Stupid "how to" rosary question

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Okay…
Question One:
Let’s say I pray a rosary from “I believe in God…” all the way through 5 decades of a particular mystery (eg: joyful, luminous, etc), then later that same day I have time to pray another rosary, or part of a rosary…do I have to start from the Creed and finish with the Hail Holy Queen each rosary after the first complete one? Is it unneccesary but still better to do so (other than the fact that more, heartfelt/meaningful prayer time is good…)? Up until now I just start at the 1st mystery of the next set of mysteries I’m praying and sort of leave off after the “O My Jesus” of the 5th mystery. That’s on the second rosary prayed on the same day as first… Can anyone even decipher my question???🤷 :o

Question Two:
Is praying a decade here and there during a busy day as good as praying consecutive decades? For example, if I pray the complete joyful mysteries 5 decade rosary, start to finish, is that more “powerful” a prayer than praying the decades seperately throughout the day? Do we even really know? :confused:

(Sigh) I know, I think too much…
 
Question one: That’s the same thing I do.

Question two: Well, it’s a whole lot better than no decades! I don’t think it matters that much. It’s not about how difficult it is - it’s about how much love we put into it.

Betsy
 
Jofa,

#1 - I start with the Apostle Creed each time. I like praying it.

#2 - Our priest Fr. Gimpl would probably tell you it is “okay, as long as you pray the words out loud.” He is encouraging us to use our voices more during mass and when praying.

How often do you pray the rosary? I am praying at least one rosary per day for a year (almost to the halfway point). Would you be up to that sort of challenge?

At first the rosary seemed long, but now when I get to the last decade I start thinking, “This is too short”.

May God bless you.
 
I asked this question in another thread, but it was never answered. Is it ok not to pray the Hail Holy Queen prayer when praying the Rosary? I’m a little uncomfortable with some of the wording of that prayer, particularly “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.”
 
my un-educated two cents:

quality is better than quantity. if you have time for only a decade or two, don’t worry so much about “how much” but instead worry about “how well”. it would be better to say one Hail Mary with your whole heart, than rushing through one or two decades with half-attention to what you are doing.

as far as saying every single prayer of the rosary every single time, my opinion is it is really up to you. if you have trouble with Hail Holy Queen, then say something else (like the Memorare, maybe).

if you have said the rosary already in one day, maybe try some meditative prayer later on when you have more free time. or reading the bible, or a book from a saint. reading a book about a saint can be just as pious an act as praying the rosary.
 
The Rosary is a private devotion, so there are no “right” or “wrong” ways to proceed, although certainly there are ways that are more standard than others just because people have done it that way for many years.

In short, there’s not a “bad way” to say the Rosary! I used to worry about periods of time when my Rosary prayers became rote, just words with little meditation. And, yet, even then, it put God in my life the first thing in the morning and the last thing at the end of my day. Eventually, the dry spell would pass and I would be praying with my heart again.
 
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IrishAm:
there’s not a “bad way” to say the Rosary!
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amen to that 🙂
 
Highwayhound said:
How often do you pray the rosary? I am praying at least one rosary per day for a year (almost to the halfway point). Would you be up to that sort of challenge?
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I do pray the rosary everyday now, but my goal is at least 3 rosaries (15 mysteries) a day. I guess I want to know if it will still count as 3 whole rosaries if I’m omitting the Creed etc. on the second two. Lately the most I get through is 2 1/2 rosaries on really good days. Of course it’s quality, not quantity, that counts. My goal is great quality and good quantity too. I was sick all day today so I only got through one. Maybe another decade when I’m going to sleep tonight.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback.🙂
 
solayan said:
I’m not sure of the answer to your question, but there’s an interesting thread about the Hail Holy Queen prayer here:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=274152

You might find it helps answers some of your questions about the “our life, our sweetness, and our hope” part.
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That was the thread I posted in, and gotno answer. If you look at that thread, the Latin text for the Salve Regina seems to say that Mary is our life, our sweetness, and our hope. There’s also the second “salve” to consider.

Did the original Dominican Rosary even include the Salve Regina?
 
I gotta’ go with “Baltobetsy’s” idea - better some than none.

But if you start a Rosary and can’t complete it at one time, I don’t think you must continue it with the Creed again. Pick up with the decade you left off at. I think just making the attempt - if time is tight - saying even a decade or two - must be pleasing to God and Our Lady. You’re making the effort. I was once told by the Sisters when growing up that if you have trouble going to sleep at night - one way is to say a Rosary…I guess even if you don’t finish it - you’re going to sleep in prayer and making the effort.
 
Since the Rosary is contemplative prayer, you are in contemplation of the mysteries while reciting the decades. Its entire purpose is contemplation. It is a structured prayer, to keep the wandering human mind on task. Thus, you may stop, re-start, or break in anywhere, as long as you know which mystery you are contemplating. I say this because I often say the Rosary along with Catholic Radio (Fr. Groeschel or Fr. Scallon), and may not be able to start exactly when they do. So, I wait until I hear which mystery to contemplate, and jump in.

The Lord knows each and every moment that we pray, either silently, aloud, or in contemplation. He appreciates and loves those moments. As much of a blessing as it is, you need not ever recite the Rosary as a Catholic, so you may participate as you are able.
 
po18guy said:
Since the Rosary is contemplative prayer, you are in contemplation of the mysteries while reciting the decades. Its entire purpose is contemplation. It is a structured prayer, to keep the wandering human mind on task. Thus, you may stop, re-start, or break in anywhere, as long as you know which mystery you are contemplating. I say this because I often say the Rosary along with Catholic Radio (Fr. Groeschel or Fr. Scallon), and may not be able to start exactly when they do. So, I wait until I hear which mystery to contemplate, and jump in.

The Lord knows each and every moment that we pray, either silently, aloud, or in contemplation. He appreciates and loves those moments. As much of a blessing as it is, you need not ever recite the Rosary as a Catholic, so you may participate as you are able.
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Thank you for this insight! By the way, who is quoted on your signature (“Woe to those…etc…”)? Love the quote. Did someone I’ve heard of say it?
 
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

From the Secret of the Rosary, on pg. 95, the Forty-Fifth rose (with reverence), "I would like to add that the Rosary ought to be said reverently–that is to say it ought to be said, as far as possible, kneeling, with the hands joined and clapsing the Rosary. However, if people are ill they can of course say it in bed or if they are travelling it can be said on foot–and if infirmity prevents people kneeling it can be said seated or standing. The Rosary can even be said at work, if people’s daily duties keep them at their jobs, because the work of one’s hands is not by any means always incompatible with vocal prayer.

Of course, since the soul has its limitations and can only do so much, when we are concentrating on manual work we cannot give our undivided attention to things of the spirit, such as prayer. But when we cannot do otherwise this kind of prayer is not without value in Our Lady’s eyes and she rewards our good will more than our external actions.

I advise you to divide up your Rosary into three parts and to say each group of mysteries (five decades) at a different time of day. This is much better than saying the whole fifteen decades all at once.

**If you cannot find the time to say a third part of the Rosary all at one time, say it gradually, a decade here and there. I am sure you can manage this; so that, in spite of your work and all the calls upon your time, you will have said the whole Rosary before going to bed. **

Saint Francis de Sales sets us a very good example of faithfulness in this respect: once when he was quite exhausted from the visits of the day and remembered, towards midnight, that he had left a few decades of his Rosary unsaid, he would not go to bed until he had finished them on his knees, notwithstanding all the efforts of his secretary who saw he was tired and begged him to let the rest of his prayers go until the next day.

And do let me remind you just once more to copy the faithfulness, reverence and devotion of the holy friar who is mentioned in the Chronicles of Saint Francis and who always said his Rosary very devoutly and reverently before dinner. (I have told this story earlier in this book.)

amazon.com/Secret-Rosary-Louis-Grignion-Montfort/dp/0899421083/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224825965&sr=8-1

*Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *
 
jofa said:
Thank you for this insight!
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I did not much prefer the Rosary until I understood the concept of contemplative prayer. Once I grasped that, it became a blessing. Simple recitation of the Lord’s prayer and Hail Mary (any prayer, actually), without purpose or direction can border on vain repetition. And, so the Rosary has a higher purpose. That purpose is to keep our hands and lips busy in physical praise as we revisit the Sacred Mysteries in spiritual praise. The more profoundly we contemplate, the more spiritual the prayer becomes.

Christ’s peace.
 
AveSantaMaria said:
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

From the Secret of the Rosary, on pg. 95, the Forty-Fifth rose (with reverence), "I would like to add that the Rosary ought to be said reverently–that is to say it ought to be said, as far as possible, kneeling, with the hands joined and clapsing the Rosary. However, if people are ill they can of course say it in bed or if they are travelling it can be said on foot–and if infirmity prevents people kneeling it can be said seated or standing…
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Since I come from a Protestant background, I feel extremely uncomfortable nealing when saying most of the Rosary, because to me, nealing seems a whole lot like an act of worship, and I’m concerned that I may be worshiping Mary by doing that throughout the recitation of the Rosary. I don’t mind nealing when saying the Glory Be, or the Our Father, and I’ve done that before, but I’m very uncomfortable with nealing when saying Marian prayers. Could someone please clear this up for me? Is nealing required when praying the Rosary?
 
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TBolt1000T:
Since I come from a Protestant background, I feel extremely uncomfortable nealing when saying most of the Rosary, because to me, nealing seems a whole lot like an act of worship, and I’m concerned that I may be worshiping Mary by doing that throughout the recitation of the Rosary. I don’t mind nealing when saying the Glory Be, or the Our Father, and I’ve done that before, but I’m very uncomfortable with nealing when saying Marian prayers. Could someone please clear this up for me? Is nealing required when praying the Rosary?
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Kneeling is not required. I too have a protestant background and I am sure that is why I always say the prayers of the rosary aloud rather than silently. But when I pray to God I usually do that silently. I know it’s dumb, but that’s just the way I do it.
 
Among_Strangers said:
Kneeling is not required. I too have a protestant background and I am sure that is why I always say the prayers of the rosary aloud rather than silently. But when I pray to God I usually do that silently. I know it’s dumb, but that’s just the way I do it.
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I understand your thinking about praying aloud. Those thoughts have crossed my mind before, but I’ve shrugged them off. This is probably because I seldom ever pray out loud. The thought that I shrugged off was the question of whether Mary could hear silent prayers. I think that she has prayed for me on at least one huge issue, even though all of my prayers to her have been silent. Actually, I kind of whisper all of my prayers.
 
TBolt1000T said:
Since I come from a Protestant background, I feel extremely uncomfortable nealing when saying most of the Rosary, because to me, nealing seems a whole lot like an act of worship, and I’m concerned that I may be worshiping Mary by doing that throughout the recitation of the Rosary. I don’t mind nealing when saying the Glory Be, or the Our Father, and I’ve done that before, but I’m very uncomfortable with nealing when saying Marian prayers. Could someone please clear this up for me? Is nealing required when praying the Rosary?
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You may kneel in any type of prayer, except any during mass in which the congregation is standing. The Rosary is contemplative prayer, completely unknown to most Protestants. However, when you contemplate the Sacred Mysteries, you are worshipping God, who created and caused those mysteries. Mary’s purpose is to bring Christ into the world, and thereafter to lead all to Christ. It is an act of worship of God, rather than of Mary. She joins in with you on your journey, but it remains God alone Who is worshipped. Help?
 
po18guy said:
You may kneel in any type of prayer, except any during mass in which the congregation is standing. The Rosary is contemplative prayer, completely unknown to most Protestants. However, when you contemplate the Sacred Mysteries, you are worshipping God, who created and caused those mysteries. Mary’s purpose is to bring Christ into the world, and thereafter to lead all to Christ. It is an act of worship of God, rather than of Mary. She joins in with you on your journey, but it remains God alone Who is worshipped. Help?
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Thanks!

BTW, where did you get that awesome quote in your signature?
 
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