By Ilzydora Hernández
Special to The Texas Catholic
For students at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, living their faith extends beyond the classroom and is reflected in service to others.
Bringing hope to communities in countries affected by poverty is one way these young Ursuline students live out their faith. The Rosaries for Hope club gives them a way to put that faith into action.
“Marian devotion is important to all of us, and it is wonderful to have a student-led opportunity to cultivate a love for the Blessed Virgin Mary in a way that also allows us to share that love with others,” said Melanie Álvarez, the club’s moderator and a theology teacher at Ursuline Academy.
The students meet three times each semester to make rosaries, which are distributed by chaplains from the Diocese of Dallas who serve in local hospitals.
The project has also extended to mission trips. Last June, high school students from several Diocese of Dallas schools traveled to Costa Rica as part of their annual summer mission experience, bringing rosaries that had been created by Ursuline students with them.
One rosary, many lives
“A rosary can convey hope because of what it represents: prayer, God, and our Catholic faith,” said club member Jillian Lim, an Ursuline senior. “If someone in the hospital receives that rosary, it truly represents that God is there and that you can trust in him.”
“People in Costa Rica are always very excited to receive our rosaries. The more we can make, the better, because so many people are excited to receive them,” Ursuline teacher Sarah Kennedy said.
Motivated by her desire to foster devotion to the holy rosary, Katie Robb, now an alumna of the school, founded Rosaries for Hope in the fall of 2020.
Approximately 80 young women are members of the club, with about 20 regularly participating in meetings.
“Making rosaries shows how faith can strengthen a community, since the students enjoy spending time together and sharing with one another as they make the rosaries,” said Katie Faye Putman, an 11th-grade student who has been a club member for three years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the club made rosaries to share with hospital patients and medical staff.
The club’s impact extends beyond those who receive the rosaries. Students say their involvement in the initiative has strengthened their prayer lives and faith.
“When I’m stressed, I simply pray a Hail Mary and offer it to God,” Lim said. “I feel that I wouldn’t have done that as much if I hadn’t been part of this club, because it has truly made me feel much stronger in my faith.”
Through their example, these young women have also influenced their school community, including their teachers.
For Álvarez, the students’ lived experience of faith is part of what makes their work so meaningful.
“It has been wonderful to see the students’ faith and devotion, and their dedication has been an inspiration to me in my own life,” she said.
Cutline for featured image: Students at Ursuline Academy of Dallas who are members of the Rosaries for Hope club meet three times each semester to make rosaries. The rosaries are distributed by chaplains from the Diocese of Dallas who serve in local hospitals and are also shared during mission trips to Costa Rica. (Photo courtesy of Ursuline Academy of Dallas)
