Rosary accompanies soldier as he heads to Iraq

Published: 2004-12-28

ATLANTA (CNS) -- Sgt. Justin Russell pulled out his wallet. It was bulging with a black plastic rosary. During his deployment in Iraq, the wallet and rosary figure to be important fixtures in his side cargo-pants' pocket along with a booklet of daily Scripture readings and family photos. "I've been carrying (the rosary) everywhere I go for the last two weeks," he said in an interview with The Georgia Bulletin, Atlanta archdiocesan newspaper, prior to being received into the Catholic Church. Russell memorized the rosary and other prayers by taping them up on his wall at work as part of an accelerated Christian initiation program at Holy Cross Church in Atlanta so he could become a Catholic before leaving with his National Guard unit. The class runs until Easter, but he joined the church during Advent before his planned deployment to Iraq Jan. 3, the day before his birthday.

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