A 12-year-old boy from Santa Catarina, Brazil, is attracting attention on social media for an unusual mission for someone his age: making Rosaries from seeds known as “Our Lady’s Tears” and distributing them to children in hospitals.
Samuel Hoffmann, who lives in the city of Brusque, takes part in a hospital evangelisation ministry and has found a simple way to leave a meaningful gift for the children he visits. With his own hands, he cultivates the plant, harvests its seeds, and uses them to make Rosaries, which he distributes during his visits.
The story began a few years ago when Samuel developed a deep devotion to Our Lady. According to Samuel, it all started when he was seven years old and would watch Catholic programmes every day with his grandfather. Shortly afterwards, he received an invitation that would change his life.
“When I was eight or nine years old, a nun named Sister Terezinha invited me to visit the hospital. We used to play music for the children, but I wanted to leave them with a gift that would remind them to pray.”
The solution came from an unexpected source. One of Samuel’s aunts brought home seeds from a plant popularly known as “Our Lady’s Tears”, which some people also identify as the “Lily of the Valley”. Samuel decided to plant them in his garden. As the plant grew, he came up with the idea of using the seeds to make Rosaries. Samuel says, “When you visit a child’s room and see that what you have brought has made them happier, it makes me very happy as well.”
Today, Samuel’s Rosaries have become part of the mission carried out during hospital visits. While many children his age spend their time playing video games, scrolling through social media, or watching television for hours on end, Samuel dedicates part of each day to prayer, evangelisation, and making Rosaries, which he personally distributes to young patients.
His mother, Maristela Hoffmann, believes that her son’s journey of faith has transformed their entire family.
“In fact,” says Maristela, “he was the one who sought us out and brought us with him. He brought us even closer to the Church.” She also emphasised the importance of Christian witness. “It is wonderful to see so many young people following this path. People need to give witness in order to inspire others to do something for their neighbour.”
Samuel’s grandmother has closely followed his journey and becomes emotional when speaking about her grandson. “Today, I see his faith growing so much, and that fills me with great joy.” What began as a simple devotion to Our Lady has become a small mission. Through seeds, Rosaries, and hospital visits, Samuel gives children something that cannot always be found in medicine or treatment, even though these too bring healing.
At only 12 years of age, he continues to do what he believes God has called him to do: bringing hope to other children.
Joe Galea
SDC member
