Rosary for a Snowy Day

A winter snowstorm has hit many parts of the United States.  Have you ever experienced a summer snowstorm?

According to legend, a summer snowstorm occurred in Italy in 352 A.D.    On the night of August 4,  a wealthy couple prayed to Mary, Our Lady, because they wanted a child to make them a family.   That night, Mary appeared to them in a dream and instructed them to build a church in her honor on the Esquiline Hill.  Mary said that the site for the new church would soon be outlined in snow.   On the same night, Mary also appeared to Pope Liberius and announced the coming of a miraculous summer snowfall.  When residents awoke on August 5, they found the Esquiline Hill covered in snow.  The outline of a church could be seen in the snow.  Less than two years later, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was built on that site.   In honor of that summer snowfall,  Mary is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the Snows.

 

 

The rosary shown here has clear blue beads and a center medal honoring Our Lady of the Snows.    In place of Pater Beads, it has medals honoring additional titles for Mary including Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Lourdes. and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.   Rosary makers have created many rosaries to commemorate the miraculous summer snowfall.  Some have bubble beads with images of Mary while others have unique pater beads.

 

To learn more about antique and unusual rosaries, read The Rosary Collector’s Guide.  This 152 page hardcover book has over 240 color photographs of unique rosaries, crosses, crucifixes, and center medals.  The Rosary Collector’s Guide is available in Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, the Catholic Faith Store online, and other bookstores.  For more information contact Schiffer Publishing by phone at (610) 593-1777 or online at http://www.schifferbooks.com

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