Gary Graham and Rae DelVecchio, the creators of the Freedom Rosary

Gary Graham had never been “called” to anything in his life. Until one night in May 2003, that is.

Mr. Graham – who with wife Rae DelVecchio is a longtime friend of the Paulist Fathers in Vero Beach, Fla. – had an image one night of the Blessed Virgin Mary calling him to spread prayer through the rosary.

“I couldn’t relate to it,” said Mr. Graham. “But after some conversations with Rae, I thought, ‘The rosary has got to speak.’”

It was the beginning of an eight-year journey that resulted in the interactive talking Freedom Rosary.

“I didn’t think of it; it came to us,” Mr. Graham said. “We didn’t know how to start. I said to Rae, ‘We’ll figure it out.’”

Mr. Graham and Mrs. DelVecchio, both pharmacists with master’s degrees in business administration, first did a business case study on what would become the Freedom Rosary.

The couple then contacted a myriad of engineers, computer experts and entrepreneurs. Each rejected the idea, but the couple remained undaunted.

They took the first prototype to Father Bill Cantwell, CSP, who lives at the Paulist residence in Vero Beach. The three had known each other for many years, and Father Cantwell presided at their wedding.

“I thought it was a worthwhile project, but knew it would be difficult,” said Father Cantwell. “I didn’t know they had the determination to see it through.”

Mr. Graham and Mrs. DelVecchio were finally aided in fulfilling their calling by a Muslim software engineer and a Buddhist hardware engineer.

“They think it is fabulous,” said Mrs. DelVecchio. “They want it to be successful.”

The Freedom Rosary, officially launched in May 2010 after five prototypes, works through microchip and micro speaker technology placed in the back of the crucifix along with a rechargeable battery. The latest digital voice technology guides people through the prayers of the rosary. The prayers are based on the church’s liturgical calendar in the automatic mode or select one of the four sets of Mysteries of the Rosary in the manual mode. There is even an earphone plug for use in public places or when quiet is desired.

The Freedom Rosary is available in Marian blue or black onyx beads, and in the traditional five decade rosary or the one-decade mobile rosary.

All proceeds from the Freedom Rosary go to aid victims of human
trafficking

“You wouldn’t know it was different from any other rosary, except the crucifix is a little bit bigger,” Mr. Graham said. ““A lot of people don’t pray the rosary because they don’t know the prayers. This guides them through it. And it is perfect for someone just learning how to pray the rosary.”

The Freedom Rosary got its name from the charitable aspect of this project, as all proceeds support four organizations that help the victims of human trafficking. The organizations are: Traffic Free, Call+Response, Stop Child Trafficking Now and the Catholic Organization Against Human Trafficking.

“Like everything else, the name came to us out of the blue, and ties in with the charitable endeavors,” said Mrs. Del Vecchio.

The Freedom Rosary is catching on, and the couple have even been asked to create a military chaplet.

“Now the people that dismissed it as a novelty item are now impressed,” said Mr. Graham. “It was a difficult journey, but the farther we go, the clearer it gets.”

Father Cantwell sees the Freedom Rosary as a way to teach children, thereby introducing a whole new generation to the rosary.

“You can have one Freedom Rosary and have them follow along on their own regular rosaries,” he said. “There is no end to the possibilities that will result in people being exposed to this rosary.”

To learn more about the Freedom Rosary, log on to freedomrosary.com or call 1-877-334-2762.