The power of simplicity
The rosary is an ancient and still powerful form of Christian prayer. Most of us are familiar with its physical form — a circle of five sets of 10 beads, each set separated by larger single bead, connected to a shorter chain of beads and ending in a crucifix.
The rosary is prayed at st Pius Weekly
The practice of praying the rosary poses a challenge to our contemporary restlessness, to our constant search for something new to occupy our attention. It might be appropriate to call it the “anti-smartphone”.
The rosary, in a special way, is prayer with our Blessed Mother Mary. The constantly repeated series of Hail Marys and Our Fathers as we pray our five ( or so ) “decades”, frees us to meditate on the mysteries of God’s love, reflected in events from the life of our Lord and our Blessed Mother.
The repetition can also leave room for our distractions and preoccupations to hijack our time of prayer. And sometimes they will. But faithfulness to the practice brings its own reward. First, the chance to offer to the Lord the time and energy we give to this prayer, but also, as we truly quiet our heart and mind, the fruitfulness of drawing near to the source of our life and hope.
The rosary is well suited for personal prayer, but it is often also prayed in community. The rosary is prayed at St. Pius at 11:00am each Friday, during Adoration, and at 4:30pm each Saturday, before the 5:00pm Vigil Mass.
How to pray the Rosary
Click here for a brief summary of the prayers that make up the rosary and the mysteries on which we can meditate during our time of prayer.