My name is Sherry, and I am relatively new to the Rosary Congresses.  I have my dear friend, Carol from Pittsburgh, to thank for getting me involved.  I watched from afar in Iowa as she was organizing and putting together Pittsburgh’s first Rosary Congress back in 2017 and now in its 7th year.  Even though I lived too far away to participate and take a holy hour, Carol always included me on her emails so I always knew what was going on.

As providence would have it, CEMA (Coalition of Eucharistic and Marian Apostolates), of which the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses is a member, was having a conference in Chicago last summer.  There was a need for Eucharistic Adoration shift captains for the Rosary Congress being held during the conference, so Carol asked if I might be able to help since I only lived three hours away from Chicago.  Without hesitation, I said yes!  I was so excited to finally be able to take part in a Rosary Congress!

I must confess though, as excited as I was, I was a bit nervous too.  I remember thinking to myself that I was so out of my league among these incredibly faith-filled women.  All I knew was that I loved Our Lord; I loved Our Lady; and I loved Eucharistic Adoration.  I was hoping that would be enough.

Knowing I was new to all of this, the ladies were kind enough to schedule me for a morning shift and to take the overnight shifts themselves. I entered the beautifully-decorated, temporary Adoration chapel that first night and got to witness firsthand how the shift captain facilitated the rosary and prayers at the top of the hour, so I was feeling more comfortable with my role.

The next evening a few of us went on a field trip/pilgrimage to Marytown. It was the first time any of us had visited.  Besides the impressive gigantic monstrance in the main church, on the left was a side chapel with relics from St. Maximilian Kobe as well as several statues. The one that caught my attention the most was a life-sized statue of Our Blessed Mother. I knelt and  prayed intently for my children and several urgent prayer requests from friends in Iowa. I do not know why, but I told Our Lady in my heart that night that I was giving her my "yes" to whatever it was that she wanted me to do.

It was a beautiful grace-filled four days!  Even though we all met as strangers, we parted as friends. As cliché as it may sound, you could feel the love.  Perhaps it was because we were, in fact, “sisters in Christ" rooted in our love for our Catholic faith, our love for Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and our love for Our Blessed Mother.  I gave my "yes" to Mary last summer, so when Kristin asked me several months ago if I would help with the Eucharistic Rosary Congresses on the national level, I, of course, said yes!

I am very excited and cannot wait to see what God has planned for us as we work together in God’s vineyard. We just need to give Him our yes, and He does the rest.

In Christ,