family prayer | how to pray the rosary | pray the rosary | catholic devotions
While prayer may not change our circumstances, it will often change our hearts. It brings us closer to God, allowing Him to comfort us, guide us, and occasionally reveal His will for us. At the very least, communication with God always brings peace.
The Catholic faith offers many beautiful devotions, each able to reach the faithful, who come to prayer with many different communication styles. God created each of us to be unique and unrepeatable; therefore, it stands to reason that He would provide many ways to communicate with Him.
St. John Paul II has referred to the prayers of the Rosary as the School of Mary. Meditating upon the Mysteries of the Rosary teaches us who Jesus is and how He desires to be a part of our lives. Furthermore, meditating on the life of Jesus with Mary enables us to understand that she had many adversities, yet she never lost her joy and hope. Praying with her to Our Lord provides us with this opportunity to grow in faith guided by a loving mother.
Read on to discover eight compelling and inspiring reasons to consider including the Rosary in your prayer devotions. We hope you will share your reason for praying the Rosary in the comments below.
Why We Pray the Rosary with Our Little Children
“Family life is joyful chaos—praying the Rosary as a family is no exception! However, I can honestly say this simple devotion has changed our lives and inspired our children.
After many spectacular failures, here are some of our favorite tips—schedule it, start small, switch it up, and remember your purpose. We can't force our children to go to heaven; all we can do is lead by example. Finally, have mercy on yourself, and don't give up! Mary is smiling upon you and your children—no matter how many or few Hail Marys you make it through tonight.”
Drew and Katie Taylor host a Catholic-Link.org YouTube video series, where, among other amazing content, you can find more tips on praying the Rosary and Family Life.
It Is All Mary’s Idea
"First and foremost, my family prays the Rosary because Our Lady told us to in her apparitions at Fatima, Portugal.
When my kids complain, I remind them that it wasn't my idea; it was Mary's! I also experienced a palpable change in the tenor of our home during the spring of 2020, when we were home all the time and we started to pray a whole Rosary every night—rather than a decade each day en route to school. I noticed our family was more at peace. Our home felt closer to heaven. This prayer truly has power!"
Lindsay Schlegel is the author of Don't Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God and the forthcoming Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction.
Walking Toward Heaven
“As I pray the Rosary, sometimes I envision Our Lady smashing the devil's attacks on our family.
Other times, I imagine my family walking, with each Hail Mary, toward heaven with Mary accompanying us. It is a source of joy, comfort, and confidence.
When my wife and I pray the Rosary, we feel covered by Mary's Mantle. We are safe. Our marriage is strengthened; burdens and stresses lift from our shoulders. That thought is so comforting that if we are praying at night, I sometimes fall asleep. I encourage you to pray the Rosary. God to Jesus through Mary.”
John Kinuthia shares the joy of Christ by witnessing all God has done in his life; helping others do the same and awaken the saint within.
An Act of Merciful Love
“I pray the Rosary as one of my prayer practices as an act of merciful love towards the souls in Purgatory—the holy
souls. I developed close friendships with the holy souls through prayer, which sparked a renewal of an awareness of how we can aid them here below. After the Holy Mass as an offering for the dearly departed, the Holy Rosary is another great aid in quenching their thirst for God and helping them reach heaven through Our Holy Mother and the Rosary!”
Maria Cecilia Escobedo, the Catholic Wellness mom coach, help moms to enhance their wellness journey with simple routines with a unique wellness program.
Keeping Focus on the Lord’s Life
"I include a scriptural Rosary in my daily prayers because it helps me to focus on our Lord's life.
It helps me to appreciate the great sacrifice He made for us, and it teaches me how to proceed through my own life. It is the most perfect meditation, and my day is always better once I've prayed it."
Beth Noronha hopes to enrich people’s prayer life through promoting the powerful prayer of the Rosary, which she does through handcrafting heirloom rosaries.
The Prayer that Solves Everything
“I have a favorite dress—forgiving style, modestly cut, beautifully patterned in colors that make me look healthy and vibrant. When lacking energy to manufacture the effort, this dress is my answer. It solves everything, and my task is simply to put it on. The Rosary is the same way, but in a devotion. Beauty and structure built-in, I simply “put it on,” and the Queen of Heaven, who knows I need grace with ease, does all the work. There are many ways to pray. The Rosary is the prayer that solves everything.”
Julia Miller is a retired wedding florist and grandmother, and the creator of FreshRosary.org
Tangible Reminders to Pray
“I’m like a cat lady when it comes to having rosaries. They’re in every room of my house, in the car, in forgotten pockets of coats rediscovered at the change of seasons.
The Rosary’s tangible reminder to pray attracts me whether it has sparkly glass beads or simple wooden ones. However, the recitation of familiar prayers, from the first invocation to the Trinity, to the affirmation of my faith, to the subsequent abandonment to the mysteries connects me deeply to the Blessed Mother, and in turn, her Beloved Son.
I feel spiritually whole when I pray this most powerful prayer.”
Maria Morera Johnson, author and a cradle Catholic, struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too.
A Fruitful Spiritual Practice
"Years ago, when a friend gave me a Rosary CD, I discovered that playing it in the car was a fruitful spiritual practice
for me and one that led me to deeper conversion. The prayer leaders on the CD always announced both the Rosary mystery and 'the fruit of the mystery,' such as The Annunciation: Humility, The Visitation: Love of Neighbor. Hearing these 'fruits' helped me to look deeper into each mystery and see what God had for me within it. In time, I found that beginning my day by interceding for others’ intentions and praying for my own while walking (driving) with Mary would be a practice I would never leave behind."
Tom Lyman is a husband and father of three residing south of Boston.