Holy rosary rush - Young men in the inner cities turn to the Catholic Church for rosary beads

IN THE last few weeks of summer, Monsignor Kenneth Richards had an upsurge in requests for rosary beads from young men in central Kingston, where he serves.

"Some of them are of school age, but I still give it to them. They seem to take it as a kind of protection, but I use the opportunity to speak to them, that it is about prayer," said Richards.

The rosary beads are used to count the series of prayers in the rosary by persons of the Catholic faith.

Refraining from speculating on the character of the persons who made the requests, or the purpose for these requests, Monsignor Richards added: "I see a young man coming to me for a rosary, I give him a rosary, regardless of who he is."

As for gangsters carrying a New Testament Bible in their pocket, Richards said: "If they have a Bible, I am sure that they have a belief in the justice of God. And there is a hope they may leave this way of life they are pursuing."

Disconnection

He pointed to a spiritual disconnect in the first instance, which may have pushed persons over the edge.

"A person like 'Doggie' (Cedric Murray), and many other young men, there is a disconnection that takes place with a key person in their lives. It is spiritual to an extent. The bond that exists between us is spiritual," Richards said.

"In most of these young men there is a yearning that they have. The essence that they have is to be engaged."

He emphasised: "I never refer to a gunman or a 'badman'. I refer to them as persons. I think most persons relate to the persona that society attributes to them."

He gave the example of three scantily clad quarrelling women who were insistent on getting into his office when he was posted in Waterhouse.

They referred to themselves by derogatory names, including "sketel". However, when Richards introduced himself properly and insisted that they do so also, the tough personae fell away.

One said to him: "Sir, if you had people who spoke to us as you, we would do better."

There is another disconnect, though, that affects people looking for that spiritual connection.

"They look up to the Church, to people aligned to the Church. There is some amount of disaffection, disappointment with what the Church embodies. Still, they recognise a truth and a value they respect," Richards said.

- M.C.