World's Largest Rosary Beads Sculpture, world record in Holliston, Massachusetts
Holliston, Massachusetts, United States--Tucked away behind the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine on Summer Street in Holliston, Massachusetts, sits a huge structure; the 950-foot-long rosary, made of linked boulders in the shape of a heart, lines a pathway behind the garden at the shrine, sets the world record for being the World's Largest Rosary Beads Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.
"But tucked away behind the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine on Summer Street sits a huge structure that just might be the biggest of its kind in the world. A 950-foot-long rosary, made of linked boulders in the shape of a heart, lines a pathway behind the garden at the shrine," the Wicked Local says.
"Although it might be the world's largest rosary, staff and visitors to the shrine aren't too concerned with the notoriety that might come with having the world's largest prayer beads. Signorelli said there are many local people who come to the shrine every day to pray and reflect, but the shrine and rosary also attract tourists from across the country and people on religious pilgrimages, many from Portugal and Brazil.
"The rosary was built in the early 1950s by missionary the Rev. Oddo Galeazzi, who took the granite stones from blasting sites when crews were building Interstate 495, said Signorelli. Galeazzi and a friend with a truck made multiple trips to the blasting site, loading up the 60 or so boulders one or two at a time. The whole project took about a year to complete, he said."
"WORLD'S LARGEST ROSARY at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, MA. Boulders represent the Glory be, Our Father and Hail Mary beads, a large blue chain connects the boulders that are inscribed with the of the Hail Mary prayer on them in different languages," the 180 Out says.
"The rosary is 950-foot-long, connected to an anchor (a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, to whom the rosary is dedicated), and was built in the 1950s by Rev. Oddo Galeazzi , a missionary who received the granite stones from blasting crews when they were initially building Interstate 495.
"The rosary sits on 23 beautiful peaceful and holy acres that has many other beautiful statues, memorials and shrines including a statue of the apparitions at Fatima, the Chapel of Lights, a beautiful statue of Michelangelo’s Pieta enshrined in the grotto and Madonna Hill. This is a place of prayer and reflection so it is important that you respect the pilgrims who visit."
"More Christmas lights, plus one of the largest outdoor rosaries in the world, grace Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, Mass. About 25 miles from the La Salette Shrine, it's easily reached by taking Interstate 95 to Interstate 495 north, exiting on Route 109 east, driving 1.5 miles to 126 north and the shrine just more than a mile," the National Catholic Register says.
"From Nov. 30 to Jan. 4, the season's displays illuminate the whole shrine area with its places of devotion each evening from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The shrine is also open daily all year for private visits and group pilgrimages. In fact, back in the 1950s, the annual Children's Day pilgrimages in September had up to 12,000 participants. When Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston came to impart a solemn blessing on the shrine in 1950, there were 5,000 present. A decade later, the Boston Globe estimated that 2 million people had been there since the opening.
"The Hill of Calvary, or Crucifix Hill, has a grotto with a Pieta within it. Stairs climb to the crucifix, from where a pilgrim can see the monumental rosary stretching out to cover an acre or more. “We believe we have the biggest rosary in the world at the shrine,” says Father Robert Maloney SX, the local superior."
"Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, Massachusetts, has been drawing pilgrims for decades. The shrine, administered by Xaverian Missioners, was started in 1949 by the first Xaverian in the United States, Father J. Henry Frassineti," the National Catholic Register says.
"In 1932, as a missionary in China, he built a chapel to Our Lady of Fatima — one of the first in the world. Once he arrived here and acquired the Holliston property, he built this shrine (XaverianMissionaries.org/Fatima-Shrine-Holliston-Ma) as a sign of devotion to Our Lady and a place to make known the messages of Fatima.
"The shrine’s modest entrance doesn’t reveal what the peaceful grounds hold for pilgrims. Paths leading to different areas give continuous invitations to stop and pray because the humble, simple beauty accents the spiritual features."
"As a community from a variety of cultural and continental backgrounds, we are messengers of God’s love, witnesses of hope, and builders of God’s Kingdom, together becoming an example to the wider Church and world community that it is possible to be one as Jesus wills," the Xaverian Missionaries USA says.
"The three-fold commitment of the USA delegation that undergirds all our plans and efforts are:
• Inspire a new generation to the Missio Ad gentes, Ad extra of the Church in all possible lifestyles and ministries today, particularly to a lifetime commitment as a Xaverian Missionary.
• To engage in interfaith and intercultural dialogue as a new way of mission animation to witness our mission for the local church and to encourage their involvement. The Missio Ad Gentes begins at home.
• To continue inviting friends to collaborate with us in our vision and mission as a region through our fundraising and development efforts and outreach to our missions worldwide in these changing times."
Photos: World's Largest Rosary Beads Sculpture, world record in Holliston, Massachusetts
(1) Fr. Francis Signorelli, shrine director at the Fatima Shrine in Holliston, stands in front of a portion of the shrine's rosary. The rocks represent the beads of the rosary. / Wicked Local
(2) Lucio Canini of Medway prays the rosary at the Fatima Shrine in Holliston Thursday. The rock represents a bead in the rosary. Photo:
(3,4,5,6) Xaverian Missionaries
(7) 180 OUT
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