Marcel and the Rosary

Marcel Nguyen Tan Van was a Vietnamese Redemptorist Brother who lived between 1928 and 1959. During his life he had visions of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and St Therese.  He wanted to be a priest but died at a young age, barely 31, and his cause of  beatification is ongoing.  When he was only 8 years old, he was literally persecuted by his catechist, who was very jealous of him. He used to keep him away from the sacraments and punished him relentlessly. The only thing that Marcel had left was the Rosary. He used to say ‘the Rosary is the only cause of my happiness, which I see emanating from the heart of Mary. I often climbed a hill to be closer to Mary and there I say the Rosary by myself.’ But even the rosary beads were taken away from him, and so he used 10 coffee beans to count the mysteries, passing the beans from one hand to another. But these too were taken from him, and then Marcel used a rope with 10 knots, and this too was stolen. Finally he used his fingers, and he could say the rosary without being caught. He said before he died ‘with the help of the Rosary, Mary was always at my side and as a result, the devils that always tormented me never were able to beat my determination to be close to Mary and Jesus.’