“By its nature, the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed.” – St. Paul VI
The first thing you will see when you walk in the doors of Providence Academy is the holy mother, Mary, holding out Her arms to welcome any guest who enters our school. We recognize Her during the Christmas season and we adorn her with flowers every May but this month is also another very special month for the blessed mother. It is the month of the holy rosary.
Our chaplain, Father McClellan, explained that this form of praying is his favorite outside of the Mass. But why pray the rosary in the first place? Many people don’t realize how deeply this form of prayer is rooted in sacred scripture, how explicitly it invites meditation upon the mysteries of Jesus’ life. The rosary and Mary’s role in it is something that is distinctly Catholic, but many aspects of the rosary are often misunderstood. He points out, “Mary’s role in our lives is to simply bring us to Jesus that is all She does. No matter what we give to Mary, She will give all of that to Christ, and in a perfect way”.
In a world constantly on the go, praying for even 10-15 minutes can feel nearly impossible, maybe even boring, but in reality, the rosary is not meant to be something ceaselessly repeated without meaning. Fr. McClellan advises that in order to truly pray the rosary, one must make sure that they are doing what the rosary is intending them to do. “It’s not just to repeat prayer but the familiarity is to go deeper into what we are actually talking about”.
Pope Francis recently expressed his desire for all believers to pray the rosary every day on The Vatican website, saying, “The Holy Father has decided to invite all the faithful, of all the world, to pray the holy rosary every day, during the entire Marian month of October.” Praying together, even in different places, joins us “in communion and in penitence, as the people of God, in asking the Holy Mother of God and Saint Michael Archangel to protect the Church from the devil, who always seeks to separate us from God and from each other”.
Understood in this way, the rosary is not only a gift but a great weapon, something we should not just practice this month but also in months to come. At PA, we have celebrated this month by praying the Rosary every Thursday in October from 8:00 to 8:20am. Father McClellan concluded, “ Never underestimate the power of praying the rosary; it has been known throughout centuries to have great spiritual strength. It is an old prayer but it never goes out of style.”
