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Pai_Nosso
Guest
I know that Catholics are encouraged to pray the rosary but is it a requirement by the church?
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SadPotato
Guest
No, it’s not a requirement.
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chessnerd321
Guest
If by requirement you mean do Catholics have to pray it, the. No. If by requirement you mean that Catholics have to believe that Mary can intercede for us through the rosary then yes.
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stpurl
Guest
Well, the rosary isn’t just the Hail Mary. It includes the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, and the Glory Be as well along with the Hail Holy Queen at the end. And one meditates on the mysteries of the Rosary which are all Jesus-centered.
While it is a pious practice, it is not a requirement. If you feel uncomfortable praying the Hail Mary (even the first part which is directly from Scripture, Luke Chapter 2, Hail full of grace the Lord is with thee. . .(the Angel Gabriel) and Elizabeth’s speech, “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus”), you won’t be forced into it. But if you’d like my advice as a cradle Catholic, if you don’t want to pray the rosary per se, at least think about praying with the devotions of the mysteries. . .For example, just use the Joyful mysteries, thinking about the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity, the presentation, and the finding of Jesus in the temple (all scriptural) and instead of saying 10 Hail Marys with an Our Father and a Glory Be, say an Our Father, or 5 of them, or 10 of them. Or Say the Jesus prayer. Just thinking about Jesus in the joyful mysteries above, you may become more comfortable thinking about Mary, get more familiar with the early part of the prayer, or the Magnificat (My Soul proclaims the glory of the Lord) and gradually be comfortable enough to try a Hail Mary or too. But don’t push yourself, say the prayers YOU are comfortable with. Jesus is Mary’s Son and she will be thrilled with prayer to Him, as she always is, whether that prayer includes the rosary or not.
While it is a pious practice, it is not a requirement. If you feel uncomfortable praying the Hail Mary (even the first part which is directly from Scripture, Luke Chapter 2, Hail full of grace the Lord is with thee. . .(the Angel Gabriel) and Elizabeth’s speech, “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus”), you won’t be forced into it. But if you’d like my advice as a cradle Catholic, if you don’t want to pray the rosary per se, at least think about praying with the devotions of the mysteries. . .For example, just use the Joyful mysteries, thinking about the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity, the presentation, and the finding of Jesus in the temple (all scriptural) and instead of saying 10 Hail Marys with an Our Father and a Glory Be, say an Our Father, or 5 of them, or 10 of them. Or Say the Jesus prayer. Just thinking about Jesus in the joyful mysteries above, you may become more comfortable thinking about Mary, get more familiar with the early part of the prayer, or the Magnificat (My Soul proclaims the glory of the Lord) and gradually be comfortable enough to try a Hail Mary or too. But don’t push yourself, say the prayers YOU are comfortable with. Jesus is Mary’s Son and she will be thrilled with prayer to Him, as she always is, whether that prayer includes the rosary or not.
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DeniseNY
Guest
From The Byzantine Church:
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aroosi
Guest
It is not mandatory but hey, if Mary is Our Mother and Hail Mary is a way to tell Her ‘I love you’, I want to say that a lot! 
Tis_Bearself
Patron
The Rosary is not required. Lots of Catholics choose not to pray the Rosary, usually because they prefer another form of prayer like reading Scripture, meditating, doing the Liturgy of the Hours, etc.
The Hail Mary is likewise not required, because the only “required” Catholic prayers for lay people are the ones in the Mass, and the Hail Mary is not a designated part of the Mass. but if a Catholic was making a point of not ever praying even one Hail Mary, the question would be why the Catholic was avoiding a very short basic prayer of the Church that comes up in many contexts other than the Rosary. (For example, it’s not uncommon for a priest in confession to give a penance of “three Hail Marys”.) If the Catholic did not believe that Mary could intercede for us, or had a problem with Mary in general, then that could be an issue.
The Hail Mary is likewise not required, because the only “required” Catholic prayers for lay people are the ones in the Mass, and the Hail Mary is not a designated part of the Mass. but if a Catholic was making a point of not ever praying even one Hail Mary, the question would be why the Catholic was avoiding a very short basic prayer of the Church that comes up in many contexts other than the Rosary. (For example, it’s not uncommon for a priest in confession to give a penance of “three Hail Marys”.) If the Catholic did not believe that Mary could intercede for us, or had a problem with Mary in general, then that could be an issue.
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