My Path to the Rosary

As a child, I remember saying the rosary at funeral home wakes and in the cellar of our house when there were tornado warnings. The rosary felt like something reserved for the dead or for times of great fear, like that your house was in danger of flying off to Kansas! It wasn’t until years later, when I would return home to Ohio for visits, that I realized my mom was actually saying the rosary every day. I would sometimes commit to the rosary during Lent, but because I could rarely stay focused on which prayer or decade I was on, my devotion ended 40 days later when Jesus Resurrected.

When our world went into lockdown last year, I channeled some of my free time and anxiety into developing a better devotion to our Blessed Mother. I’ve always appreciated that Mary is the mother of God and the mother of our Church, but I never really embraced a regular prayer practice to honor her. So last May, on the Feast Day of the Lady of Fatima, I committed to the rosary.

In the 13th century, the Blessed Mother encouraged St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominicans, to use the rosary as he preached to counter heresy of the times. In 1917, Mary frequently appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal. She instructed them to spread the word about the importance of praying the rosary for peace in people’s hearts and in the world, and also to encourage devotion to her Immaculate Heart. As was noted by Pope Benedict XVI, the rosary is “the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary.”

The rosary is a great way to honor both God and Mary His mother. As we contemplate the mysteries and decades of the rosary, we are reminded of the events in Christ’s life that shaped our faith as well as moments centering on the Blessed Virgin. As our loving mother, Mary wants nothing more than to safeguard our salvation. When we say the rosary, we are asking her to intercede between us and God. Since we humans can be so inconsistent with our prayerfulness, having the Blessed Mother on our side can be a great way to get God’s attention. Mary is the prayer partner who goes to bat for us before her Son.

Whether said as part of my morning routine, watching a Holy Land YouTube depiction, popping by St. Martha’s to pray with St. Dominic, or attending our Mary Garden Prayer Group, the rosary is an essential part of my daily life. Although I am often distracted as I repeat the prayers, I keep showing up. I try not to allow being too tired or busy to interrupt this life-saving devotion. We can all benefit from divine assistance in this earthly battle of life, and having the Blessed Mother as our prayer warrior is a great thing!

                                                                                      Linda Olsen, rectory receptionist