Rosary Prayer Cloths

The young people will come to a deeper understanding of how devotion to the Blessed Mother was spread during the Middle Ages.

The young people should be able to define rosary.

• A piece of fabric, cut and hemmed to fit your prayer table
• Individual pieces of fabric, one per student
• Fabric crayons
• Iron and ironing pad
• A list of the four sets of mysteries of the Rosary

• Explain to the young people about Saint Bernard, a holy monk and abbot in France during the Middle Ages. He is responsible for spreading devotion to the Blessed Mother, for whom medieval people had a great love.
• Divide the young people into four groups and assign each group one set of mysteries.
• Have each member of each group draw a different mystery of that set, following these directions:Draw a design for a mystery of the Rosary with fabric crayons on white paper. Brush excess crayon specks from the designs.

Choose a piece of fabric for the print. Synthetic fabric must be used if the design is to be permanent.

Place the fabric on an ironing pad and lay the paper design facedown on the fabric. Use the cotton setting on the iron for best results.

Place a clean sheet of paper between the iron and the paper design. Iron with steady pressure over the entire design until its image becomes slightly visible through the back of the paper. Do not scorch the fabric. Do not move the iron excessively or the design may blur.

Remove the design paper carefully. The image will be on the fabric.

When the prayer cloth is complete, display it on your prayer table. Use it whenever the young people pray the Rosary.

Be sure to have copies of each of the mysteries available for reference.

You might want to do the ironing or to assign a volunteer to be in charge.

Instead of using an iron, individual pieces of fabric may be sewn onto the prayer cloth or sewn together to form a quilted cloth.

Be sure to use iron with caution because it could cause burns if not careful.