Sacred Braille: The Rosary as Masterpiece through Art, Poetry, and Reflections

Sacred Braille: The Rosary as Masterpiece through Art, Poetry, and Reflections

Now in BRAILLE!!! In partnership with the Xavier Society for the Blind, En Route is proud to present a Braille version of this book, free to Society members.
Annabelle Moseley interviews Malachy Fallon, the Executive Director of the Xavier Society for the Blind concerning his apostolate to the blind and the work he did transcribing Annabelle’s book into Braille. For more on Malachy, visit his interview on CatholicTV’s Our Common Home by clicking play below:

En Route would like to join with Titian in the Presentation of Mary through a wonderful, full-color book that’s also available in Braille. It’s a book for the sighted as well as for the blind!


Sacred Braille: The Rosary as Masterpiece through Art, Poetry, and Reflections

by Annabelle Moseley

 

What better gift could Our Lady have given us than the Rosary? The Rosary is sacred braille in that it is a miraculous juxtaposition of a language of prayer we can feel with our hands, joining word to touch. It is the Rosary to which our fingers may cling, as our flesh craves something tangible. The decades of the Rosary can be thought about, and, quite literally, felt, at the same time. While contemporary society separates the ideas of “thinking” and “feeling,” Scripture unites all functions in the heart. If we meditate on the words, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart,” (Lk 2:19) the thinking and feeling functions are joined. The Rosary, through engaging both thought and touch, unites our spiritual and physical natures; our thinking and feeling faculties.

Hardback: $29.99 | Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99

The Most Holy Rosary: The Joyful Mysteries
The Most Holy Rosary: The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Most Holy Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries
The Most Holy Rosary: The Luminous Mysteries

Annabelle’s WCAT Radio Shows – “Destination: Sainthood” and “Then Sings My Soul”

REVIEWS

SACRED BRAILLE – The Rosary as Masterpiece through Art, Poetry, and Reflections by Annabelle Moseley. A review by Deacon Marty McIndoe. (May 13, 2020). Available online here.

TESTIMONIALS

Sacred Braille is the vade mecum of initiation to beauty in art, religion and prayer for the Catholic family. I am giving it to my 10-year-old granddaughter who has a yen for painting and poetry.” — Jacques Cabaud, author of Is Mary Appearing Today?

“I’ve read hundreds of books, articles and papers about Mary…but nothing like this. Moseley’s work is not just deeply beautiful poetry that is lovely to read, it’s life-changing poetry packed with life changing insights–life changing because you will come out of this knowing Mary and her Son better, you will be more intimate with them in a way you did not expect, and you will know yourself better in the process. All of this was a big surprise, books like this are rare, and there is no other Rosary book like this: Moseley has realized that the Rosary is divine poetry and her book taps into that amazing reality. And her book is not just poetry! The reflective questions she has toward the end truly lead to critical insights about one’s relationship with God and with Our Lady. I should add I almost inevitably find questions like this lacking in some way, if not simply shallow, and that was another surprise: that these questions are not only not shallow, they are profound and so very sweetly sharp. There are many more surprises: artwork, music (yes, music!), a Marian retreat for individuals or groups, meditations on her Seven Sorrows, and on and on, all leading into Mary’s Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. As that famous song asks, ‘Mary did you know?’ The Catholic Church’s answer to that song’s question is of course a resounding Yes, she knew her Son is God, the Lord, the great I AM, that He would suffer out of love for us, and by diving into Moseley’s poetic Rosary you will know too, and you will know it with Mary and through her eyes…you will come to know Mary and her Son in a new way that will astound you.” — Keith Berube, author of Mary, the Beloved

“Sacred Braille by Annabelle Moseley is vastly more than a ‘how to’ guide for praying the Rosary. Perfect for beginners and devotees alike, this treasury of sacred poetry, prose and art takes a most refreshing and delightfully novel approach to meditation on the sacred mysteries of the Rosary – those deep truths which, all too often, our triple concupiscence ‘blinds’ us. Not unlike De Montfort’s “The Secrets of the Rosary,” Moseley’s book seems destined to become a classic, and is an essential addition to every public and private Catholic library.” — Jayson Brunelle, author of Apostles of Light of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

“One of the most profound books I have been graced to read. The depth of Annabelle Moseley’s reflections and the beauty of her carefully chosen words reveal the Rosary for the complete school of spirituality that it is.” — Shane Kapler, author of Marrying the Rosary to the Divine Mercy Chaplet

“Annabelle Moseley’s Sacred Braille: The Rosary as Masterpiece through Art, Poetry, and Reflections is a masterpiece about a masterpiece! I love this book’s title, themes, and artwork, not to mention its lovingly lyrical poetry. Its pages exude truth, beauty, and goodness, and all in a such a graceful way, befitting our Blessed Mother. Whether this is your first or your forty-first book on the rosary, I wholeheartedly recommend that you behold it, read it, relish it, and pray it repeatedly.” – Kevin Vost, Psy.D., author of twenty books, including Memorize the Mass! and 12 Life Lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas.

“St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote that ‘nothing is in the intellect which was not first in the senses.’ Annabelle Moseley has created a marvelous manifestation of this truth in her book, Sacred Braille, which entices the soul to experience beauty through Sacred Art, poetic stanzas, and, of course, the divine touch we experience through the recitation of the most holy rosary. Read it, and be inspired.” – T.J. Burdick, author of The Rosary in Kid Speak

“A trademark of Annabelle Moseley’s poetry is close attention to detail and a sympathetic imagination. Sacred Braille includes an ingenious use of the mirror sonnet form which Moseley originated. Even more impressive are her emotional range and the deep compassion of her poems. Her poems are suffused with feeling and are the product of the poet’s deep faith in the face of profound loss—the sort of loss that art exists to help us endure.” Ned Balbo, American Poet, Translator and Essayist

AMAZON REVIEWS – 100% 5 Stars!

Tommy 9.6
An inspired reflection on the jewel of prayer with our Blessed Mother. The author’s love of art and of the rosary both shine forth from this beautifully illustrated book. I love how she was able to incorporated paintings and photos from a variety of artists to illustrate visually each mystery. I recognize many of the paintings as classics of Western Art. What I find especially nice are the incorporation of many images found at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception located in Huntington, NY. I am so very pleased to see that this book includes not only the Joyous, Glorious, Luminous and Sorrowful Mysteries but also the Seven Sorrows of Mary, and meditation on the Divine Mercy chaplet. Both are sorely lacking in any other book on the Rosary I have seen. Thank you for this.

Clear-Cut Computing Corp
“There are few books that one uses over and over again. I realized this as I prayed the Joyful Mysteries  of the rosary, outside by my statue of Mary today. Beginning each decade with the poetry of Annabelle Moseley, from her book, “Sacred Braille,” launched me into a deeper connection with each mystery. The book is well laid out; one can focus on any section of the book and match it with their prayer activity. During the pandemic lock-down, I asked for permission to run a group prayer of the Sorrowful Mysteries, every Tuesday, via a virtual connection with many of my Catholic brothers and sisters. Many people I knew, some I had never met, but all became my friends. Using the art from the book and the poetry by Annabelle, everyone felt drawn closer to God through Mary. “Sacred Braille” is one book that will forever be in my library and frequently off the shelf to be put in use.” – Paul J. Montenero

Matthew P. Ryan
Meditative book great for reflection read and viewed to be savored prepare to go over 2 or 3 pages at a sitting- great!!

Chick
Superb book- profound, thought- provoking work.

Niclas
This book came as a blessing at the right time. We are surrounded with so much sorrow and pain that I needed something to bring me closer to God and prayer. The book is so beautifully written, so poetic and loving, witty and charming at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to feel closer to God. Very inspiring, thank you Annabelle!

Carolynn Lucca
A wonderful book and a beautiful way to approach the Rosary. Beauty converging with grace-food for the heart and soul!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annabelle Moseley is an award-winning American poet, author of nine books, Professor of Theology and host of the Catholic radio shows and podcasts on Sacramental Living: “Then Sings My Soul,” and “Destination: Sainthood — Journey to the Great Cloud of Witnesses,” on WCAT Radio. Moseley’s work as a poet is featured as one of five artists profiled in the 2019 Documentary Film, Masterpieces, about the vocational call of the arts. This film is available to view through Amazon Prime and Formed On Demand (formed.org).

Moseley has won the titles of Walt Whitman Birthplace Writer in-Residence (2009-2010) and 2014 Long Island Poet of the Year. She teaches at St. Joseph’s College in New York and at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie, NY) where she specializes in the field of Theological Aesthetics with an emphasis on the intersection between theology and literature. Moseley has led various retreats and workshops for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, and is the founder of Desert Bread (desertbread.org), a series of lectures on faith and the arts that concludes with sharing a meal and taking a collection of canned food donations for local food pantries. Moseley is a frequent columnist for the Catholic online magazine, Aleteia.

Born on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Annabelle Moseley was baptized at the Church of St. Louis de Montfort (a saint known for his special devotion to the Rosary). Raised on the North Shore of Long Island, Moseley continues to reside there, grateful for the domestic church she has built with her husband and their children.

OTHER CATHOLIC POETRY BOOKS

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The Prayerful Kiss (A Collection of Prose and Poetry) by Francis Etheredge

The Prayerful Kiss (A Collection of Prose and Poetry) by Francis Etheredge

The Prayerful Kiss (A Collection of Poetry and Prose)

by Francis Etheredge

Are a “Prayer” and a “Kiss” irreconcilable? This is the question Francis Etheredge examines through this medley of “moments,” both painful and beautiful, which are laid out as a kind of word-quilt that ranges over many years of life and writing. A theme among these “impressionistic” accounts of life is the “sharp thread” of an almost endlessly repetitive pain of “passing through” relationships. Marriage emerges as a triumph of God, reconciling the apparent contradiction between the “prayer” and the “kiss.”
 

Paperback: $17.95 | Kindle: $9.99

Introduction and Poem "The Prayerful Kiss"
"Oh Flaming Fire" from "The Prayerful Kiss"

Contents

Preface by Helen Williams

General Introduction

A Reader-Writer Dialogue

Joseph: Husband of Mary, Mother of The Son

Part I: Today

The Prayerful Kiss
A Philosophical Psalm 139
Christ

Part II: Spiralling Upwards?

The Four Seasons

Autumn Triptych (I)
Winter’s Frosty Days (II)
Spring-a-Light (III); and
Summer Clothes us All (IV)

Part III: Searching

A Trilogy in Search of Self
Running Speech (I)
Particularism (II); and
Water from the Rock (III)
Why Did I Look?
Dew

Part IV: Pain and Joy

Indelible
Suicide
Hidden
The Prayer in our Search for Work
Losing her
Freezing
The Family Tree

Part V: Passing Through

Psalm 151
Loneliness
Mud
A Friend
In the Church Wood
Experience
A Trilogy of a Kind
Grape Juice (I)
Blossom (II)
The Question (III)

Part VI: Writing

My Words Bled
Day-Broken-Bread
Word-Lights
The Gambler
A Bluesy Day
I Wrote
Word-Work
After-words
Without Words

Part VII: Christ and His Church

A Trilogy: Exhausting Human Experience
Part I: The Endless Cycle of “Relationships”
Part II: Psychological, Philosophical and Theological Answers
Part III: The Answer of God in Action
A Crib Trilogy
Christmas (I)
A Christmas Present (II)
The Children’s Gift (III)
Ecumenism (2002)
An Angel
The Domestic Church
Oh Flaming Fire
Let us Pray

Evangelization


AUTHOR ARTICLES

“Conception: A Contradiction?” by Francis Etheredge, Homiletics and Pastoral Review (December 11, 2020), available here.

REVIEWS

“Lord: Do you mean me? A father-catechist!” in The Catholic Weekly (March 10, 2022), click here

“Profound, Touching, and Beautiful” by Christine Sunderland. (February 27, 2022), available here

“Amazon Review” by Aimee O’Connell at Amazon.com. (December 7, 2020), available here.

“Kelly’s Reviews” by  Kelly Jayne Lazell at Goodreads. (June 5, 2020), available here.

“The cure for loneliness the world won’t tell you about” by Fr. Robert McTeigue, SJ. Aleteia (February 10, 2020), available here.

The Prayerful Kiss, Reviewed by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D.Profiles in Catholicism (January 31, 2020), available here.


TESTIMONIALS

The Prayerful Kiss is a prolonged, transcendental and theological – Catholic – meditation on God, Christ and Mary. The meditation assumes many forms: poetry, reflection, confession, philosophy, abstractions, reminiscences, and prayer. If I have missed a category out – so be it; it is a dense and complex book! Perhaps the starting point to understanding it is contained in the Preface where Etheredge is compared to GK Chesterton, and particularly Chesterton’s wonder at life. I think it true to say that Etheredge marvels that existence exists (’Out of what impenetrably white lightness suddenly spoke Existence?’), and part of his quest is to search for its meaning, its deeper layers of meaning. Indeed, the arrangement of the book in that sense is like an onion as Etheredge unpeels, strips back, and determines to reach the still point where his longings are satisfied. For the collection veers from profound abstractions to highly personal anecdotes and stories. It could be said that Etheredge is a Christian for our times, for out on social media we have a plethora of people going on about their problems, mental health issues, vulnerabilities and uncertainties, etc., but in an entirely secular way in which somehow underlying most of the griping is the complaint that the State should do more in supporting them. There is none of that with Etheredge: it is from the living God that salvation is to be found, salvation in all things. The most moving and pivotal incident in the whole collection, and which underpins most of it, is the abortion of his first child, whom he perceives to be still alive in heaven; and also whom he equates, in terms of its emotional intensity, with the dead Christ in the arms of Mary. As he says, ‘Thirty years on, however, this child is as present to me as every other child [he currently has 8 other children and 2 further ones who are ‘in heaven’]; and, even if I cannot explain it, I am conscious of a fatherhood that I cannot forget.’ This loss is something that Etheredge, or anyone else, can barely come to terms with; but unlike most people who, for one reason or another, decide to move on, Etheredge won’t move on: he has to confront the demons of this devastating tragedy, again and again. He has to wrestle – as I imagine Jacob did with the angel on the ladder to heaven – until finally all is reconciled: in his mind, emotions, spirit; and the great reconciler is his imagination as he explores all the nuances of his tragedy. To say it is his ‘imagination’ which is the great reconciler is not here to be secular: for the imagination is the creative spirit itself that God imbued all humanity with in the original Creation. Thus, it is God speaking and reconciling through him. All this, however, can make for heavy work – it is so intense, one finds it difficult to read in large chunks. That said, there are moments of simple beauty too: ‘A beautiful singing, / Of Love being the beginning.’ So I strongly recommend this book: if you are struggling with your faith, then this is for you; if you have no faith and think the world has done you down, then read what happened to Etheredge; if you are looking for a deep affirmation of life and creation, then this book will not disappoint.” – James Sale, Amazon.co.uk review

“The One, the Good, the True, and the Beautiful are transcendental attributes of God. The Prayerful Kiss is a reflection of true beauty and connects us to God in a way that no other book has ever done.” – Gordon Nary, Editor, Profiles in Catholicism

A Prayerful Kiss is an astounding book! I never thought I would find a 21st century Catholic metaphysical poet, but now I have. Besides that, you can actually understand the poems, which is rather rare for readers like myself! In what might be a new genre, Etheredge alternates sets of poems with autobiographical material, and his commentaries are as potentially life-changing as his poetry. Get it, read it, and let the Spirit flow!” – Ronda Chervin, Ph.D. is the author of numerous books on Catholic spirituality and a professor of philosophy

“I enjoyed the video of Francis reading “The Prayerful Kiss.”  We should all spend much more time than we do lost in the wonder of ‘simple’ things, the things we take for granted.”Julia D. Hejduk, Reverend Jacob Beverly Stiteler Professor of Classics, Associate Dean, Honors College, Baylor University

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Francis Etheredge is married with eight children, plus three in heaven.

Francis is currently a freelance writer and speaker and his “Posts” on LinkedIn can be viewed here. Poetry; short articles; autobiographical blog; excerpts from books; and “Philosophize: A Ten Minute Write.”

For a list of all of Francis’ books published by En Route Books and Media, click here.

See Francis’ other books, too, entitled Scripture: A Unique WordFrom Truth and truth: Volume I-Faithful ReasonFrom Truth and truth: Volume II: Faith and Reason in DialogueFrom Truth and truth: Volume III: Faith is Married Reason.

He has earned a BA Div (Hons), MA in Catholic Theology, PGC in Biblical Studies, PGC in Higher Education, and an MA in Marriage and Family (Distinction).

Enjoy these additional articles by Francis Etheredge:

OTHER CATHOLIC POETRY BOOKS

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