My Story

I joined the Catholic Church in 2004 through the RCIA program at our church in our little Colorado mountain town. I can vaguely remember the night we were given a pamphlet and a Rosary and studied how to pray it. I loved the idea of the Rosary, but didn't really understand it or how it was meant to be prayed. So there it hung in my home office for many years. Several times I tried to work my way through the Rosary, but it just seemed awkward and foreign to me, and I gave up.

Then in November of 2017 I lost my 11-year-old son, Peter, in a tragic accident. My life and the life of our family will never be the same again. I don't remember much of the funeral Mass, the people there or words spoken; however, in the blur of that day, the one person I do remember clearly is the grandmother of Peter's best friend. She hugged me fiercely and kept whispering to me over and over, "lean into your faith." It took me awhile to find my bearings and, if I'm honest, find my way back to my Catholic faith. But those words will always stay with me and have made all the difference in my journey.

I'm not sure what made me want to pick up the Rosary again, but I looked up online how to pray the rosary scripturally and began reading books on the Rosary, different ways to pray, Marian devotions and the saints who had a great devotion to Mary. All I can say is that everything fell into place, and praying the Rosary just feels right. I pray it daily, and it gives me great comfort and strength and orients me for the day to follow Jesus.

For lent of 2019 I gave up watching news and social media and ended up with a lot of extra time on my hands. I had played around with making jewelry using wire wrapping decades ago, and I decided to make Rosaries for my friends, experimenting with different designs and materials. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to start Petros (for my son) Garden Rosaries. My goal is to make beautiful, lasting Rosaries that can be passed down to the next generation and also to inspire those who have not picked up a Rosary in a long time, perhaps encouraging them to "try again".

To Jesus through Mary,

Susan Guerra, Owner/Designer