Suggestions on starting a rosary group

[Cathy_of_Alex]

I’m feeling called to suggest my parish start a Rosary group. I’ve never embarked on anything like this before and I’m looking for suggestions, ideas, any issues or problems anyone may have had etc.

I have not approached our parish priest with my idea yet because I want to have a better sense of what I’d like to do first. Of course, anything he says will be followed.

Some questions I thought of for all of you to help me with:

1. Is there a day of the week that tends to work better then others?
2. Should you always have the Rosary before or after a Mass?
3. Are evenings generally better attended then days?
4. How organized does it need to be? Sign-up sheets or just announce and people show up?
5. Any preference as to reciting the Rosary out loud as opposed to private devotion?
6. Do you incorporate the appropriate scriptural reading with each announcement of a Mystery or do you just announce the Mystery and move on? (This question would probably only matter if the Rosary is said out loud. When I say it privately I always have a reading)
7. How much time do you allow? 1/2 hour, 1 hour?
8. Do you ever “mix-it-up” and add a Novena, Chaplet or Prayer to a specific Saint before or after the days Rosary?
9. Better to have the Rosary in the Chapel or in the Church?
10. Does it have to said before the Blessed Sacrament?
11. Do you provide “hand-outs” to help people who may not be familiar with the Rosary?

Anything else anyone could think of would be most welcome!

Thank you.

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

The moms rosary group that I attended for several years met during the day at a park in good weather, at the church in bad. Kids came. There were interruptions all the time, but no one minded.

We prayed a 5 decade rosary using the Rosary Novena booklet which has beautiful meditations. We also prayed prayers taken from the Apostolate of Holy Motherhood book.

Our Parish group meets on the evenings and is principally composed of retired parishioners.

Word of mouth works best.

 

[AlwaysCatholic]

Cathy, good for you wanting to start a rosary group. My wife and I went to our parish priest and asked to start a group. He would only let us do it on the first Saturday of the month. We started out small but the group does seem to be growing. The rosary is said in the church with the tabernacle in sight. We normally just stick to the rosary, adding the Pope’s intentions, and individual intentions either spoken or held in our hearts. We also have a rosary CD which we put on the church sound system. This helps keep everyone at the same tempo. We do have rosary phamplets with the mysteries and prayers in case someone should have a need for them, and also some extra rosaries. The extra rosaries are the cheaper knotted kind, and if someone needs one, we just give it to them. Just go for it, and the Holy Spirit will lead you.
God Bless

 

[plato3]

Our pastor started a nightly rosary in the church to pray for peace in Iraq. Some parishioners have children or grandchildren serving in the military over there.

Deacon Tony

 

[Morning_Glory]

**It is probably a good idea to go to your priest first. He will have a better idea of when a good time would be to get together. Also, if your church is locked most of the day like ours, he or someone from his staff will have to unlock the church for you.

• start with yourself, family and those you’ve gathered through word of mouth
• post in the church bulletin
• start with basic Rosary with intentions for the Holy Father
• have several chaplets available for those who are new to the Rosary
• extra rosaries for those who forgot theirs, ask parishoners for donations of old, unused ones too
• perhaps one day a month have prayers for special intentions (Holy Souls in Purgatory, Peace, end to abortion, etc)

I also like the idea of the Rosary CD, some people tend to race through the rosary too fast.

With the rules now being enforced for silence before and after Mass, if you wanted to have a Rosary group, ask your priest if it OK to gather for prayers an hour before or after Mass. This will give you plenty of time for prayers yet leave time for those before and after Mass to say their own prayers in peace as well.

You have a lot of good ideas to begin with. Partner with your priest, he will be of great help to you with this.

Maggie**

 

[asquared]

belonged to a rosary cenacle in my last parish, all members went through the de Montefort consecration, and the matter for discussion after praying the rosary was from Fr. Gobbi’s book. I found out there may be some problems with his writing, but since I have moved, can’t attend anyhow. I would rather spend the time on daily or Sunday gospel reading. what I did like is we used the CD from Dana Scallon and Fr Kevin, the healing rosary, I think it is called. It keeps us from praying too fast, which is my major problem with group rosaries.

just started a group called “Rosary is for the Birds” we meet after work to walk the nature trails in the World Birding Center and pray the rosary together. Primarily for catechists, but several parents come also. I just let them know the time, starting point and route, whoever shows up joins in, sometimes just two, usually 8-10 people. Our parish has been praying rosary after every daily and Sunday Mass since year of the rosary, and there is a solid group that keeps it up. I don’t care for it because they pray so fast, even faster when in Spanish.