Rosary Walk

Reciting the Rosary is a traditional devotion practiced by millions of Catholics, worldwide, every day.

The Rosary has been a major influence in Roman Catholic thought for over 500 years. It is the essence of Catholic devotion where vocal and mental prayer unites the whole person in meditation on the central mysteries of Catholic belief. The simple set of beads is so closely linked with the story of the Holy family that it is never used as decoration or jewelry. While there is no power in the beads themselves, they are a powerful tool for prayer, meditation and insight.

Popes John XXIII and Paul VI introduced new teachings on the Rosary while continuing the teachings of their predecessors. For Pope John, the Rosary was the universal prayer for all the redeemed. Additionally, he taught that the mysteries of the Rosary must have a three-fold purpose: mystical contemplation, intimate reflection and pious intention. The views of the pontiffs show that rosary recitation and teaching continues to be important in our contemporary prayer devotion.

While the traditional Rosary is made of beads, cord or chain, there are other forms. Rosary rings are common, and there are even Rosary software programs for use on computers and PDAs.

The Rosary Walk at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is another opportunity to recount the biblical stories of Jesus and Mary. Pope John Paul II added five new Mysteries of Light (the Luminous Mysteries), which are also portrayed along the walk.

Artist Anthony Visco from Atelier of the Sacred Arts in Philadelphia was commissioned to create the original artwork for the Rosary Walk. The following are his comments, taken from a recent interview:  

I wanted an immediacy to them, so that they can be recognized by people from far away. Each mystery had to have its own distinct character, its own distinct composition, and its own distinct light source, something that was almost supernatural. I wanted to show the variety of light in our lives as it comes through Christ and also the unity of it, the unifying factor.

So I painted originals and then had them scanned and transferred to porcelain tiles in Italy.

For some reason I don’t understand, I started with the Agony in the Garden. And I felt that would be the theme for what came before and what comes after it. My thoughts were pretty distinct for each piece. That’s because it was a great opportunity to also meditate while painting each one, just what it meant in terms of deepening the mystery of our faith.

Very simply, when there is the Rosary, there is always hope.