Evil spirits tremble at hearing even the voice of the Virgin Mary. The holy rosary is a prayer that specifically honors and sends Our Blessed Mother our love. It is a strong weapon in spiritual life! Praying the rosary on our own is always beneficial but there are special graces when prayed as a family. Many saints have mentioned it is a powerful devotion to introduce to the family. It draws us closer to one another and close to God as one. 

The Saints and the Rosary: 

Many of the Saints have had a significant devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary and have spoken of the power of this prayer. Saint Josemaria Escriva, for example, wrote an entire book (Holy Rosary) to help us meditate on the mysteries as we recite the Hail Marys of that decade. St. Pope John Paul II was often photographed with a rosary in hand, and spoke highly of this Marian devotion. 

“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!” – St. Josemaria Escriva

Reah our blog post: 15 Rosary Quotes from the Saints about this Powerful Marian Prayer.

How to Pray the Rosary: 

The Church devotes the entire month of October to the rosary and therefore it is good to know how to pray it! There are many ways of doing so, but the basis of praying it is to pick the mystery of the day (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous), begin with the sign of the cross and then recite the Apostles’ Creed. Then say an “Our Father” and three “Hail Marys” for faith, hope, and charity ending with a “Glory Be”. 

Following this, you can announce the first mystery and possibly leave room for a bit of meditation. Then say the “Our Father” followed by ten “Hail Marys” and a “Glory Be” at the end. Continue doing so with the five mysteries until done with all the mysteries and finalize with the “Hail Holy Queen”, “Final Prayer” and the sign of the holy cross. Also, if you would like to, many Christians have acquired the tradition of reciting the Litany of Loreto afterward or the St. Michael prayer. For more on the history of the Litany of Loreto, in her book, Maureen Mullins dives into the beautiful devotion and the 53 titles contained in the prayer. 

How to get your children involved in praying the rosary:

The rosary is easy to recite therefore anyone can do it! That is what makes it the perfect prayer to say as a family where there are all age ranges. Looking for ways to get your children involved in this devotion? Here are a few suggestions:

• Split up the recitation
• Have them guess the next mystery
• Have them explain the next mystery
• Place it in the weekly family schedule 
• Buy a rosary together
• Go to a grotto or shrine together to pray a decade
• Give them a pocket prayer book that they can follow the rosary with

How lucky are we to have such a mother constantly at our side who is ready to give us these graces and cover us under her mantle? Let us freely choose to stay united to her through the holy rosary.