The Long Lost Rosary Of Cardinal Bourne

Published by Charlie Bohan-Hurst on September 23, 2026

In this reflective article, John Holden of Sacred Heart, North Walsham, shares the remarkable story of his father’s discovery of Cardinal Francis Bourne’s rosary and offers a personal encouragement to rediscover the spiritual treasure of praying the Rosary.

Now, my dad was a bit of a hoarder. He collected old things, and TV programmes such as Going for a Song (for those of you who can remember it), and more recently The Antiques Roadshow had his undivided attention, as you can imagine. He loved going to auctions and sales. However, he got no sympathy from my late mother what so ever and when he returned home with an item or two or may be more, she raised her eyes to heaven, sighed and said “More junk!” Then one day an unusual “lot” was presented in the sale room: the Rosary of Cardinal Francis Alphonsus Bourne. He bought it, together with a caricature of the Cardinal in the lot. I don’t know how much he paid for it, but it wasn’t until he passed away that I ever saw it.

It was my late mother who dug them out of a box one day and handed them to me. We both realised that we were not talking about “junk” this time. Of course, my first reaction was, “Is this the genuine item?” My mother told me it was because my father had shown them to my parish priest just after he bought them, and he confirmed that they were genuine. I had never seen a rosary like it before: big black beads and four large medals. I just wondered if he took the beads into the Conclave in Rome.

Are the medals gold? I think two probably are, but poignantly, it reminded me of when Jesus told the parable about the Kingdom of Heaven, when a man went digging in a field and found treasure. He buried it and then bought the whole field (Matthew 13:44). Well, I haven’t buried the rosary, you may be glad to hear, but I have found that reciting the Rosary every day is the real treasure in the whole field.

I was born on 7 October, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, and I can remember, in my first year at school, Miss Cross, the headmistress of St Joseph’s Infant School in Heywood, Lancashire, coming into the classroom selling us rosary beads. They were 3d (the old threepenny bit, 2½p). It was very much pink rosaries for girls and blue ones for boys. Don’t ask me how I got sold a pink one! Nevertheless, this was my first rosary and I still use it today. It was ironic that my old school, which now serves as a parish centre, was opened by Cardinal Bourne, I think, in 1928.

So, how do you fare with the Rosary? It takes a lot of concentration, and some people shy away from reciting the Rosary because they say they can never meditate on the mysteries at the same time as reciting the prayers. I used to have this “hiccup” when reciting. One way to overcome this is, instead of concentrating fully on the prayers with the mystery in the background, turn it around so that you are concentrating on the mystery, with the prayers going on in the background.

“But my mind goes blank during a decade.” Then start the decade again. You can also try announcing to yourself each decade as you pray, i.e. “The Third Sorrowful Mystery – the Crowning with Thorns.” To keep your mind more in tune, announce it again just before each Hail Mary. This will help you focus on the treasures the mystery contains. Another way to maintain concentration is to say it out loud when you are at home. A short Scripture reading is an advantage as a prelude to the mysteries and will clear your mind and remind you of what you are seeking. Some parishes have rosary groups and often recite the Rosary before Mass, especially during the month of October. Get involved with your group.

Never give up if you should lose concentration whilst reciting. Remember, you are giving up your time in honour of Our Lady and Our Lord, and I find they always bring my thoughts back to the task at hand at some point during the decade.

With October almost upon us its time to go digging in that field!

Further Reading: “Journal of a Soul” by John XXIII page 383 – 401 Chapman 1965 & 1980

Rosary Meditations by John-Paul II CTS

Main Photo: The Medals of the Rosary

Photo 2: The Rosary of Cardinal Bourne