14 Foot Lighted Rosary Celebrates 200 Years of Catholicism in Small Louisiana Town

This is pretty cool. I saw this in the Diocese of Alexandria Newspaper. It can be downloaded here (it is on page 11 and there are pics.). For the non Louisiana folks Marksville is generally where Cajun land is said to start. There is sort of mixing of cultures there that is cool. Oh yeah the infamous Edwin Edwards is from there too.

Here is the main text


Imagine seeing a 14-foot illuminated rosary hanging in the sky as you drive down the street in
Marksville.

No, you’re not crazy, but what you’re seeing is an illuminated bilboard that depicts a 14-foot
rosary on it. When each bead is lit, it looks like the shining rosary is actually hanging in mid-air.

The billboard is a project of the Knights of Columbus Council #1217, in an effort to commemorate
the presence of the Catholic faith in Marksville during its 200th year
celebration.

The town gathered May 14 in the parking lot of St. Joseph Church in Marksville to pray the rosary near the 16 X 60 ft. billboard. As each prayer was recited, the corresponding bead on the billboard was lit.

When the rosary was finished, the entire billboard rosary replica was lit as well. “It is a beautiful sight to see,” said John St. Romain, KC member and coordinator of the project, “especially at the end when the entire rosary is lit up.”

The rosary billboard project was especially memorable for St. Romain because he remembers
taking part in the same event 50 years ago when Marksville celebrated its 150th anniversary.

“I was much younger then,” but I remember my father working on it and I remember going to the rosary,” he said. “It was special to me then and it is even more special
to me now.”

Maybe because the rosary billboard this year is a lot more elaborate.
According to St. Romain, it took more than 60 light switches and almost a mile of wire to make
the billboard. The billboard was constructed by members of the KCCouncil.

“It was a big project, but we are all proud of the way it turned out,” said St. Romain. “It says so
much about the presence of the Catholic Church in this small
town.”

The rosary billboard can be seen in the rear parking lot of St. Joseph Church until the end of May, when it will be taken down.

Boo why take it down