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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Family Rosary | Living the Faith | catholic family life
Building habits to support steady spiritual growth became easier for Kathie Scott-Avery when she began using these four strategies. Although rooted in good intentions, we can overwhelm ourselves when deciding to revamp our spiritual life. Major resolutions, no matter how enthusiastically embraced at the outset, frequently wane or backfire, often leading us to conclude that we lack ability, conviction, willpower, good timing, or even faith. Thinking small can help, particularly when we are fashioning a path to a new spiritual habit or trying to improve upon one already established. Of course, the process still requires a commitment to specific and concrete actions related to what we want to accomplish. Is it just for ourselves, or for the whole family? Are we trying to fill a spiritual gap in knowledge? Refresh a practice that’s gone a little stale? Combat a particular sin? Improve on a virtue? Once we know where we’re aiming and whether it’s a solo or family trip, four strategies can make the journey easier: starting small, combining, adding on, and tweaking or substituting.
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Catholic books | Family Rosary | pray the rosary
Sarah Pedrozo recaps her family’s experience of using the new book, The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, to pray the Rosary. The Rosary is one of my favorite ways to pray. Not only is it a powerful prayer, greeting Mary using the same words as the Angel Gabriel, but it also hinges on Jesus and walks us through key moments in the life of the Holy Family, and the story of God becoming man. But I will admit, sometimes my mind wanders off as I am praying ... and I realize I’ve zoned out on several Hail Marys. So, I was excited to try praying with Father Willy Raymond’s new book, inspired by the life of Father Patrick Peyton, The Family that Prays Together Stays Together: A Bead-by-Bead Family Guide through the Mysteries. It was that “bead-by-bead” part I was especially interested in.
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Advent | Catholic Family Fun | Family Rosary
Lindsay Schlegel recaps her own experience of using the new book, The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, to pray the Rosary. Most weekdays, I pray a decade of the Rosary with my children as I drive them to school. In our routine, this practice comes after a shared morning offering, guardian angel prayer, spiritual communion if the kids don’t have Mass at school that day, and prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Some days, it’s a quiet and peaceful experience. Other times, it comes after a rush to get out the door and a frustrating cajoling to get whoever hasn’t led a decade that week to either take his turn or speak up from the back of the car. Often my mind is somewhere else for at least part of the decade. For one thing, I’m driving, and for another, the prayer is so familiar to me that it can be tough to stay present, especially if I’m not really prepared for what’s coming next in my day. More often, I’m thinking of the person I’m offering the prayer for (if I can remember to do that!) than the mystery itself.
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Family Rosary | pray the rosary
Emily Jaminet describes how her parents' tradition of a Sunday-night family Rosary inspired her to make the Rosary an integral part of her family prayer. And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus. (Acts 5:42) I have a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima in my family room. She watches over our family through every season and serves as a constant reminder of the maternal presence of Mary. A few years ago, I added a battery-operated candle with a timer. As the sun goes down, that gentle flicker draws our hearts to the Son of God and invites us to pray the Rosary.
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Family Rosary | praying the Rosary | rosary beads
Catholic Mom contributor, AnneMarie Miller, shares about the Rosary rut she was in recently, and how God has been helping her learn and grow.
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Family Rosary | Feast of the Holy Rosary | Parenthood | family prayer
Catholic Mom contributor Lea McCarthy reflects with humor on how, even though the attempt at the Family Rosary can fall short of being picture-perfect, it’s still a grace-filled occasion. Both my husband and I were blessed to have grown up praying the Rosary with our families. Rain or shine, no matter what was happening, when it was time for the Rosary, all activities ceased, and we gathered to pray. My parents waited until we kids were older to have us join them in praying, so there were no toddlers present, causing mayhem, and it was actually a peaceful rendition of a family Rosary. I’m not saying we would be on the front page of the Faith & Family magazine, but maybe somewhere near the back.
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