Erin and Ellie Hannah

October 2024
Ellie Hannah at work on a new rosaryWhen parishioner Erin Hannah started taking her two girls to Monday night rosary seven years ago, she had no idea she was planting the seeds of a family business. Parker, now fifteen, was in second grade and Ellie, now twelve, in Kindergarten. Husband Brenden had started RCIA, and Erin found that praying the rosary every Monday with her daughters and “all these amazing women and men” meant a lot. “We just loved it, loved the people, and that kind of started to help us get a little bit more involved in Sacred Heart Church.”

As the girls grew older and got busier, their attendance on Mondays tapered off, but their love for the rosary didn’t fade. Matters took an interesting turn when Ellie’s passion for crafting really took off. She had a talent for making things with her hands, especially bracelets, and Erin couldn’t help but see a potential opportunity for her daughter. “At some point along the line, I just had this idea that maybe Ellie could make rosaries.”

Ellie wanted to give it a try, and with a little help from YouTube and some specialty parts from Divine Treasures, she was soon crafting beautiful rosaries at the dining room table. Her first completed project warranted a special return to the Monday night group. “The first rosary that I made, we brought it to one of those (Monday night) rosaries and everyone just loved it.”

Erin Hannah with daughter Ellie Word got out and orders started pouring in, mostly from around the parish. “It really started with Ellie doing all of it,” Erin says, but with a growing list of orders, mother and daughter had to team up to complete the work. In their first year, the fledgling company—artfully named Crown of Roses—donated two of their rosaries to the Sacred Heart Auction and also managed to fill a large order for a group of nuns in Kenya, crafting ten custom rosaries as a gift to the nuns from a local family. Future plans include an Etsy shop, annual donations to charity, and a line of “unique Catholic products that people can get excited about.”

The two founders want to stay focused on making beautiful products that inspire people to pray, and as mother and daughter look ahead, they like to keep in mind how the journey began. “I don’t think we would be doing this without that Monday night rosary,” says Erin. “It’s almost like a full circle the way I think of it, starting to go to the rosary when she was so little, and now she’s making rosaries. For me this is awesome.”