Rosaries are flying off the shelves after ‘The Atlantic’ article suggests link to ‘extremism’
Three online shops that sell rosaries have reported a boost in sales following a controversial article published Sunday in The Atlantic magazine which attempted to link the rosary to right-wing extremism in the United States.
In the article, Daniel Panneton claimed, “The rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or “rad trad”) Catholics.”
“Militia culture, a fetishism of Western civilization, and masculinist anxieties have become mainstays of the far right in the U.S.—and rad-trad Catholics have now taken up residence in this company,” he continued.
The article sparked a frenzy of comments on social media, as Catholics shared photos of their rosaries. Some observed that the article’s thesis had an anti-Catholic bias.
Shannon Doty, CEO of Rugged Rosaries, told CNA Monday that she saw “a pretty good boost in sales” on both of her websites, RuggedRosaries.com and MonkRosaries.com amid the reaction to the article.
Rugged Rosaries sells durable rosaries, inspired by rosaries that used to be used in the military during World War I.
Doty said that both websites have a loyal customer base and added that “we are not discouraged, and are in fact strengthened in our determination to make strong rugged rosaries for everyone.”
Doty began making rosaries out of paracord for her son’s friends in the army more than ten years ago. She began selling a “Soldier’s Combat Rosary” and it gradually turned into a business.
