On November 2nd, All Souls Day, Via Rosa offers a collection of rosaries and chaplets in memory of our departed loved ones; and prayers for death, dying, and bereavement.  Each offers elements of darkness and light, for the depths of our despair, and the Hope which comforts and sustains us.

De Profundis Rosary --- For All Souls
De Profundis decima Chaplet --- For All Souls
Rosary for the Holy Souls
Chaplet for the Dead

History of All Souls Day
Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory by His Holiness, John Paul II

See our catalog for available rosaries and chaplets.
Below are examples of previous designs.
Write us to inquire about a custom design!

De Profundis Rosary

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A powerful rosary suitable for rugged hands! The Ave beads are 8mm "window" beads, jet with a verdigris picasso finish on the edges.  The bronze-capped paters are 17mm ovals, also jet glass, with the intricate carved pattern impressed with the same verdigris finish.  The rosary is joined with a bronze centerpiece with Our Lady of Olives on one side, and St. Michael (shown) on the reverse.  The 2.5" bronze crucifix is in the style of  famed medal designer Ferdinand Py.

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A powerful rosary!  The Ave beads are 8mm jet rondelles capped with gunmetal picasso finish. The sterling-capped Paters are 15mm custom lampwork by Kalera Stratton, with ribbons of light and azure swirling over jet.  The Swarovski spacers echo the azure of the Pater beads.  The rosary is joined with a sterling centerpiece with Our Lady on one side, and St. Michael (shown) on the reverse.  The 2"  sterling crucifix is cast from an antique.

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A powerful rosary, suitable for rugged hands!  The Ave beads are 8mm jet rondelles capped with gunmetal picasso finish. The bronze-capped Paters are 15mm lampwork, with ribbons of jet and bronze swirling over marble.  The Swarovski spacers echo the bronze of the Pater beads.  The rosary is joined with a bronze centerpiece with Our Lady on one side, and St. Michael (shown) on the reverse.  The massive 3.5" bronze crucifix is cast from an Mexican antique. 

De Profundis Chaplet

DE PROFUNDIS prayer
Our Father, ten Hail Mary, and Gloria

About Larimar

Larimar is an extremely rare gemstone that has been found in only one location: in a mountainous, relatively inaccessible region of the Dominican Republic overlooking the Caribbean Sea. This gemstone first surfaced in 1974, although the inhabitants of the region and their ancestors have long been aware of the stone.

Legend has it that they used to simply collect these stones on the beach, but one day they couldn't find anymore. They went to explore upstream, and came upon a rock formation that seemed to be the source of this blue precious stone.

The name Larimar was given to the stone by a Dominican, Miguel Méndez, who combined his daughter's name LARIssa, with MAR, the Spanish word for sea. These beads are handcrafted and completely natural.

This decima chaplet features a sterling medal with St. Nicolas of Tolentino , patron of the Holy Souls, and Our Lady of Consolation on the obverse (see inset).  The Aves are 8mm cubes of porcelain with a picasso finish, and the sterling-capped Pater is a 15mm firepolish oval of smoke topaz AB.

In a collection of rosaries and chaplets,  black matte AB rosebuds capture the darkness into which we enter at death, and the light toward which we travel:

Rosary for All Souls

In this rosary, the rose beads are accompanied by matte alexandrite 3-petal flowers, to honor the Trinity.  This rosary is completed with sterling silver center (Immaculate Heart and Sacred Heart) and crucifix.

These chaplets are said on rosary beads:
Prayers for the Chaplet of the Holy Souls
Prayers for the Chaplet of All Souls

Chaplet for the Dead

In the Chaplet of the Dead, four decades (forty beads) honor the forty hours Christ spent in Limbo.  The rose beads are accompanied by matte alexandrite 3-petal flowers, to honor the Trinity.  This chaplet is completed with sterling silver center and crucifix.

Prayers for the Chaplet for the Dead

~ In Memoriam ~

This collection is offered in loving memory 
of those whose dying taught me the most about life:

my friend, Shirley (1988),
my cousin, Annette (1984),
my cousin, Robert (1989),
my friend, Pina (2002),
my Aunt Dee (2002),
my friend, Laurie (2002) and her mother, Pauline (2013),
my friend, Michael (2004),
my friend, Bridget (2006),
my cousin, Susan (2012),
and my Daddy (1991), and Poppa Tom (2012).

DE PROFUNDIS

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.
Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt observe iniquities; Lord, who shall endure it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and by reason of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all her iniquities.

[In conclusion]
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Let us pray.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplication they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired; who lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.

Feast of All Souls

While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls on November 2 reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven - in this life or in purgatory.

II Maccabees 12:42b-46 is a wonderful lesson about eternal life and caring for the souls of the dead, "The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection . . . and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin."*

The traditions of the Feast of All Souls began independently of the Feast of All Saints. The Feast of All Souls owes its beginning to seventh century monks who decided to offer the mass on the day after Pentecost for their deceased community members.

In the late tenth century, the Benedictine monastery in Cluny chose to move their mass for their dead to November 2, the day after the Feast of all Saints. This custom spread and in the thirteenth century, Rome put the feast on the calendar of the entire Church. The date remained November 2 so that all in the Communion of the Saints might be celebrated together.

Traditional Catholics still honor customs related to the relief of the souls suffering in purgatory. One custom is for persons to pray six Our Fathers, Hail Mary's and Glory Be's for the intentions of the Pope in a church, and thereby, receive a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory. This action may be repeated for another soul, by leaving the church building and re-entering to repeat the prayers.

This sounds strange to Protestants who do not believe in the exchange of "spiritual goods" and charity among the living and the dead.

Enjoy the Feasts! Celebrate eternal life!

"'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'
'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (I Corinthians 15:54b-58)*

We are often so busy living our lives we forget the souls in Purgatory count on us to pray for them. They rely on us for the Masses said on their behalf. Besides the rattling chains of secular Hallowe'en and Dicken's Christmas Carol, we have an excellent reminder written right on our calendars. The feasts of All Saints and All Souls urges us to remember the dearly departed.

These two feast days (on November 1 and November 2 respectively ) remind us that the Church does not just include the living. The saints in heaven and the suffering souls in purgatory are also part of the mystical Body that is the Church with Christ as its head.

These three states (living, in purgatory and the saints) form a ladder to God called the Communion of Saints. On the first rung of the ladder is the living, the Church Militant on earth. On the second rung are the Church Suffering in purgatory. The third rung is Church Triumphant in heaven. We are all one mystical body in Christ. So it is fitting that we care for and remember one another.

There are so many saints and martyrs that it's impossible to give each of them a feast day.  The Church has set aside November 1 as a feast commemorating all the saints. On All Saints Day, we venerate all the saints in heaven, the Church Triumphant who intercede and pray for us and for the souls still in purgatory.

These saints are tangible reminders of hope. They are the pilgrims who have reached their destination - heaven. Not only are these holy men and women our examples, they are also our intercessors, doing all they can to bring us to our heavenly home.

On All Souls Day, November 2, we pay special tribute to the Church Suffering, the souls in purgatory. We should remember and pray daily for our deceased friends and relatives because we cannot be assured of the state of their souls. Even if a soul dies in a state of grace, there are often imperfections that need to be purified in order for that soul to enter heaven. The suffering souls are dependent on us, the Church Militant, who have the means to relieving their misery. We alone can offer masses, and practice almsgiving and mortifications for the saving of their souls. Prayers, too, can ease their suffering and to shorten their time spent in purgatory. No prayer or good deed is wasted if your loved one is no longer in purgatory, either. Your prayers will help another needy soul.

Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory by His Holiness, John Paul II