Posted on 04/02/2005 4:06:42 PM PST by spetznaz
As Catholics around the world prayed for the Pope in his last days, there is a Kenyan woman using his well worn rosary, which he exchanged with hers, during his last visit to Kenya in 1995.
It all began with a letter Lydia Waithera wrote to the Pope informing him of her hopes and aspirations. She expressed her wish to swap rosary beads on a whimsical note at the end of her letter.
Lydia claims that she specifically requested the Pope to give her his personal rosary, rather than the ones he generally blessed for the faithful. In her letter, she says, she told the Pope that when she used his rosary in prayer, she would be praying for him and when he prayed using hers, he would be praying for her.
She delivered the letter at the Papal Nuncio's residence in Nairobi and soon forgot about the matter.
However, during the papal visit, she actually met face to face with the Pope at the Resurrection Gardens chapel, where she was in charge of the floral arrangements, where he had gone for private prayers before addressing the Fathers of the African synod.
It was after these prayers that Lydia met, chatted and exchanged rosaries with the holy father. She says she was surprised when he opened the conversation with the remark, "you must be Lydia''.
According to her story, the Pope assured her that he was praying about the issues she had addressed to him in her letter. She says he told her that he was enchanted by her splendid floral arrangements and the artistic backdrop that she had made for his altar at Uhuru Park.
She recalls that the Pope then reached his left hand into the pocket of his cassock and brought it out empty handed, saying that she was not lucky.
Then he smiled and dipped his hand into his right pocket and brought out his worn wooden beaded rosary with a cross. He gave it to her exchanged for her plastic beaded one.
What a wonderful story. How many human beings would give up something of personal, emotional value just because someone else asked them to?
what a wonderful story... nice to read something positive about Africa and Africans for a change.
Then he smiled and dipped his hand into his right pocket and brought out his worn wooden beaded rosary with a cross.
That's so cute.
It's hard to find a good rosary, or maybe I'm too rough with them. It seems even the wood-and-metal ones fall apart on me.
"she was not lucky."
She is blessed.
Soldier used to use string tied with knots, so they wouldn't make noise. It won't be as fancy, but it probably won't fall apart.
I LIKE that. It's so . . . Franciscan. ;O)
Try the wooden beaded knotted ones instead of the chained ones. I don't think my husband has managed to break his yet.
Someone ought to leaflet this over those Catholic women who claim that the Pope didn't understand them (and intimated that he didn't honor them).
This is a beautiful story. Thanks for posting it.
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