Rosaries come in all shapes and sizes, but few are made of giant crochet roses like the one created for the World Living Peace Rosary recently held at St. Matthew’s Parish in Surrey.
The Living Peace Rosary was founded by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the well-known Catholic broadcaster and preacher, in 1951 while he was serving as the national director for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Vatican officials said in November that Archbishop Sheen’s cause for sainthood remains on track, after additional review following delays in his beatification process.
Each decade of the Rosary has a colour and theme related to evangelization efforts worldwide. Green represents the forests and grasslands of Africa; blue, the ocean surrounding the islands of the Pacific; white symbolizes Europe, the seat of the Holy Father, shepherd of the world; red calls to mind the fire of faith that brought missionaries to the Americas; and yellow symbolizes the morning light of Asia in the East.
Genevieve Perchotte was the driving force behind organizing the Rosary. She was inspired by memories of attending the Living Peace Rosary as a girl in Manitoba in the 1950s. Perchotte hopes that starting the Living Peace Rosary in B.C. will offer people a chance to pray for a world mired by war and human rights violations such as abortion and euthanasia.
“We are praying because there is a crisis in the world, and I believe there is help up there [in heaven],” she told The B.C. Catholic.
While the Living Peace Rosary is regular-sized, for this event it was customary to make a larger Rosary as a centrepiece. At St. Matthew’s, a large rose was crocheted for each bead of the Rosary — a choice that was both more sustainable and more practical than using paper or other disposable materials.
During the prayers, led by St. Matthew’s pastors, Father Tien Tran and Father Richard Conlin, each person present picked up a rose and said the corresponding prayer. Each prayer began in the language of the leader’s choice, and everyone in the church followed in their own language. French, Dutch, Tagalog, Polish, and many other languages could be heard throughout the prayer service.
St. Matthew’s parishioner Glynnis Benevoli was the source of inspiration for the crochet aspect of the Rosary. She had been trying since 2018 to have the Rosary made, but it wasn’t until last year that she found a group to help her in the local Surrey/Langley pro-life movement. The project took the group around five weeks to complete.
Cynthia Turner, Arlyn Valenciano, Ingrid Schonnop, Nell Elbers, Benevoli, and Perchotte crocheted the roses. Sunshine O’Donnoghue crocheted scarves for the priests to wear during the prayers. Kimberly Joiner and Dellis Luna made a banner and wooden hooks. Genevieve’s husband, Marcel, helped attach the roses to their leaves. Majencia Rodriguez also made Rosaries for the priests as gifts.
The Rosary was held on Jan. 28, a historically significant date. Thirty-eight years earlier, on Jan. 28, 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s abortion law, opening the way for the proliferation of abortion throughout the country.
Red crocheted roses. Each colour of the Rosary represented one continent or geographical region of the Church’s missionary work. Red stood for the Americas.
“We want to start out 2026 by praying this Living Peace Rosary at St. Matthew’s Church to bring awareness,” said Perchotte, “and to pray that this decision will be reversed, and to save all the unborn in Canada.”
Benevoli and Perchotte hope the Living Peace Rosary will spread to other parishes in the Lower Mainland. If the feedback from attendees is any indication, this is likely to happen. Many people told The B.C. Catholic they want to approach their pastors about holding a similar event in their parishes across the Archdiocese.
The Rosary was held on Jan. 28, a historically significant date. Thirty-eight years earlier, on Jan. 28, 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s abortion law, opening the way for the proliferation of abortion throughout the country.
“We want to start out 2026 by praying this Living Peace Rosary at St. Matthew’s Church to bring awareness,” said Perchotte, “and to pray that this decision will be reversed, and to save all the unborn in Canada.”
Benevoli and Perchotte hope the Living Peace Rosary will spread to other parishes in the Lower Mainland. If the feedback from attendees is any indication, this is likely to happen. Several people told The B.C. Catholic they want to approach their pastors about holding a similar event in their parishes across the Archdiocese.
