History
Founded in 2003 by Sue McGrath, the Rosa Mystica Girls’ Society aims to teach the traditional arts of sewing, embroidery, knitting and crochet for young girls ages 9 – 13. What began as a small group has transformed, through many graces, into one of the St. Stephen’s largest ministries. With a strong devotion to Our Lord and his Blessed Mother at its core, nourished by the sacraments and inspired by talks from our priests for continued spiritual formation, the real hope of the society is to encourage the girls’ growth beyond honing their craft, to form virtuous and compassionate young women with strong bonds of friendship with their peers in the parish.
Purpose
Led by talented volunteers, the girls focus on learning a single skill through the season, crafting handmade baby items – washcloths, hats, toys, burp cloths and baby quilts. These lovingly made gifts are then presented in thoughtful baskets, complete with additional clothing, diapers and other items to bring comfort and joy to new mothers and their infants. Each year Rosa Mystica delivers over seventy-five baskets to Bishop Gallego’s Maternity Home, a safe haven that houses and supports expectant mothers during and after pregnancy, setting them and their children up for success.
You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
First Saturday Meetings
Meetings are held once a month on First Saturdays from September through April, encouraging families to celebrate Mass together as requested by Our Lady of Fatima to make reparation for sins against her Immaculate Heart. The girls and volunteers meet in the parish hall afterwards for a conference given by our priest spiritual director, followed by sharing a meal together before breaking into project groups and ending in prayer. Previous spiritual conference topics include: typology in the Sacred Scriptures, the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Sacred Heart, and others.
Registration & Volunteering
Sign-ups for Rosa Mystica open in August, alongside the Little Flowers (for younger girls) and for the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary (for high school age young ladies). We encourage women parishioners with sewing, embroidery, knitting and crochet skills – of any level – to please consider volunteering as it takes a large group of volunteers to support the sixty girls who participate each year. For questions, donations of supplies, or to volunteer, please contact the chaplain’s assistant.
Chaplain: Fr. Joshua Curtis, FSSP
Assistant: Hannah Fauci
