Faith Reflection | power of prayer | Jubilee of Hope | Hope-2025
Praying the Rosary was not something I grew up with in my family. Today, I would like to share how I came to learn and pray the Rosary and how praying with our Blessed Mother always brings me great hope!
Early in 2020, our lives were all turned upside-down. My husband’s uncle, whom we were both close to, suddenly passed away. I also had to accept not seeing my parents in Florida for quite a while due to lockdowns. This was not an easy time for anyone. During this time, I also felt a strong and loving nudge to pray the Rosary. I know that this was our Blessed Mother guiding me to the protection of her mantle. It was a time when I was very much in need of hope.
How I Learned to Pray the Rosary
The Rosary was a new devotion for me, so I needed some guidance. I tried apps and YouTube videos, and this was ok, but I felt I needed something more. Shortly after, I stumbled across Many Hail Marys at a Time on Instagram, and this beautiful community provided just the guidance, love, and hope that I needed during this difficult time.
Wrapped in a blanket and clutching my rosary beads, I would tune in for their nightly Rosary. People were praying together all over the world! It was a community and a family — my Catholic family of brothers and sisters in Christ asking for the intercession of Our Blessed Mother in a time of fear and chaos. It gave me comfort, rest, and hope! The graces that flowed from this practice were incredible, and I finally had the relationship with Our Blessed Mother that I always longed for.
Hope Through the Rosary During a Difficult Time
Our Blessed Mother has never let me down since my humble beginnings praying the Rosary. In 2021, my mother was diagnosed with non-smoker's lung cancer. I still had not seen her since early 2020. Now, she was incredibly sick and I was hundreds of miles away. As always, our Blessed Mother pulled through again, and my mother requested to pray the Rosary with us daily via video chat. She would always text me in the morning to schedule our daily Rosary with my kids and me. Again, the repetitive Aves gave us all comfort and peace.
I knew my mom’s time was short when I watched her struggle to remember the words of prayers she had known since she was a child. It was hard to watch her deteriorate so rapidly, but this time also brought so many unbelievable graces. Other family members who had fallen away from the faith would visit my mom and then end up praying the Rosary with us when I would call her on video chat. I also watched a profound conversion in my mom during this time when she agreed to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation — something she had refused to do for decades. This gave me renewed strength and hope that when she did pass, she would be ready to embrace Our Lord in heaven.
On May 23, 2021, Pentecost that year, my mom passed into eternal life. I was calm and hopeful that she was ready to spend eternity with Jesus. The morning of her funeral, I asked to lead a Rosary for her before the funeral Mass. The church allowed us to lead the Rosary in their chapel.
The night before the funeral, I rummaged through my mom’s rosary collection at my parents' home. I chuckled when I found a huge bag of plastic glow-in-the-dark rosaries! I brought them to give to anyone who needed one that morning. We were surrounded by family and friends in that chapel, praying the Rosary for my mom and with my mom one last time.
For an Increase in Faith, Hope, and Love
In the opening prayers of the Rosary, we ask to increase in the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. I am confident that I have personally grown in these three virtues specifically because of the Rosary. I am extremely grateful to Our Blessed Mother for calling me and protecting me during that time when I started praying the Rosary, and I am even more grateful for the faith, hope, and love that the Most Holy Rosary continues to bring into my life.
For the Jubilee of Hope, our writers reflect on prayer as a source of hope in their lives.
Copyright 2025 Alex Resch
Images: Holy Cross Family Ministries