Catholic Religious Medals

Rose Hawthorne's care for indigent women lives on at Rosary Hill Home

Rose Hawthorne's care for indigent women lives on at Rosary Hill Home

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HAWTHORNE, N.Y. (CNS) -- Rose Hawthorne, whose vision created Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, was not a likely candidate to found a Catholic religious order devoted to free care of New York's cancer-stricken. Born in 1851, she was the youngest child of novelist and short-story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and spent her early life in Europe, where her father served in the United States diplomatic corps. According to Mother Mary Francis, superior general of the Dominican Sisters Congregation of St. Rose of Lima, the Hawthorne family was Unitarian Congregationalist and 6-year-old Rose raised eyebrows on a visit to Rome by pleading for a medal of Pope Pius IX. Rose married in 1871 at age 20. She and her Episcopal husband, George Parsons Lathrop, were well-established people who moved in literary circles, said Mother Mary Francis. They were received into the Catholic Church together in 1891, 10 years after the death of their only child. The couple's marriage foundered because of Lathrop's alcohol abuse, and they separated in 1895, according to Mother Mary Francis. Lathrop died in 1898. In an interview with Catholic News Service, Mother Mary Francis said Rose looked for a vehicle to do God's will by serving others. She took a three-month nursing course in New York and worked in a hospital ward with cancer patients. At the time, cancer was fatal and considered contagious and those who contracted it were ostracized. Rose identified New York's Lower East Side as the area of greatest need, received episcopal permission in 1899 to don a habit and professed vows Dec. 8, 1900.

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Archangel Medal | Religious Collectable Items

Catholic Religious Jewlery Gives Options

Catholic religious jewelry is a very popular gift to give for a variety of special occasions. Christenings and baptisms, of course, can be a meaningful time to pierce a babys ears. The First Eucharist is a significant rite of passage for a Catholic youth, while Confirmation is important to a teens place in the church and a necessary step into adulthood. Every occasion can be a new celebration, and with that another opportunity for the honoree to receive gifts commemorating their progress of life. This is a fun time for families and the entire church community, and of course, the person who is being honored with these sacraments.

Perhaps the most recognizable icon of Catholic religious jewelry, the crucifix is timeless, and remains the most significant and powerful representation of the Christian faith. Designers and manufacturers make several versions of this image to satisfy the needs and budgets of every church member. Simple, thin, gold-plated sterling silver crosses are a humble, understated accessory that is appropriate for any occasion, while elaborately detailed, hand-sculpted Christ figures hang from realistic looking crosses too. The amount of work and detail involved, of course, will cost more, and those with the blessings to afford them often feel they are worth the price.

Other pendants are also popular in a Catholic religious jewelry collection. Solid gold square medals with raised murals or portraits of Jesus are less noticeable as spiritual icons, but still offer the same touch of class. These can be made from 10k, 14k, or 18k yellow gold, but white and pink gold are growing in popularity. Variations and combinations, of course, are also becoming more common since they create more diversity and allow people to customize a look and personality too. Jewelry should be personal, so using newer or rare metals, or even gemstones, can serve to capture an individual personality, even in the most minimal of ways.

The crucifix and pendants are not the only forms of Catholic religious jewelry. One of the most characteristic types of material objects found in the Catholic faith are Patron Saint medals. These medals are usually made of simple, light, sterling silver and feature an effigy of one of the patron saints, often performing their canonized task. Saint Michael, archangel, for instance, is regarded the patron saint of the warrior because of his casting down of Lucifer from Heaven. Therefore his medal shows him wielding his sword.

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