Block Rosary Beads
  

           JAPAN: Block Rosary Group Under Francisca Murata  Meet in  Thanksgiving

Block Rosary In 3 New Locations
                       Groups Formed In Japan, Spain and Boston, MA

 
Block  Rosary  has reached two new nations, and moved to a new city on the east coast of the
United States.

A Block Rosary group is now actively recruiting members in Koriyama, Japan, under the leadership
of Josefina Kudo, and already a second Block Rosary has been established in a nearby city,
Sukagqawa, Japan.  The Block Rosary leader there is Francisca Murata.

Mrs. Kudo is a native of the Philippines, and remembers Block Rosary from her childhood, in that
nation.  She has lived in Japan for 15 years, and attends the Koriyama Catholic Church in Koriyama. 
Her parish priest is Father Rigenza Staniswall, a native of Poland.  He has been in Japan for about a year. 
“I was eager to have the group started, but  my only memory of the  Block Rosary was when  I was a
child.  I thought of searching the web for information, and in that search I found Dorothy’s Block Rosary
pages.  Thank GOD. Our Father, Our Lord,

Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph for making all these things  possible, and for leading me to her page.  
My greatest  thanks to Dorothy.  Before I started Block Rosary, I requested my mother to send me an
image of Our Blessed Mother.  Then I happened to talk to an MIC Sister from Tokyo, about forming a
Block Rosary group.  It was at that very moment I felt that Our Lord did plan the situation, since that
Sister I talked to just came for a visit to Koriyama.”

Josefina’s Block Rosary group has about ten members.  It once had 16, but in recent weeks, has been
reduced to its present size. The Block  Rosary of  Sukagawa is growing at a faster pace than the one in
Koriyama, and occasionally both groups will get together, and join in saying the Block Rosary.

“I’m from the Philippines.  I met my husband while I was here for a job in Tokyo.   We were married, and
after a few years,  were blessed with a daughter and a son.  Things weren’t so easy here because of the
many differences in culture, religion, outlook in life, etc.”

 
        SPAIN: Participants gather at a home in Rota, Spain for their first Block Rosary

Block Rosary Starts At US Military Base in Rota, Spain

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world at the U.S. Naval base in Rota, Spain, a Block Rosary has
been formed. The Block Rosary in Rota was started by an American, Jim L. Domingo, stationed at the
Rota Naval station.  His early actions included contacting his parish priest for permission (which he easily
received), and he then visited Fatima to pray for the success of the Block Rosary in Rota.

Jim wrote:  “ I talked to our parish priest a few days ago, and he said it’s o.k. to start the Block Rosary,
as soon as I receive the statue of Our Lady of Fatima”.   He stated that he had the privilege to see the
sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, and the apparition site.  “We even met one of the relatives of the three
little shepherd children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia.  Isn’t that amazing?” he said.  “The basilica and the
places where these humble children prayed with the Mother of God are breath-taking.  I couldn’t ask for
more or anything less, but to stay there and pray.  Very relieving, and a place hard to forget”.

Growth Comes in U. S., With NewChapter in Boston

Two Nuns from Spokane WA, recently assigned to Boston, Ma.,  told us of their work with Block Rosary.
Sister  Mary Berrnadette (CMRI) wrote: “Sister Mary Providencia and I came to Boston on April 4^th,
with two primary objectives in mind, well three, actually.  They were to set up a Catholic bookstore and
gift shop, conduct adult Catholic doctrine classes, and begin the Block Rosary, which was actually #1 in
my mind.

 
       Block Rosary group in Boston meets in a members home. It has 25 participants.

We began that very first week with about 11 members present.  Of course, many of us did not yet know
each other much, so there was time allotted for visiting afterwards.  We were actually from about a mile
radius. One of the attendees suggested that possibly she could get a group together in their retirement
community apartments, and within the week, we found our second rosary group formed.  We prayed the
Rosary with the first group of ladies and a couple of men, about 12 or so.  As the weeks progressed, the
group grew until by June 15, we must have had 25 at that  Rosary. This “ moving Block Rosary group”
has gone to nearly every home of the members.  We spent a little more time helping the people to meditate
on the mysteries, and also, since we never see each other at any other times, and need to establish a strong
bond in our Faith, we have been spending some time together after the Rosary.  It is usually time filled with
spiritual conversation, and I feel it is necessary since they do not have any other connection with Catholic
friends or culture. When we return in August, we will probably be splitting into two groups.”

Gratefully and lovingly, in Jesus and Mary,

Sister Mary Bernadette, CMRI