Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Taking No Chances





I get that football fever has Green Bay in its grip...tighter than couples at the junior prom. It's just that things get a little crazy. People all over town are lining up two hours beforehand to shovel snow at Lambeau Field (leaving their own driveways covered, I imagine). Others with too much time on their hands create snow and ice sculptures depicting, mostly, Brett Favre. The mayor recently replaced the sign for "New York Ave." with one that reads "McCarthy's Way" probably in reference to the new $20 million contract that the coach just got. All of that I can fathom, but having God on our side pushes the envelope like Golfweek and their now-infamous "noose" cover.
A woman in Milwaukee has been making custom-made rosaries since the mid-90s, and she's in the forefront again with the Green Bay Packers' rosary. Originally, it was a hobby to make them for first communion celebrants with name inscriptions for the Hail Mary portions of the prayer beads. Somewhere along the line, Karla Sponder made one for a nun who was an ardent Packers fan, and the rest was history. There was a big demand during the 1997 Packers season, and it has sprung up again. The "Our Father" beads are football-shaped green and gold items while the others are inscribed "go Packers" and "Green Bay." Ms Sponder takes great pains to indicate that these are serious religious artifacts, and that feeling is corroborated by Sister Isaac Jogues Rousseau (2003 inductee to the Packers FAN Hall of Fame)who uses the beads daily but gives them extra work on Packers Sunday. In fact, each purchase comes with specific directions concerning the proper way to pray the rosary...for those of you who have forgotten (or never knew) the difference between the sorrowful and glorious mysteries. I suspect this is a clever way to avoid a Catholic version of a jihad being visited upon her person.
You, too, can have a personalized set of rosary beads, and they don't have to be Packers-themed. In fact, there have also been versions for the Nebraska Cornhuskers (probably no longer in use...see St. Jude) and the Milwaukee Brewers. krosary.aol is the spot for info, and you'll need $30.
I've already finished my Christmas list for next year!

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