All the way from the Volta region in Akatsi, Ghana, Comboni missionary Fr. Augustine Atsu Awudy Mawulolo was ordained a priest last December 28, 2024. He has been residing in the Philippines since then and stayed unitl end of May 2026. He was assigned next to the community of Macau.
At first, Fr. Augustine chose as missionary destination either South Africa or Peru, but the General Council decided he would be assigned to Asia. According to him, as a missionary, he had made his vow of poverty, obedience, and chastity. Through joy and happiness, wherever he was assigned, he would be committed and leave it all in the hands of God.
When he arrived in the Philippines, he shared the joy of walking into a ministry: celebrating masses, hearing confessions, attending funeral masses, blessing houses, and making rosaries.
THE POWER OF THE ROSARY
Living in a country mostly dominated by Christians and Catholics, Fr. Augustine sees the Rosary as a weapon. A weapon to pray. A weapon to heal. A weapon to call and seek devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Fabricating the Rosary and selling it out is a privilege. According to Fr. Augustine, many people have attested that through prayers of the Rosary, people gained grace and lessons through the Blessed Mother Mary. During World War II, Catholics believed in praying and while combatting, they used the power of the Rosary to help them win and heal in the hands of violence and cruelty that they had suffered over time.
In this generation, Catholics are not the only ones praying, but Fr. Augustine has seen Muslims, Pentecostal churches, and some even buy rosaries then ask for it to be blessed.
In school, Fr. Augustine asked someone, “You’re not a Catholic. Why are you holding a Rosary?” He was answered, “No, I like the Rosary. The Rosary is good.” This only shows that praying the Rosary is for everybody. No blockage of race, religion, or opinion. If people choose to believe and have faith, it will naturally come out.
The faith of people who believe in the power of Rosary deepens as it relieves prayers through the intercession of purifying souls, washing away sins, and absorbing peace that draws connection to be closer to God and the Blessed Mother Mary.
PROMISE OF HEALING
Fr. Augustine cultivated the practice of reciting and praying his Rosary every day, as he believes in one commentary. There is a promise when you recite the Rosary. It is believed that when you recite it, Mother Mary will never forget you and she will welcome you in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just like everybody wishes, a promise of healing and contentment in the presence of Virgin Mary. Just as repeated prayers help people get more in touch with the deepest desires of their souls and let God rest upon them.
It has been two years since Fr. Augustine started making rosaries. He was in the North of Benin, in the parish of Toko-Toko doing his missionary service. He was in charge of the Missionary Children Society, in which he enrolled them in a Diocesan program—a three-day program after Christmas. During the interception, there was a day where children learned how to make rosaries. As their leader, Fr. Augustine asked himself, “I saw them fabricating but I, myself, did not know how to fabricate one.”
From then on, Fr. Augustine decided to learn how to make rosaries, with the help of a girl named ‘Stella.’ He does this every day, and until now, his love for making rosaries continues. To fabricate such a delicate spiritual weapon, someone should have a grasp of patience. From counting the specific number of beads, putting effort into the sequence of colors, to tidying each knot to show the fruit of your own labor.
“When I was young, I heard people’s testimony about the Rosary. Someone once told me, ‘I was sick and through the prayer of the Rosary, I got healed,’” Fr. Augustine stated.
He took it as a sign when he was in postulancy, he recited the Rosary every day and asked Mother Mary, “If it is really the will of God for me to become a priest, may she help me to reach the altar of the Son. In addition, here I am today…as a priest. I can testify that I have gained strength from reciting the Rosary.”
With his unwavering love for rosary-making, Fr. Augustine also produces bracelets for sale to support missions every weekend in various churches. These weapons not only show intricate craftsmanship but also honor the time, strength, prayer, and effort of the person who poured every bit of themselves into each item.
