A Rosary by any other bead

 

John Ahlers, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Portland, always liked growing things. About 30 years ago he began growing roses. He learned more than just how to grow roses. Soon he was making rosaries with the fragrant, colorful beads that came from rose petals in his garden. He did not begin with the thought of using it to evangelize, but that is what happened.   

Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

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For as long as he can remember, John Ahlers always liked growing things—like vegetable gardens. Every spring he looked forward to getting his hands into the soil. There was a lot of satisfaction in connecting with the earth and watching the plentiful harvest it produced. About 30 or so years ago he began to think about growing something else—roses.

“It has been said that God writes straight with crooked lines. Sometimes we cannot know how one aspect of our life will impact another except in hindsight. But, in time and with reflection, we connect the dots of our life journey and see how God has used our story for his good purpose, or so it seems as I reflect on my own life,” Ahlers said.

Roses had a special attraction for him—the look, the smell and just the word “rose” itself had a special meaning. He decided to join the Rose Society to learn everything about show roses.

“I wanted to show them myself,” he said. “Some roses are known for their beauty and some for their fragrance. There are numerous varieties: grand floras, floribundas, hybrid teas, miniatures, climbing roses and more.”

It took time to learn how to prepare beds, select the bushes, plant, nourish and nurture them; it was a lot of work, but he loved it. In time he had about 50 bushes. “I loved not simply showing them, but sharing them with others. For over 15 years, everybody I knew would be supplied with their beauty and fragrance,” Ahlers said.
 

John Ahlers, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Portland, displays the first rosary he made using rose petals for beads. Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

He learned more than just how to grow roses. Sister Brigid O’Neill from Incarnate Word Academy showed him how to make rosary beads from rose petals. Soon he was making rosaries with the fragrant, colorful beads that came from rose petals in his garden. “I tried to select just the right crucifix and medal to complete each rosary. I gave most of them to family members over the years, but I still have the very first rosary I made,” he said.

About two years ago a member of the garden club in Portland asked him if he would give a talk on growing roses. At first he said no, but then after a little more thought he agreed to do it. “I had an idea. I told them that I would talk on roses for a while, then I would talk on something else, and they agreed,” he said.

When the day for the meeting came, Ahlers met with about 12 women from the garden club and discussed what he knew about growing roses. 

“They didn’t know what else I was going to discuss. The other topic I had in mind was about how to make roses into rosaries and the history and meaning of the rosary. I soon learned that all of the women in the group were Protestant and this was something very new to them,” Ahlers said. “The women’s eyes got big when I showed them one of the rose petal rosaries I had made. Some asked if they could touch it. I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ Most of them had never touched a rosary before. Soon it became clear that they were more interested in the rosary than in the roses.”

Ahlers told them the word rosary came from the word rose; that it literally means “a garland or crown of roses.’’ He explained how the rosary was a system to count prayers; they had never heard of this. 

“They came to understand the deeper meaning of the rosary as I explained the praying of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be and meditation on the mysteries of our Lord’s life through this beautiful prayer in honor of his Blessed Mother,” Ahlers said. “I was evangelizing! I could see it in their eyes and actions. They wanted to know more.”

As he thought about other experiences in his life, Ahlers recognized that he had this calling early on. “I’ve had many hobbies that I tried to connect with Christ. I never thought of myself as evangelizing specifically, but perhaps that is exactly what I was doing. I was sharing the Good News with others to help them come closer to God on their own life journey,” he said. 

He said he never began a hobby with the thought of using it to evangelize. Only now does he appreciate the old saying that “sometimes God writes straight with crooked lines.” 

“No one expected a garden club meeting to become a catechesis on the Rosary, but it truly was a vehicle for bringing the beautiful prayer of the Rosary to others,” he said. 

How will God use your gifts to touch others? Sometimes only time will tell.