| Traditional Roman Catholicism |
The Most Holy Rosary
"No prayer is more meritorious for the
soul and more glorious for Jesus and
Mary than a well recited Rosary. "
Saint Louis de Montfort
soul and more glorious for Jesus and
Mary than a well recited Rosary. "
Saint Louis de Montfort
"Recite the rosary every day to
obtain the peace for the world and
the end of the war."
Our Lady of Fatima
obtain the peace for the world and
the end of the war."
Our Lady of Fatima
There are many people who do not understand the Catholic devotion of praying the rosary. First let me say that the 150 Hail Mary's
correspond to the 150 Psalms prayed in the Divine Office. So if one prays the three Mysteries he would pray 150 Hail Mary's. In the year
1208 A.D. Our Lady revealed to Saint Dominic the Rosary in the form we have today. The tradition that Mary first revealed the Rosary
devotion to St. Dominic is supported by 13 popes.
The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses". Each time a Hail Mary is prayed by the faithful they are giving her a beautiful rose to Our Lady
and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. One may wonder why is the Rosary so powerful? Why do so many in the world
pray this beautiful prayer? Well, here are just a couple of short answers to these questions:
For healing the evils of our day
"We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times."
Pope Pius XII
As a ready and easy means of preserving the Faith
"...We have elsewhere brought it to the attention of the devout Christian that not least among the advantages of the Rosary is the ready
means it puts in his hands to nurture his faith, and to keep him from ignorance of his religion and the danger of error."
Pope Leo XIII
For healing the evils of our day
"We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times."
Pope Pius XII
"As a powerful means of obtaining graces from God"
"Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary."
Pope Pius IX
There are of course many, many quotes from the Saints in regards to the Holy Rosary. Too many to begin quoting here. Needless to say Our
Blessed Mother has countless times asked to have the rosary prayed at Fatima, Lourdes etc. When you get a new Rosary, you should have
it blessed by a priest, thus making it a sacramental. Note that Rosaries are not to be worn or used as jewelry! It is a devout custom to carry
always your Rosary in your pocket or purse, as a testimony of your desire to live and die as a true child of the holy Church, and as a special
mark of your devotion to the Holy Mother of God. Father Feeney used to say that the beads are like bullets against the enemy of our souls.
How long does it take to pray the Rosary?": around 20 minutes. One could take longer but it never, ever should be rushed. I have also
provided all the prayers needed to pray the Rosary in the official language of the Church, Latin. It is not necessary to pray in Latin but it
somehow makes me closer to the Saints and closer to the mind of the Church.
While non-Catholics see the Rosary as a mindless chant, what they don't understand is that the Rosary is a meditation on the lives of Mary
and Jesus. Each decade (each set of 10 Ave beads in the circular part of the Rosary beads) represents a single Mystery in their lives, and as
the prayers are prayed, we contemplate that particular Mystery. There are 3 sets of 5 Mysteries -- the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious
Mysteries.
correspond to the 150 Psalms prayed in the Divine Office. So if one prays the three Mysteries he would pray 150 Hail Mary's. In the year
1208 A.D. Our Lady revealed to Saint Dominic the Rosary in the form we have today. The tradition that Mary first revealed the Rosary
devotion to St. Dominic is supported by 13 popes.
The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses". Each time a Hail Mary is prayed by the faithful they are giving her a beautiful rose to Our Lady
and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. One may wonder why is the Rosary so powerful? Why do so many in the world
pray this beautiful prayer? Well, here are just a couple of short answers to these questions:
For healing the evils of our day
"We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times."
Pope Pius XII
As a ready and easy means of preserving the Faith
"...We have elsewhere brought it to the attention of the devout Christian that not least among the advantages of the Rosary is the ready
means it puts in his hands to nurture his faith, and to keep him from ignorance of his religion and the danger of error."
Pope Leo XIII
For healing the evils of our day
"We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times."
Pope Pius XII
"As a powerful means of obtaining graces from God"
"Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary."
Pope Pius IX
There are of course many, many quotes from the Saints in regards to the Holy Rosary. Too many to begin quoting here. Needless to say Our
Blessed Mother has countless times asked to have the rosary prayed at Fatima, Lourdes etc. When you get a new Rosary, you should have
it blessed by a priest, thus making it a sacramental. Note that Rosaries are not to be worn or used as jewelry! It is a devout custom to carry
always your Rosary in your pocket or purse, as a testimony of your desire to live and die as a true child of the holy Church, and as a special
mark of your devotion to the Holy Mother of God. Father Feeney used to say that the beads are like bullets against the enemy of our souls.
How long does it take to pray the Rosary?": around 20 minutes. One could take longer but it never, ever should be rushed. I have also
provided all the prayers needed to pray the Rosary in the official language of the Church, Latin. It is not necessary to pray in Latin but it
somehow makes me closer to the Saints and closer to the mind of the Church.
While non-Catholics see the Rosary as a mindless chant, what they don't understand is that the Rosary is a meditation on the lives of Mary
and Jesus. Each decade (each set of 10 Ave beads in the circular part of the Rosary beads) represents a single Mystery in their lives, and as
the prayers are prayed, we contemplate that particular Mystery. There are 3 sets of 5 Mysteries -- the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious
Mysteries.
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