New Church Beads- "Sarah, rebuild my church. NOW"

the finished product. reduced, poked, baked, done. thank you, Jesus!

I interrupt my rosary making frenzy to show you what happened at my emergency 24 hour clay party.  Don't feel bad if you weren't invited; it was rather dull. Just me and some kids and a lot of clay that is now ground into my carpet. The kids love to do what mommy does and I can't say no, so the carpet pays for it- or rather I will someday pay for a new carpet with my rosary money!

The church cane finished. Now time to reduce it.

I realized I was out of church beads on Tuesday night as I was frantically trying to get out more orders than I can handle.  Sometimes pressure it good and this time it was alright in the end. On Wednesday after the coop field day, I set to work making the Port (as it turns out). The Port is short for a the Portiuncula that St. Frances built.  At Franciscan University in Steubenville where I graduated, we affectionately called the replica of St. Francis's Portiuncula, "the Port". There was perpetual adoration there and I have many fond memories of that chapel. 

reducing the church cane. The sun got a little disfigured, but I fixed, as you can see on my finished beads.

Anyway, my church bead wasn't intended to be a mini Port, but in the end, it couldn't be denied. My 5 year old son and my husband both said it looked like St. Francis' church and so it must be.  After all, he is my favorite saint and I did hear the 'call' somewhat like he did. Mine was perhaps a little more urgent. "Sarah, rebuild my church...NOW."   I asked for his intersession as I reduced the mammoth cane and he came through for me.  Of course, the church is not about the building, but the people in it. St. Francis realized this after he rebuilt the Porciuncula.  God was asking him to build up the people of God. That is was my bead is about too.  I hope when people see it, they realized that Church is not perfect because it is made with very imperfect people, but it is beautiful and will stand forever because Christ is our foundation.

Liam's "God things"

Now that I have recuperated from my wild clay party, (I even fell asleep in my clothes- what a night..) I will resume rosary making and try to get these orders out on time.  I will be shutting down my shop in two or three weeks for the summer.  I hope to open again in September, but I don't know for sure. It's a lot of work to make the beads and I have a quite a few to make this summer.