Rosaries for Africa

A series of Appointments

Rosaries for Africa is the result of a series of divine appointments throughout my journey in Christ. Having left the church during my college years, I had been serving as an evangelical pastor. In the 1980s, I began to lead short-term mission trips to Nigeria. Our ministry took us to various parts of the country to equip and encourage local pastors, and we also hosted and trained several African pastors in the United States. The African people and their joy, despite so much hardship, greatly impacted my life. Hence, a life-long love and bond with the African people was created.

Fast-forward to 2009. My wife, Leslie, and I decided, after years of reflection and prayer, to return to the Catholic Church. As I reached out to the local parish in our neighborhood, my first contact was with a Nigerian priest. To my surprise, he was from one of the areas I visited during a mission trip. This was a divine appointment, and we immediately connected!

Upon returning to the Church, I was surprised to learn about the remarkable growth of Catholicism in Africa. According to recent statistics, Africa added more than 8 million Catholics in 2019, the largest area of growth in the world. Upon launching our lay apostolate in 2020, Encounter Jesus Discipleship Ministries (www.gorebuildmychurch.org), our prayer was, “Lord, please lead us into the fields of labor where the harvest is plentiful.” Africa is unmistakably one of the world's great harvest fields today.

Rosaries For Africa is Born

The Holy Spirit had more divine appointments in store for me. I happened to meet a woman from Tennessee who makes rosaries with a team of ladies. At the same time, I began a relationship with a priest from Malawi in East Africa through social media. Father Edmond Nyoka and one other priest serve a parish with 72 Catholic churches in a highly impoverished area. The parishioners’ homes are small shed-like structures, and their parish is primarily supported by food donations that they grow. Through our conversations, I discovered they have a tremendous need for rosaries. As a result, “Rosaries for Africa” was born!

How You Can Help

By God’s grace, this ministry is growing! It has now expanded to another priest in Malawi, a diocese in Nigeria, and a Christian Religious Brother in Uganda. Although the rosaries are donated as gifts, our costs include brochures on how to say the rosary, packaging, and shipping. A shipment of 500 rosaries and brochures costs approximately $450. If you are interested in helping our brothers and sisters in Africa, please support Rosaries For Africa by contributing.