Si vis pacem para bellum!
A few years ago, at my prompting, Fr. Richard Heilman, pastor of St. Mary’s in Pine Bluff here in the Diocese of Madison, sent some of his tough, gun-metal hued “Combat” Rosaries to the Pontifical Swiss Guards in the Vatican. He sent enough for all of them.
As it turned out, those rosaries arrived just when the Guards were in deep discussion about their approach to their duties and their needs. The Commandant, Col. Christoph Graff, distributed the Rosaries and spoke about them during the famous annual oath swearing ceremony in May. More on that HERE
Here is a shot of the Commandant, holding up one of the Rosaries as he described it as their most powerful weapon.
Now, all the Guards have one.
Recently, the Guards asked me to get some more for the new recruits slated to be inducted.
Fr. Heilman, once again, graciously put together a shipping case with enough for two new classes of Guards.
Each Rosary comes in a leather pouch and has an attached St. Benedict Medal.
Since Rosaries should be blessed, and St. Benedict Medals must be exorcised and blessed, on Sunday after Mass Fr. Heilman delivered the case to the sacristy and I did the honors. Here is a video of the blessings.
Would you like your own Combat Rosary to use or to give as a gift?
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I bought a gun-metal hued one a couple of weeks ago. Very handsome and very sturdy. It’s now the one I keep in the car and use at Mass. Highly recommended.
Awesome gifts for fellow Catholics !
Here’s a warning though – Don’t wait till December 15th for a Christmas purchase – the gun metal version sells out fast.
I too would highly recommend these rosaries (and in gun metal). I have about 15 or so around the house so one is always close at hand. It’s my armory.
Don’t forget the Combat Rosary Creed!
https://www.romancatholicman.com/rosary-combat-rosary-warriors-creed/
Got one for each of my two sons. Thanks Father for posting the info, wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Fantastic so wonderful to know the Swiss Guard have such a devotion to the Rosary and consider it their most powerful weapon! Will be purchasing these for myself and as gifts. Thank you so much for posting.
I am glad that this rosary is becoming better known. I am also glad that most of you have had good experience with their quality control.
I bought one of these rosaries going on 3 years ago and it is my daily rosary and resides in my pocket at all times that it is not in actual use. The fact that it has not broken yet says a lot for its strength of construction. My only complaint is that mine arrived missing the Our Father bead between the 1st and 2nd (or 4th and fifth) decades.
When I tried to contact the company about it, I got no response at all.
I have not let that stop me using it, and at this point I would not exchange it for another.
Perhaps it is a reminder to me that God works wonders with defective material (us), and Our Lady is pleased with our best efforts — feeble as they are.
It is a really good rosary, but the quality control and customer support could be better.
Bought the Bronze colored one several weeks ago. Now it stays with me at all times.
I just ordered the basic training pack. My first Combat Rosary — steel colored — was a gift; this next one is gun-metal grey and will be the one I carry in my car. I’m certain that I could use it as a chain-flail if the situation called for it. It would certainly impair an attacker’s vision if the eyes were targeted.
https://romancatholicgear.com/collections/combat-rosaries/products/basic-training-pack
I love the plastic “ammo can.”
–Guy
OOOhhh … even better: I read Fr. Heilman’s description of the can …. it’s metal, not plastic.
I sure wish the Combat Rosary was around when I went to Vietnam – I still have the plastic one that was given to me by a priest there, though it is somewhat frail after all these many years.
“but the quality control and customer support could be better. Fr. Kelly says: 12 March 2019 at 8:23 AM”
I too experienced problems at around the same time with the people who fill the orders and take care of the day to day business. Missing scapular medals in the then known “Spiritual Arsenal” and their refusal to fulfill the order. The solution is to deal directly with Father Heilman.
Thank you Fr. Z and Fr. Heilman for these rosaries and videos. Well done Philmont237 with that Combat Rosary Creed. I’ve had a Combat Rosary for a few years and it’s an excellent piece of gear- and it’s waterproof.
I want it to be known that I just received an email from Don Heilman about the “Defective Rosary” offering to replace it.
He guesses that my original order may have been before their move to a new website and database.
I suspect that something like that must have happened, and am grateful to know that they stand behind their product. As complicated as is the world of commerce over the internet, I am surprised that more orders don’t go wrong. All of this just goes to show me that this is a good company with a great product.
Even with a missing bead, this is one of the best constructed rosaries I have had.