The latest articles on DEV Community by Navid (@christosanesti). https://dev.to/christosanesti https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4160134%2F2de0dc92-170a-40cd-aac3-a6a510b61c8e.jpg https://dev.to/christosanesti en Navid Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:41:05 +0000 https://dev.to/christosanesti/i-made-a-24-minute-prayer-vigil-video-for-black-pearls-the-seven-sorrows-of-mary-now-on-youtube-26hm https://dev.to/christosanesti/i-made-a-24-minute-prayer-vigil-video-for-black-pearls-the-seven-sorrows-of-mary-now-on-youtube-26hm <p>A few days ago I wrote about <a href="https://blackpearls.space" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black Pearls</a> — a quiet vigil for the beloved dead. Today the project's first long-form video is live.</p> <p>It's the <strong>Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary</strong> (the Servite rosary) — the full devotion, prayed in English, with one original oil-paint-style artwork for each sorrow:</p> <ol> <li>The Prophecy of Simeon</li> <li>The Flight into Egypt</li> <li>The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple</li> <li>Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary</li> <li>The Crucifixion</li> <li>The Pietà</li> <li>The Burial of Jesus</li> </ol> <p> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YjiL8pyMX_8" width="710" height="399"> </iframe> </p> <p>All seven paintings were generated for this project (Leonardo + Grok), assembled into a 24-minute vigil with a guided voiceover — the same chaplet you can pray interactively on the site.</p> <p>The site itself: <strong>blackpearls.space</strong> — light a remembrance candle, add a soul to the wall, pray the guided chaplet. Free forever. No feed, no algorithms — only souls, remembered.</p> <p>Feedback welcome — especially on the pacing of the prayers.</p> showdev catholic Navid Sat, 03 Oct 2026 16:31:18 +0000 https://dev.to/christosanesti/i-built-black-pearls-a-quiet-vigil-for-the-beloved-dead-3lm1 https://dev.to/christosanesti/i-built-black-pearls-a-quiet-vigil-for-the-beloved-dead-3lm1 <p>A few weeks ago I started building a small place of remembrance on the web. It's called <strong>Black Pearls</strong>.</p> <p>The idea: light a candle for a beloved soul. Pledge a rosary for them. Every prayer pledged by a stranger becomes a black pearl on their rosary — hence the name.</p> <p>It's a vigil under Our Lady of Sorrows: candles, a prayer wall, poetry, and remembrance. No sign-up needed, nothing to buy — just a quiet corner of the internet for the people we miss.</p> <p>🔗 <strong><a href="https://blackpearls.space" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://blackpearls.space</a></strong></p> <p>This was a solo weekend project that grew into something I genuinely care about. Feedback welcome — what would make a memorial site feel <em>right</em> to you?</p> <h1> CatholicTech #WeekendProject </h1> buildinpublic showdev web webdev