The month of May is just around the corner. It is a special month to turn our minds and hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ever since converting to the Catholic faith, I’ve been intrigued by the devotion many Catholics have to the Rosary. I’ve read countless quotes from Popes and saints extolling the benefits of saying a daily Rosary, but have struggled to pick up this particular devotion myself. I’m hoping to take the month of May to at least expose myself to this form of prayer. After all, we mamas can never get enough of educating ourselves in the faith!
(Want to know how the challenge went? Check out my update where I share with you another printable Rosary in a month cheat sheet and tracker.
The Challenge:
The Rosary can be so daunting to a newbie like myself, so I’m taking it slow. Instead of saying the entire prayer every day, I’ll be saying one decade a day to begin and adding a decade every week in May. I’ve made a little cheat sheet for myself so I can cross of the days as I progress through the month.
Care to join me? You can find the printable cheat sheet right here: May Rosary Challenge.
If you are already a Rosary aficionado, feel free to use the printable as a checklist for saying your full Rosary every day!
How to say the Rosary:
Instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ll direct you to this printable of how to say the prayers of the rosary from NewAdvent.org. It will help you know what prayers to say when as you work your way around the beads.
How this convert sees Mary…
The other evening, my hubby and I were watching The Journey Home – part of the way we choose to spend our evenings together. The guest was a convert to Catholicism from a Pentecostal sect. One of the callers asked about his relationship to Mary and I thought what he said put into words my own relationship with the Blessed Mother. Here is the gist of what he said in my own words:
As a protestant, we think of Mary as just another person God used to bring about His will on earth – nothing more. When converting to the Catholic faith, while still accepting what the Church teaches about Mary, many converts don’t immediately fall in love with the Blessed Mother. How can we love someone we do not know?
Instead, this relationship takes time. We must come to know Mary before we can love her.
May this coming month be a time when we can get to know Our Mother more! Amen.
You’ll also enjoy:
Rosary Reflections (a follow up to this post!)
Awesome! I’ve been meaning to start incorporating a family prayer after dinner. I also want to cultivate my own devotion to the rosary.
Your challenge will help me do both! Just printed out the checklist to hang next to the dining room table. Thanks!
You are very welcome! What a great idea to do it as a family too. I did the Divine Mercy Novena with my 3 year old daughter this year and she really enjoyed it. My kids would be good for a decade or two of the Rosary. I’m a little skeptical they would go beyond that. BUT I may have to give it a try!
I’m ok with my 2 year old (our only) flipping through books or coloring during longer prayers. Hopefully he’ll stick around for most of it, since we’ll ramp up gradually to a full rosary.
I think that is a great idea!
I’m so proud of you and also inspired and encouraged. During the month of may and October, my bec has rosary devotion in each other’s homes Monday to Friday. 🙂 shalom
That is so sweet of you Caroline! I have to say, I’ve been on a real journey in my relationship with Our Lady. I just had a huge answer to prayer which I’m sure was through her intercession. I know this devotion is important, and I really want to make it a new habit. How awesome that you say the Rosary so much!
Saying the rosary will teach you so much. I was raised Catholic, and as a mother I placed my children in Mary’s hands many times. One particular time, my oldest had been hurt in a bicycle accident. As they were loading him into the ambulance, I asked the blessed mother to intervene and to ask her son to help my son. I felt an envelope of love wrap around me and was given the knowledge he would be ok. And he was! I don’t know how to explain the wrap, it was like I was wrapped in arms. Praying the rosary will be your biggest support in any trying time.
Louise- I am happy to report that you are 100% correct. I have been so blessed by committing to the Rosary. I’ve been feeling a real presence of Mary in my life lately. You don’t need to explain the wrapping of Mary’s arms, I can totally understand!
It has been said that Padre Pio prayed the rosary unceasingly; to the point that he had someone help him wash his hands. He would simply switch which hand held the rosary. He prayed the entire 5 decades somewhere between 40 and 50 times a day!
If you drive to work, that is a really good time to do it. I find myself doing it after LOH recently.
I like to say it as I go about my chores, am putting a baby to sleep, or falling asleep myself. I rarely get through the 5 decades for the day, and always wondered how Padre Pio prayed it so many times.