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By Kayla Harris, Librarian/Archivist

October is American Archives Month where cultural heritage institutions highlight their collections and the people who work with them. October is also dedicated to celebrating the rosary, and the Marian Library has a large collection of special rosaries. For example, Brother Andrew Kosmowski, S.M. described in a previous blog post his detective work to learn the history of a rosary made of cowrie shells.

The Marian Library archives contains some interesting materials related to the use of the rosary in popular devotion. The Bulletins and Newsletters collection has issues spanning from 1957 to 1982 of the Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Making Club, now known as Our Lady’s Rosary Makers. The small rosary-making group founded in 1949 by Brother Sylvan Mattingly, C.F.X., of Louisville’s St. Xavier High School, grew into an international organization sending rosaries to missions worldwide. The collection in the Marian Library archives has several pamphlets and brochures from the group, including a guide with step-by-step instructions to make a rosary, a catalog for ordering the different beads, and a directory of rosary guilds for interested members to join. 

To learn more about the history of the rosary, an article on All About Mary by Reverend Matthew R. Mauriello is a great starting point.