Is praying the rosary in this way acceptable?

[roseproject]

My friend, a Mormon who is rather interested in the Catholic faith, has seemed to have taken an interest in the rosary. The thing is, he doesn’t feel comfortable praying to Mary (it probably still feels like worship to him despite my explaining to him that it’s not). So, while there are different prayers you can say on a rosary, he has taken a rather unique route by saying his own prayers on it. As an example he gave me, he would say one decade by thanking God for various things. Is this an acceptable way to pray with a rosary?

I find it rather interesting that he feels somewhat drawn to the rosary despite his not being comfortable with Marian devotions. He is a rather feely kind of person. He once told me that the rosary “feels” sacred, but I’m not sure if I should take that statement all too seriously as he seems to make a lot of his decisions based on feelings.

Any thoughts?

~Roseproject

 

[brian_custer]

holding the prayer beads may give your friend some comfort. perhaps he is gravitating towards the traditional rosary

suggest to your friend to hold his rosary & watch father pacwa recite the “Holy Land Rosary” @ 0730 ET on ewtn

 

[mVitus]

Is it disrespectful to thank God?

And considering the rosary is a private devotion, it’s not governed by strict rules. I know there have been threads in the past about people’s own prayers on a rosary,

 

[Roseeurekacross]

The Rosary is about meditating on the Life of Jesus Christ, His early family life, coming into His Ministry, and then His Passion and Resurrection.

Rosary beads can be used to pray many types of Chaplets. It sounds like your friend has made a great chaplet thanking God .

 

[wild_thing]

Well, he’s not praying the rosary. He is simply using the rosary beads to say his own private prayers. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but frankly he could be using prayer beads from any religion. He is not receiving the graces associated with the actual rosary. But as other posters have pointed out, hopefully he will pray the rosary itself one day.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

The Rosary is a specific prayer and just one of many chaplets. Other chaplets can be said using the same beads one would use for the Rosary, a terrific example is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Your friend may certainly use the 59 beads for other prayers.

 

[esieffe]

As we conform to Christ and Church, resistance and objection to traditions and doctrine change. What we are not comfortable with coming in or coming back changes as we grow.

Any first step is a good thing! Encourage your friend!

 

[po18guy]

The Holy Spirit calls souls by many different means. Offering him a bit of education regarding the communion of Saints (with scriptural references that the Mormon bible contains) might crack the door open to consideration of their intercession.