COVID-19 has changed lives. One of the positive changes is the recognition of what is important in Life.
May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is beautiful when young families are eager to lead us in the Rosary. The full Rosary is a bit daunting with lots of prayers and Mysteries to remember! There is a handy 1-page guide at: www.newadvent.org/images/rosary.pdf and parents can find many sites helping then to engage their children with the Rosary. One has several great ideas: https://teachingcatholickids.com/13-tips-for-praying-the-rosary-with-kids/ though to be honest, I am not sold on the idea of an edible Rosary!
Too often we say the Rosary by “rote” and reel it off so fast we can hardly take a breath! The Rosary is a personal prayer: take your time! We might be able to say a wee bit during a short break, even if there is only time for one decade. Parents can trim the prayers according to the age and abilities of their child. Some learn the Rosary in one go!
(Home-made Rosary)
Small children
Obviously, first we must learn the 3 main prayers: The Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be!
Then small children might move up to saying the “pendant” part of the Rosary. (The part between the Crucifix and the centre-piece on the loop. So, perhaps just one Our Father, three Hail Mary’s and one Glory Be.)
(Home-made one-decade Rosaries.)
Communion age
Once a child knows the basic prayers, and is near the age for First Communion, it might be time to target a full decade!
Some children will be able to say one decade at a time and might focus if using a one-decade Rosary which holds a special meaning for them. (Perhaps as a First Communion gift.)
Confirmation-age
Some will now have the patience to contemplate a Mystery at a time, so it might be time to graduate to the 5-decade Rosary. Again, it might help focus their prayers to use a Rosary which has some personal significance, such as a gift from Gran & Grandpa!
Youth / young adults
Some will always be happy to just pray along with the Rosary, while others are eager to lead and announce the additional prayers & Mysteries. Learning the additional prayers is difficult. Work on one at a time: be patient!
A difficult thing to realize is that the Rosary is a personal devotion and can be varied, somewhat!
Praying even one decade is better than nothing. There are one decade Rosary-rings which can help us say the Rosary discreetly.
Mature adults
We are all still learning!
I came back to the Rosary late in life and had to re-learn the additional prayers (though to be painfully honest, I probably never knew them in the first place! My mother or Gran always led the Rosary.)
As an advanced decision — not to be taken lightly — some adults will join the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, which is administered by the Dominicans. This included an oath committing the person to saying a full Rosary every week.
(Click on the image to LINK to the Rosary Center)
Others share their devotion by making Rosaries. There are many resources for the newbie crafter or reference my article in Catholic Arena:
https://www.catholicarena.com/latest/2022/5/9/makeyourownrosary)
Non-English speakers
To learn the Rosary in Irish just look to the link here in Catholic Arena! The prayers are written in Irish but also there are video links where Siobhán from Bitesize Irish, explains the pronounciation them ‘as Gaeilge.’
Prayers of the Rosary in about 15 common languages can be found at the Rosary Centre: https://www.rosarycenter.org/homepage-2/rosary/prayers-of-the-rosary/
The Rosary in HUNDREDS of languages can be found at:
http://www.marysrosaries.com/Rosary_prayers_in_different_languages.html
(Amended 18 August 2022)
Kevin Hay.
You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhay77
