Saint Ambrose Alumna, Mollie Stracensky, teamed up with her mother, Mrs. Vicki Stracensky to write a book that reflected and shared the importance of the Rosary in their lives. Their goal was to share how the Rosary has impacted and strengthened their faith, and provide a road map to make the Rosary accessible and meaningful to other families. We had an opportunity to sit down with this powerful, faith-filled, mother-daughter duo this past week and learn more about this incredible project and gift of faith to families everywhere. We also enjoyed reconnecting with our successful Alumna, Mollie, to hear more about what she has been up to since graduating from Saint Ambrose in 2018.
Mollie is currently a junior attending Holy Name High School, where she is an honor student and leader in service in both her school and her home parish, Saint Ambrose Parish. She is also active in sports and extracurricular activities. She looks forward to pursuing a career in STEM! Thank you, Mollie, for sharing your faith and this project you and your mother have been working on with us and for being a living example of our successful alumni: a leader for tomorrow!
Mollie, what inspired you to write Rockin’ the Rosary with your mom?
“My mom was the one who came up with the idea, and one summer she had my brothers and me help her research the Rosary because she wanted a kid’s perspective. After that, the project went on the back burner for a bit, until a few years ago when my mom asked my brothers and me who wanted to continue with the project and help her write the book. I was so inspired by my mom’s strong faith that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Writing this book with her was a very special experience that brought me closer to my earthly mother and our Blessed Mother.”
Mollie, how did your time at Saint Ambrose School shape and prepare you to write this book?
“My time at Saint Ambrose School was very influential in writing this book, as it nurtured both my love of writing and the love of my faith. At Saint Ambrose, I was blessed to be a part of the Gifted ELA Program for four years with Mrs. Takacs, where I improved my writing tremendously and gained a plethora of insights on how to express my ideas in a written form. I was also able to grow as a writer through the numerous extracurricular activities offered at Saint Ambrose, such as Power of the Pen, Media Club, and writing the essay as part of the Future City Team.
In regards to my faith, Saint Ambrose allowed me to learn more about it and grow as a Catholic. It also provided me a myriad of opportunities to live out my faith, including being a lector and altar server, participating in service projects, and more. A favorite memory of my time at Saint Ambrose was also participating in a color run on campus to help raise money for my school. Saint Ambrose School has more than prepared me in faith, academics, and leadership to be a successful student in high school.”
What can you share about how the Rosary and your Catholic faith has impacted both of your lives?
“Faith and family have always been the two most important things for us. My daughter knows that God is always there for our family, and her faith and trust in Him helps her to overcome whatever struggles she faces. I have always had a great respect for our Blessed Mother. I have always tried in many aspects of my life to be the great example Mary was with her “Yes!” to God. This is the example I have shared with my children and family to help shape their lives.
Over the past few years, I’ve had experiences that have truly strengthened my faith and transformed my life. The more I put God first and focus on my faith, the more peace I experience, and I am able to feel God’s presence more frequently and profoundly than ever before! My faith is everything to me and I know that God is with me and I trust Him to get me through anything!”
Please share with us what this book is about and where people can purchase it?
“Rockin’ the Rosary is an important prayer resource that serves as a simple yet thorough guide on how to pray the Rosary. It is such a powerful prayer in our faith, and, as St. Padre Pio once said, ‘The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.’ However, many people can feel overwhelmed by it and thus don’t pray it. We wanted this book to provide an easy explanation that helps and encourages people to pray the Rosary.“
Our goal was for this book to be fully comprehensive and address any questions that people might have. The book thoughtfully explains:
1. How to pray the Rosary.
2. It offers reflections on the various prayers and Mysteries.
3. It tells which days of the week each Mystery is recited, and much more!
Rockin’ the Rosary is meant for all ages, and is the perfect gift for religious holidays, holy sacraments, and RCIA candidates-really for anyone. If you’d like to support us in this endeavor by purchasing a book, please email rockintherosary@gmail.com or contact us by phone at (440) 759-3255.
