Growing up with a traditional Catholic grandmother and grandfather, I was surrounded by the 'holy reminders' of their faith. Being of Polish descent, my grandparents naturally adopted the Divine Mercy devotion associated with St. Faustina Kowalska. My grandmother was also a great lover of the Infant Jesus of Prague, and she had a large Infant figure (at least 12 inches tall) in a curio cabinet in her home.

Of course, her Rosary, Missal and prayer book were always prominently displayed on her dressing-table when she wasn't actively using them. There were holy cards stuck in mirrors, and of course there was a large Crucufix in every room of their home.

In their bedroom was a particularly moving picture of Christ on the Cross, with the Apostles and His Mother depicted in the 'budding' ends of the Cross. As a child, I remember being slightly scared by the detail of the picture, including His Holy Face in agony, but also drawn to the picture in love, as it certainly made sense to my young mind that if Jesus suffered that way for the sins of mankind, we should certainly remember that by reverently depicting it.

Sadly, I don't know what happened to most of my grandmother and grandfather's sacramentals; when my grandmother died (at age 96, Deo gratias), many relatives, including cousins by marriage and so on, were invited to just take whatever they wanted. Due to divorces, etc, we don't even speak to some of those people anymore, so it's impossible to say whether any of these holy items are even in faithful Catholic homes these days.

Anyway, as for me personally, I have a red-beaded Rosary with a relic medal of the Little Flower; there is a small square of fabric behind the medal that I am assuming makes the Rosary a third-class relic.

Immediately to my right, I have a small statue of St. Francis of Assisi, and an even smaller figurine of St. Padre Pio. In my possession, but not on display, is a small figurine of the Santo Nino.

I sued to have quite a few vintage statues, Rosaries, etc, but several interstate moves forced their exit.

What sacramentals do you own/use/particularly favor?

Also, as a side note, I am always interested in obtaining sacramentals that are not being used, would otherwise be given away or destroyed or sold. Please email me through the Forum if you have any sacramentals that need a good home.

I am especially interested in 15-decade Rosaries; new ones are hard to find, and those that are available are often extremely expensive, especially for someone out of work as I am.

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you've got anything you can't use. Anything I encounter at yard sales, etc, that I don't plan on keeping, is brought to nursing homes and care centers for the shut-ins. I have also brought some sacramentals, especially Rosaries, to the local Catholic hospital near me, which has a lovely chapel. I leave some items there from time to time to encourage devotion to Our Lord in times of illness and for prayers for successful procedures.

Sacramentals... the 'holy reminders' of our Faith... care to share about yours?