Must you say the rosary to be a good Catholic?

[Linnyo]

Do you need to say the rosary to be a good Catholic? I have never said the rosary, not even once and I have never seen the need to. But lately, my children have been learning to say the rosary and I have been made to feel bad about never having done it with them. TBH, I’m not even sure I know how to do a rosary. I was brought up protestant and I guess I never really got into praying to anybody but God. I have never tried to put my kids off though. I have been varying my prayers more and have, in the last couple of years(probably since comeing on CAF), felt more comfortable speaking to Mary or to the saints but I have never done a rosary.

 

[ArAnMike]

The Rosary is more of a private devotion, so you are not required to say it. Altough, I have received one decade as a penance before. I would encourage you to say the Rosary as often as you possibly can. It is one of the most beautifull and wonderful prayers. It is the prayer of the gospels. Since you would be starting out, I suggest praying one decade at a time and slowly adding two, then three, four and finally five. And I suggest getting a good book on meditations such as Fr. Peyton’s Rosary Prayer Book.

 

[NewUlm1976_2000]

No, not at all. You can still be a good Catholic and not do it. It is up to your personal preference.

 

[DJgang]

Dr. Francis Beckwith admited on Catholic Answers the other day that he didn’t pray the Rosary…so…

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

People pray in different ways. If someone else likes the rosary and you don’t, that’s fine. Pray in the way that’s most meaningful to you.

If you’d like to try praying the rosary, there are a number of online versions. Here’s one. Who knows? Maybe it will turn out you like it!

 

[Teelynn]

Don’t ask me this as I am a TOTAL Rosary Promoter. Actually, the OP’s are correct, in that no it is not necessary to say the rosary to be a good Catholic, you must follow the prayer method most beneficial to you. That said, there are many graces imparted by praying The Rosary. The way I look at it, when you say the Rosary you are praying with the Blessed Mother, while meditating on the gospels. She is without a doubt our greatest intersessor and the surest way to become closer to Our Lord.

 

[Della]

I totally agree that you don’t have to pray the rosary or any other private devotion (and there are hundreds!).

Having said that, I too was a Protestant and am a convert (actually reconcilee since I was baptized in the ECUSA). For many years I was in the Assemblies of God and was rabidly against praying the rosary or asking the intercession of the saints, so I have some idea of where you are coming from, although no doubt your experience was somewhat different.

For me praying the rosary was an exercise in practicing the Communion of Saints, since I had been so very much against it, praying the rosary was a “cure” for that mind set. Praying to saints is like asking a family member to pray for us, only these family members are devoid of sin, cannot do anything against God’s will, and are completely in harmony with Him, having been purified of all self-interest and holy as He is holy. So, by not asking for their intercession and help you are really robbing yourself of a great resource.

Also, the rosary is more about Jesus than Mary. It is the verses from Luke pertaining to the Annunciation and the confirmation of it by St. Elizabeth. The only part that is actually a prayer to Mary is the second part. And even it contains a statement of dogma.

The rosary is a “mini-Gospel” and an affirmation of the Virgin Birth, the Divinity of Christ and the Hypostatic union of Jesus’ natures. So, the rosary is more than a nice pious devotion–and why it has been such a vital part of the prayer life of the faithful for many, many centuries.