It was an affirmation of faith. It was a humble act of service. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It was a gift for the pope, made with aloha.
A U.S. delegation led by Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Rome last month to greet newly-elected Pope Francis at his installation Mass March 19. Catholic News Service Rome staff told the Hawaii Catholic Herald last week that the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said Biden presented a rosary to the pontiff during his visit.
The rosary likely has a special connection to the Islands. A Kailua Catholic was tapped by the White House to craft the gift just days before the papal conclave.
St. John Vianney Church parishioner Pam Aqui, owner of the online business Heirloom Rosaries, received a call last month from a woman from the Office of the Protocol. Representing the U.S. department that handles matters of hospitality for diplomatic affairs, the woman said she was interested in having Aqui create a wooden rosary for the new pope.
Aqui, who has been making custom rosaries by hand for years, was totally surprised by the request.
“I remember being so overwhelmed that my mind just went blank,” Aqui said.
According to Aqui, the White House staffer did not specifically say why she had selected Heirloom Rosaries for the task. There were other gifts being considered for the pope, Aqui said, but the protocol office had apparently done its research before pinpointing the modest Island craftswoman.
The Hawaii Catholic Herald visited Aqui at her Kailua home on March 12 and got a look at the gift before it was sent off to Washington, D.C.
Aqui personally sources the finest materials for rosaries at the behest of her clients. This particular creation for the pope was made of 59 glistening beads of koa, the prized hardwood endemic to Hawaii. The beads and crucifix were strung together with sturdy sterling silver wire.
It was encased in a custom koa box made by Matt Medeiros, also of Kailua. Aqui had met Medeiros in February at the Valentine’s Dance hosted by the Windward Knights of Columbus. She learned of his talent in woodworking after seeing a koa box he had donated for the event’s raffle.
Aqui said the Office of the Protocol gave her and Medeiros a very short timeframe to finish the gift. Medeiros completed the koa box, with its intricate cross carvings on top and glossy finish, in two days. For Aqui, it normally takes about three hours to complete a rosary, but this project required a little extra effort to “look for the components to make it special,” she said.
As she worked, Aqui said she felt humbled by the honor of being chosen for such an extraordinary project.
“I was full of joy at this ‘visit’ from the Lord,” she said. “I felt his love and his pat on the back.”
When the rosary was complete, she prayed two rounds of the devotion on it. Among the intentions she included were prayers for the Office of the Protocol staffer who had contacted her. Aqui said she also continually “asked the Lord for a good and holy pope.”
Pope Francis was elected the day after the Herald visited Aqui. His installation Mass was less than a week later, where he was congratulated by hundreds of dignitaries, including the U.S. delegation that presented him with Aqui’s rosary.
Aqui said she is ecstatic about the election of Pope Francis. The gift that she and Medeiros had a part in giving him is a small symbol of their solidarity with him in the faith.
“It’s like Jesus with all his simplicity has come to lead his church through this humble man,” Aqui said. “I feel Jesus’ call again to ‘simplify.’ When I first came to the Lord, I knew that’s what he wanted me to do. And now, I am reminded of that again.”
“I felt my prayers came true,” Aqui said.
Heirloom Rosaries can be found online at www.heirloomrosaries.com.
