Congregation saying a decade of the rosary before Mass?

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MirandaRiver

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This is something I’ve noticed that particular to my new parish, is that the priest will lead either a decade of the rosary before Mass (weekday and Sunday Mass) or sometimes this is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (on a Tuesday).
I feel a real strong sense of prayer and presence when I church full of believers are in deep prayer, kneeling and with their beads - me included! I find it so enriching to feel us all together as one Body of Christ really bringing our minds and souls into full awareness before Mass.
And today as I had to visit another parish for Mass, I dearly missed the lack of the rosary together before Mass.

How common is it to say some collective prayers before the Mass proper?
 
The rosary, 5 decades, is said before each Mass at my Parish. We are very small and sometimes it’s only 3 or 4 people, but it’s still nice.
 
MirandaRiver said:
How common is it to say some collective prayers before the Mass proper?
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Really the only thing it depends on is the parish. Some do, and some don’t, there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason why, it’s just usually a local tradition.

It can be good, but sometimes it can be a little, uh, excessive. Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver is very beautiful and Archbishop Miller is pretty awesome, but I thought they were a little excessive with the prayers and devotions before Mass. They was the full Rosary (which is not unusual, especially since it’s Holy Rosary Cathedral), which was followed by a set of other prayers and devotions (a friend of mine commented that the prayers following the Rosary took just as long as the Rosary itself). From what I remember, it included the Litany of Mary, the Memorare, prayer to St. Michael, and the Angelus (and there were a few others that I can’t remember I believe).

Like I said, it can be good, but it can sometimes go overboard. Recently, our Cathedral here switched the Rosary before Mass from a public one (led from the “choir” mike) to a private one in a small side-chapel. I actually like that better, because I prefer time for personal prayer before Mass (usually the Divine Office and some silent personal prayer), which is easier the way it’s done now. It’s a personal preference, that’s all. 🤷
 
We have a group that says 5-decades and other prayers before mass.

We now have Adoration from the end of the 6am mass to the start of the 9am mass MTWTF in the main church; so the rosary has been moved to the adoration chapel on those mornings.

Friday, we start exposition in the main church after the 9am mass and move it to the chapel. Saturday we return the Host to the main church for Benediction before the 9am mass.

Saturday evening and Sunday we have nearly continuous masses - 3 on Saturday evening and 8 on Sunday.
 
MirandaRiver said:
This is something I’ve noticed that particular to my new parish, is that the priest will lead either a decade of the rosary before Mass (weekday and Sunday Mass) or sometimes this is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (on a Tuesday).
I feel a real strong sense of prayer and presence when I church full of believers are in deep prayer, kneeling and with their beads - me included! I find it so enriching to feel us all together as one Body of Christ really bringing our minds and souls into full awareness before Mass.
And today as I had to visit another parish for Mass, I dearly missed the lack of the rosary together before Mass.

How common is it to say some collective prayers before the Mass proper?
Click to expand...
Our parish says the Rosary every single day at 7am sharp, and every single day there is a Mass at 7:30am (besides the other times offered on Sunday also). I haven’t gone to it in a while, mostly because it’s not convenient, but also because it’s distracting how quickly they always speed through the Rosary and finish in 15 minutes. Plus most of the time, some of them are out of sync with the rest of them, which is a huge distraction for me. So unfortunately I’ve found it almost useless for me spiritually to pray the Rosary with them.
 
MirandaRiver said:
This is something I’ve noticed that particular to my new parish, is that the priest will lead either a decade of the rosary before Mass (weekday and Sunday Mass) or sometimes this is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (on a Tuesday).
I feel a real strong sense of prayer and presence when I church full of believers are in deep prayer, kneeling and with their beads - me included! I find it so enriching to feel us all together as one Body of Christ really bringing our minds and souls into full awareness before Mass.
And today as I had to visit another parish for Mass, I dearly missed the lack of the rosary together before Mass.

How common is it to say some collective prayers before the Mass proper?
Click to expand...
We do this at my home parish on weekdays. It definitely sets the mood for a holy and reverent Mass. Even the littlest children behave themselves.
 
gh4 said:
The rosary, 5 decades, is said before each Mass at my Parish. We are very small and sometimes it’s only 3 or 4 people, but it’s still nice.
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We do the same. About 20 min before Mass, someone will start up the Rosary. As people enter the Church for Mass, we kneel down and join in.

The Rosary will finish just before Mass, so by then, just about everyone has joined in.
 
Back in NJ we said it every Sunday before the 9am Mass. I loved it, and I miss it very much. Sure, I can still say it privately, but I loved the public recitiation. There’s something about a group of voices raised in prayer that feels so right.
 
This is done before daily Mass at my parish, and it was also done before daily Mass at the other parishes I have belonged to in my past. I’ve always loved it, too.
 
This is done at daily Mass at my parish also.I would actually like to have this done before the Sunday Masses as well.Maybe that would cut down in all the chatter and visiting before Mass begins.😉
 
We used to have a Japanese lady pray it with us. She spoke no English, but responded, and even led a decade, in Japanese. It always worked out well.

Her son is a priest in our diocese.
 
We do ours after the weekday Mass. The mass is about 40 minutes, the rosary about 20, so one hour takes care of both. I still don’t know ALL of the prayers that are said afterward! They go through about 6 or 7 including the Memorare, prayer to St. Michael, the Guardian Angel prayer, and several others. I have to use a memory aid for the mysteries too.

😊

I think saying the rosary BEFORE Mass is a great idea! It would really cut down on the pre-Mass talking in church, I think.
 
Jeanne_S said:
This is done at daily Mass at my parish also.I would actually like to have this done before the Sunday Masses as well.Maybe that would cut down in all the chatter and visiting before Mass begins.😉
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It worked really well for our parish! I think that may have been one reason why Father started it. 😉
 
I once attended a parish where they prayed the Rosary about 40 minutes before Mass was to start. They finished about 20 minutes before Mass, which allowed for those people who wanted to pray in silence the opportunity, while also allowing those that wanted to pray the Rosary the opportunity to arrive early and do as such.
 
In our parish it’s done before the weekday Masses, when there are weekday Masses, and before the Sunday Mass on the first Sunday of the Month (K of C Sunday in my parish - meaning they do the readings, take up the collection, are the EMHCs, and lead the Rosary before Mass).

I’ve attended a few times when I had meetings after Mass and have to admit that it’s not my cup of tea. The people leading it are devout people but their familiarity with the prayers they are saying causes them to mumble - honestly, the only thing I’ve ever understood is the announcement of the Mysteries.

I think they start with the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (a prayer I’d never heard of until I started reading CAF) but I’m not sure because I’ve never understood much of what the man leading it has said and looking at the Chaplet online doesn’t reveal anything that sounds like what he says. They also add prayers after the ‘Chaplet’ and after the Rosary that I’m unfamiliar with. I thought it might be because I learned all my prayers in French but other people my age (and I’m almost 60) who are from this area also seem to be unfamiliar with them.

I must admit that I prefer saying the Rosary on my own.
 
arkwright said:
👍 Yes . There is liitle enough silence in our noisy world .
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I find the praying of the rosary to be like beautiful background music to my own private prayers. So even if I don’t happen to be praying along, it is still awesome.
 
TrueLight said:
I find the praying of the rosary to be like beautiful background music to my own private prayers. So even if I don’t happen to be praying along, it is still awesome.
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Our parish doesn’t pray the rosary before Mass, and I am glad. I find it very difficult to pray while I am listening to others pray.

When I am at a church that prays the rosary before Mass and I have something that I feel the need to pray about, I end up with my fingers over my eyes and my thumbs covering my ears. 😦

If they start early enough and finish well before Mass, I am okay.
 
maryjk said:
Our parish doesn’t pray the rosary before Mass, and I am glad. I find it very difficult to pray while I am listening to others pray.
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👍 Yes silence is more suitable for personal prayer before Mass .

Some seem to be afraid of silence in church , and think there has to be continuous sound or noise of some kind .
 
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