Buying religious jewellery and rosaries

[0kogipan]

Is it just me, or is anyone else picky about where they buy rosaries and religious jewellery? I occasionally hit Hot Topic and other stores of a similar nature, but I do not religious items or anything of a gross nature (pretty necklaces, funny keychains, pretty postcards with fairy pictures, interesting posters, etc.).

I started this practice within the last couple of years when I noticed writers at CatholicExchange.com becoming upset about the audience these stores cater to and the religious items that they sell to these consumers. Granted, it is with the same intent as Madonna wearing a rosary as a necklace…(I decided to start this thread after reading a couple rosary/necklace threads). However, you could also point that every other store selling jewellery is also selling crosses and for a lot of the same reasons (ie. catering to an audience). You also do not know who made the piece or their intentions behind it (a perfectly innocent looking cross could have been made by another person with a completely different intention than one you would wear it with).

I have therefore started to buy any and all of my religious articles from Catholic shops if I do not make them myself. I still buy secular items at other stores though (nothing wrong with fairy pictures or dragon necklaces).

However, since Christmas, I have considered the thought of purchasing these items from regular stores again and asking a priest to bless them. Many of our now traditional symbols were pagan in origin and rebaptized into Christian culture (ie. mistle-toe and holly). I am assuming this works for other items and wonder about possibility of changing my shopping habit. Is it something I should consider or should I continue as before?

 

[LilyM]

Is it just me, or is anyone else picky about where they buy rosaries and religious jewellery? I occasionally hit Hot Topic and other stores of a similar nature, but I do not religious items or anything of a gross nature (pretty necklaces, funny keychains, pretty postcards with fairy pictures, interesting posters, etc.).

I started this practice within the last couple of years when I noticed writers at CatholicExchange.com becoming upset about the audience these stores cater to and the religious items that they sell to these consumers. Granted, it is with the same intent as Madonna wearing a rosary as a necklace…(I decided to start this thread after reading a couple rosary/necklace threads). However, you could also point that every other store selling jewellery is also selling crosses and for a lot of the same reasons (ie. catering to an audience). You also do not know who made the piece or their intentions behind it (a perfectly innocent looking cross could have been made by another person with a completely different intention than one you would wear it with).

I have therefore started to buy any and all of my religious articles from Catholic shops if I do not make them myself. I still buy secular items at other stores though (nothing wrong with fairy pictures or dragon necklaces).

However, since Christmas, I have considered the thought of purchasing these items from regular stores again and asking a priest to bless them. Many of our now traditional symbols were pagan in origin and rebaptized into Christian culture (ie. mistle-toe and holly). I am assuming this works for other items and wonder about possibility of changing my shopping habit. Is it something I should consider or should I continue as before?

I suppose even the items we buy in Catholic stores aren’t guaranteed. After all, my local Catholic store sells medals and other items from unapproved apparitions and books on enneagrams and other slightly new-agey fads and such

I would say the use to which any item is going to be put matters far more than where or who it’s come from. Rather like what we choose to be in the future matters more than what we have been in our own past

So buy them, get them blessed and use them in good health.

 

[0kogipan]

I think I might do as you say. These stores tend to have some really pretty crosses.

 

[jc-servant]

I try to buy from Catholic makers like religious orders so that I’m supporting a good cause and getting a good product. You just have to hunt a little harder to find things like this if they don’t sell in your area. I just found out that a convent in Mexico that our parish teens is helping on mission trip produces incredible icons in metalwork made by one nun.

 

[puzzleannie]

I don’t buy much except for gifts, but as a rule I like to patronize small businessmen, with preference to parishioners, and have not been inside a mall for years. Most gift buying is done on the internet but I try to patronize “real” Catholic vendors, not those that have “Catholic stuff” as a sideline. If I can order through a Catholic website that gets some kind of benefit through my ordering merchandise there, I’d rather do that. For any general buying online I go through a search engine/buying site sponsored by my grandkid’s Catholic school, since the school gets something from each purchase. I would not order any spiritual or theology books unless I know the source and publisher, from Catholic distributors only. You can ask for a certain title on Amazon and they will deliver all kinds of weird stuff with similar titles.

 

[Sr_Sally]

I think the idea of shopping in a Catholic shop/site for the purpose of supporting their business. However, I don’t wear that much jewlery anyway. I don’t plan to wear cross earrings or many of the other styles found in secular stores.

Where ever you buy a cross/crucifix, please do get it blessed!

 

[bluezone7]

I think it is a win win situation!!! Yes … I personally prefer supporting Roman Catholic stores concerning Catholic books, Catholic jewelry, etc. …BUT!!! The fact that the demand for Catholic STUFF is so great that regular and secular stores are selling True Christian THINGS … it is wonderful! Concerning Catholic jewelry I would get it blessed by a priest or a deacon …no matter where I bought it. There problem solved … we as Catholics should engage the world. There is no need to seclude the Church from the World or vice versa … spirit and matter can both be truly Holy! What matters is what does the wearer of the Catholic jewelry does …

 

[AZGrams]

I buy at my Parish gift shop. It’s reasonably priced, supports the parish and I’m assured of getting the proper items.

Jan

 

[bluezone7]

I buy at my Parish gift shop. It’s reasonably priced, supports the parish and I’m assured of getting the proper items.

Jan

Hmmm … my parish does not have one … but there are many Catholic stores in SoCal plus the internet … so I always try to support the Catholic stores/bizs first.

 

[Margaret33]

Only buy from 3 sources myself… Daughters of St Paul (local shop), eBay or from www.Aquinasandmore.com. Have tried buying in other shops which aren’t dedicated to religious/Catholic goods… it just doesn’t work for me

 

[Anne1964]

I usually buy on Ebay from the Catholic stores that sell things there. We also have a nice Catholic store in town that my credit card and I visit all too frequently.