the Holy Rosary. It is not the wooden statue that I worship when praying before an image. To me, all these “objects” are merely symbols. And my faith is not on the symbol itself but on what the symbol stands for.
Live and let live. Peace I give to all.
i feel the same way. catholic by birth
but seriously i dont think god ever intended us to practice our faith only through organized religion.
i like the new skin by the way. much much better.
Love the first Rosary. Very beautiful.
I bought one when I visited Quiapo Church. It’s still with me and I got it blessed in the church too.
(:
Hi, Gerwin! You’re right. Faith is not religion and neither is religion necessarily faith.
Thank you! Wilson did the new skin.
When are you and your wife flying over for the Holidays?
Those bracelet rosaries come in different colors, Kyels - whichever is your choice, depending on your birth month. I had it blessed too, along with the other religious articles my daughter bought for her friends.
You may want to visit other parts of the country, such our province, when you come again to visit the Philippines.
He who has faith has… an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.
-B.C. Forbes-
Thanks for that wonderful quote, Sidney. Very inspiring.
They look so quaint and adorable.
By the way, congrats to your new design. It’s fresh and so neat.
Thank you, Major Tom!
I’m not a devout Catholic either. I hear mass when I can but it’s not a routine for me. I find it more comforting to talk to the Lord on my own and in my own way. Still, I appreciate prayers but I don’t make it a point to use them all the time when I want to speak with Him. I feel that I can get my message across clearer when I tell it like it is. However, I do pray the rosary and do novenas. Just not strictly
Prayers should come from the heart, right, Cookie? Otherwise, they are just senseless repetitions.
Bravo for the new look, Rhoda. Is that a gift from Tsukuba, too? I think it is minimalist looking and therefore classy.
What beautiful beads, Rhoda. I know what you mean when you said we don’t venerate the rosary nor the crucifix and other icons for themselves but only as representations of our great Creator.
I am not also a sarado Catolico. I I believe that God is so big no one can miss Him, even if he tries..
Thank you, Anna. My new design is by my techie friend, Wilson.
Right you are - God is so big that He is everywhere and we can never miss Him.
we’re spending christmas in dagupan
hope to see you around…
Most catholics have the same reasoning pagdating images, rosary,idols, relics, etc..but the fact is catholics doctrines ito na ang mga symbols are not mere decoration or props, talagang pinasasamba ito ng simbahan. Well kung hindi mo ito ginagawa you are not real catholic. The sad part is walang sinasabi ang bible sa practice na ito na minana pa natin nuong panahon ng kastila.
I’m not a devout Catholic either so with the rest of the family. But I have those rosary bracelets because it reminds me of my son who prayed the rosary often. Sigh, our kids are more devout than us.