What spiritual benefits do you gain from praying the Rosary?

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Tommy999

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Hello all,
This question is mainly addressed to former Protestants who have converted to Catholicism but cradle Catholics are welcome as well. I respect both groups and would like to learn more about it.

Background:
I am a lifelong non-Catholic Christian who has limited knowledge of the rosary. All I know is that a rosary is comprised of beads and Catholics use them as a prayer aid, although I sense it might be more significant than that.

Although I don’t understand it very much, I respect those who practice it, provided it doesn’t take away from their adoration of God and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I perceive that mature Catholics know what they are doing and this is not an issue for them.

Questions:
To Protestants who are now Catholic:
– What spiritual benefits and insights do you gain from praying the Rosary that you were not able to gain from directing prayer to God and Jesus, meditation on God’s Word, quiet time, and fasting? In other words, how does the rosary complement and aid your faith?

To lifelong Catholics:
– How does the rosary make a difference in your life?

– Is it a requirement for all Catholics to possess rosary beads and use them regularly?

Full disclosure:
I just had my one-year anniversary on CAF. I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism in that time. The Marian doctrines continue to be my major obstacle to becoming Catholic, but I’ve come to accept and believe most of the rest of Catholic beliefs over time.

Any other comments and insights are welcome. I appreciate your time.
 
I have said the Rosary all of my life – but the rosary that I have now was sent to me from my granddaughter when she was spending a year in Paris – the Rosary goes everywhere with me – I say it every day – the first 2 decades in gratitude for my many blessings – the next decade for my children – then the next for my grandchildren – then the last decade before I turn out the light at night.
I carry it with me all the time – when I’m walking to Church – when I’m walking to public transportation I keep it in my hand and say a decade – I couldn’t get along without it!!! It’s definitely a part of my life.
 
Tommy999 said:
Hello all,
This question is mainly addressed to former Protestants who have converted to Catholicism but cradle Catholics are welcome as well. I respect both groups and would like to learn more about it.

Background:
I am a lifelong non-Catholic Christian who has limited knowledge of the rosary. All I know is that a rosary is comprised of beads and Catholics use them as a prayer aid, although I sense it might be more significant than that.

Although I don’t understand it very much, I respect those who practice it, provided it doesn’t take away from their adoration of God and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I perceive that mature Catholics know what they are doing and this is not an issue for them.

Questions:
To Protestants who are now Catholic:
– What spiritual benefits and insights do you gain from praying the Rosary that you were not able to gain from directing prayer to God and Jesus, meditation on God’s Word, quiet time, and fasting? In other words, how does the rosary complement and aid your faith?

To lifelong Catholics:
– How does the rosary make a difference in your life?

– Is it a requirement for all Catholics to possess rosary beads and use them regularly?

Full disclosure:
I just had my one-year anniversary on CAF. I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism in that time. The Marian doctrines continue to be my major obstacle to becoming Catholic, but I’ve come to accept and believe most of the rest of Catholic beliefs over time.

Any other comments and insights are welcome. I appreciate your time.
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The rosary is about events in the Gospel. One prayers the opening prayers then the verses pertaining to one of the five mysteries interspersed with Our Father and Hail Marys as one thinks on the Scripture Verses, one verse is prayed for each bead. For example here are the verses.for the first decade of the first Joyful Mysteries.

The first Joyful Mystery, The Annunciation
  1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, let there be light; and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3
  2. God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. Luke 1:26
  3. Peace be with you! The Lord is with you. Luke 1:28
  4. Mary, do not be afraid: you have won God’s favor. Luke 1:30
  5. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. His reign will have no end. Luke 1:31,33
  6. But how can this come about, since I am a virgin? Luke 1:34
  7. There is nothing that God cannot do. Luke 1:37
  8. I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary. Luke 1:38
  9. I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground, and streams upon the dry land; I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants. Isaiah 44:3
  10. Your love delights me, my sweetheart and bride. Your love is better than wine; your perfume more fragrant than any spice. The taste of honey is on your lips, my darling. Songs 4:10
Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be forever. Amen.

That is the first *decade * of the first joyful mystery. There are 5 decades with 10 Scriptural verses for each decade, fifty Scriptural verses in all.

If the Rosary is prayed regularly, one draws closer to Christ by thinking on these Gospel events.

The complete set can be found here: scripturalrosary.blogspot.com/p/scriptural-rosary.html
 
Hi Tommy,

I was born & raised evangelical before converting to the Catholic Church last year. For my own part, it is difficult to overstate how my prayer life has taken off in the past 12 months (and the several months prior to official entry to the Church). I gradually see it less and less as speaking and more and more as lovemaking.

Doctors within the Catholic Church, such as St Alphonsus Liguori, have written volumes on the subject of prayer, including prayer to Mary and the saints (he was an 18th century man, and this subject required heavy defense at the time, just as it does today). There is a lot to be said on it. This very brief explanation is the most satisfying to me:

In earthly life, people have brothers, sisters, a mother, a father, uncles, aunts, grandparents, children, nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues. If we are a healthy human being, we have an active social life with all of these people. I have never meant a protestant that fears they will take honor away from God if they were to express love & affection to any of these people. On the contrary, I think you will agree that it is by fellowship & love towards others that we show honor to God. Jesus himself said that whatever good you do to others, you do to him, and whatever evil you do to others, you do to him. It seems apparent that God desires for people to live in community - or communion - with one another. If this were not so, then he would have made Adam and then stopped. It could have been a channel between God and Adam, without anybody else to “distract” his attention, such as Eve, or his children. And yet, as God promised Abraham, his children number like the stars in the sky.

I know that you love God and I don’t mean any disrespect to you when I say this, but I am at a level of confidence over the matter of praying to saints, that to ask whether or not it would offend God by praying to Mary and the saints, seems just as ludicrous to me as asking whether or not it would offend God by talking to a child, a parent, or a friend. Those two questions are inseparable to me. Completely.

It is Catholic doctrine that God is the sole and absolute source of all power and graces. Any creature in Heaven is infinitely powerless except through what graces God gives to them. This is how it is on Earth, and this is how it is in Heaven. Without the sustaining power of God, we would instantaneously cease to exist. However, God is infinite in his generosity, and he desires to spread his splendor on all of creation.

Imagine walking into the throne room of two kings. In one room, you walk in, and you see a king that is covered in gold and shining with majesty, and then you look around the room, and you see stone benches and a concrete floor.

You walk into the other throne room, and you also see a king that is covered in gold and shining with majesty, and then when you look around the room at his royal court, you see a queen that is clothed in the sun, and a sea of crystal, and streets of gold, and saints wearing purest white and golden crowns on their heads. The splendor of the king extends to every corner of the throne room. Because the king is so generous and so benevolent, his glory touches and illuminates everything and everybody around him. The second king is the Catholic view of God. We believe that God spreads his graces lavishly on his people.

In short, Catholics believe that we are together a nation, and a royal priesthood, and a family, and therefore we have access to our entire family to pray for us, just as much (and more so) than those on earth can.

I hope I have provided a little clarity for you. This was a difficult and alien concept to me as well.
 
Tommy999 said:
Although I don’t understand it very much, I respect those who practice it, provided it doesn’t take away from their adoration of God and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I perceive that mature Catholics know what they are doing and this is not an issue for them.

– What spiritual benefits and insights do you gain from praying the Rosary that you were not able to gain from directing prayer to God and Jesus, meditation on God’s Word, quiet time, and fasting? In other words, how does the rosary complement and aid your faith?

Any other comments and insights are welcome. I appreciate your time.
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I am a revert to Catholicism, having been taken out of the church when I was a child. I still have my first communion rosary beads. They are a prayer tool. Helps me focus. It does not take away adoration from God or Jesus, but enhances it. The prayers included are the Lord’s prayer, meditating on scripture passages that deal with events in Jesus’ life, prayer to Jesus (O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy) and prayers to Mary. It is a good exercise, strengthening one’s prayer life, a discipline. There are also chaplets prayed using the same beads. Check out the free Laudate app, it has rosary prayers and podcasts you can follow along, or with a group before daily mass.
 
I was a Pentecostal Holiness Protestant for 25 years. I’ve been praying the Rosary, off and on … maybe 8-ish years (way more off then on in that time).

I was baptized Catholic as a baby but never was taught anything. I tried many religions until I found Pentecostal Holiness. I never felt fulfilled and still did things my way: made my own unleavened bread and had communion daily, wore a scarf over my head when in church, believed there was more to God then just what the church taught, prayed in tongues, layed hands on the sick and they say they felt heat coming from them (I think it was my RA :rolleyes:), even took a pastoral training course under my pastor for a year but never got my certificate (it didn’t feel right)…etc

During that time my sister, who is cradle Catholic, went to church on her own her whole life, talked about praying the Rosary. I rolled my eyes and said I would. So I ordered a Rosary from the Vatican that was prayed by the Pope…figured I needed some powerful influence if something was going to ‘take’. 😃 I would be good for a few days, then forget about it. Many months later I would do it again, only to be forgotten, again. On and on until a few weeks before this Easter…

Something in me “clicked” and I felt pulled to the Catholic Church and reading about it, it had a lot of the things I was looking for. I started to study and read, read, read everything about its founding. I also started using the Rosary again. This time I loved to do it and by now I remembered the words. I feel calm and relaxed when I pray…like I did a devotion to God.

I feel more intensity when I pray directly to God, without the Rosary, feel my prayers were heard more, feel more satisfied that my spirit was in-tune with God’s. For me, the Rosary is just another tool/way to speak to the Heavenlies. I do focus on Jesus when I pray the Rosary (or if I’m praying for someone I will focus on them while I recite the words).

Praying the Rosary isn’t a necessary thing to be Catholic, from what I’ve read (I could be wrong) so it’s a love it or leave it thing. I consider it another way to have a devotion with God, another way to express myself to Him or to focus my attention towards Him.

I’m taking an online RCIA course (since I’m ill) and hopefully will be confirmed into the CC this year, if not I may have to wait until 2016. So, in the meantime I am learning as much as I can and doing what I learn. It has to make sense to me, because I’m coming from all the Protestant dogmas that I have been taught, before I believe what the CC is telling me is truth. So far, when I don’t understand something, the apologetics have made it clear.

For me, I am learning that the Catholic Church IS the first church that Jesus started; it just happens to be called Catholic (I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the title). I thought the Catholics made up an elaborate story, made up all of the Apostles/Popes and even changed history to reflect their ‘take-over’. :rolleyes: LoL

I keep my heart open to God’s truth, Jesus’s calling and the Holy Spirit’s guiding and for me, it is leading me to the Catholic Church.
 
Tommy999 said:
Hello all,
This question is mainly addressed to former Protestants who have converted to Catholicism but cradle Catholics are welcome as well. I respect both groups and would like to learn more about it.

Background:
I am a lifelong non-Catholic Christian who has limited knowledge of the rosary. All I know is that a rosary is comprised of beads and Catholics use them as a prayer aid, although I sense it might be more significant than that.

Although I don’t understand it very much, I respect those who practice it, provided it doesn’t take away from their adoration of God and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I perceive that mature Catholics know what they are doing and this is not an issue for them.

Questions:
To Protestants who are now Catholic:
– What spiritual benefits and insights do you gain from praying the Rosary that you were not able to gain from directing prayer to God and Jesus, meditation on God’s Word, quiet time, and fasting? In other words, how does the rosary complement and aid your faith?

To lifelong Catholics:
– How does the rosary make a difference in your life?

– Is it a requirement for all Catholics to possess rosary beads and use them regularly?

Full disclosure:
I just had my one-year anniversary on CAF. I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism in that time. The Marian doctrines continue to be my major obstacle to becoming Catholic, but I’ve come to accept and believe most of the rest of Catholic beliefs over time.

Any other comments and insights are welcome. I appreciate your time.
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I don’t think it’s actually a requirement to own rosary beads and pray them regularly. As far as I was taught, we are required to pray at least once a day, but its up to us what form to use. I pray the Rosary several times a week. I like it because it helps to focus me on our Lord’s birth, childhood, passion and death, resurrection, the sending of the Holy Ghost, and Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. There are two decades of the Rosary (out of fifteen) which are devoted to specifically to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they are the last two decades of the Glorious Mysteries, which are prayed on Wednesdays and Saturdays (and sometimes on Sunday). These two decades have to do with our Lady’s assumption into Heaven, and her Coronation.

The Rosary actually helps me to be more calm and charitable toward others, because the focus is on the life and death of Jesus. We meditate and reflect on the main events in our Lord’s life in the Rosary. A few of the decades have to do also with the Blessed Virgin Mary before the birth of Christ, but they have to do also with Jesus, which includes the decade of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that God wants her to be his mother. Then there’s a decade for Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, which is important. The next decade is for the birth of Jesus, so you can see that the decades are chronological; having to do with the lives of Jesus and Mary.

For me, I just visualize the events of a particular mystery while saying the hail Mary ten times. I like the sorrowful mysteries the best, because it reminds me of the suffering that our Lord went through for us. It helps me to carry my own crosses when I remember His sufferings.

I know that it may be difficult for non-Catholics to understand why the set prayers are so beneficial, but i think it’s because the set prayers incline our mind and heart towards God. We are free of course to say mental prayers, or prayers from the heart which are directed to our Lord.

When I say my morning and evening prayers, they are for the most part directed to God the Father and Jesus.

After I began praying the Rosary (about a year-and-a-half before I converted), things fell into place for my conversion, though it still took awhile. It’s good to remember that the Rosary is for the most part about Jesus. But without Mary, we would not have had our Redeemer born into the flesh for our sake. She’s very important to us.
 
– How does the rosary make a difference in your life?

Well, for me it’s served three purposes. According to St. Louis de Montfort, the Rosary is the most perfect form of prayer outside of the Mass, as it combines the most perfect prayer to God - the Our Father - with the most perfect prayer to Mary - the Hail Mary. I’ve found that this sums up things pretty well. It’s both a Christocentric prayer as well as a Marian prayer at the same time, and I’ve found that it really is the most perfect prayer outside of the Mass. The second purpose is that it allows one to meditate on the scriptures and the mysteries of Christ’s life, which is something that, sadly, most people forget to do during their day to day life. The Rosary provides time for a time-out of sorts, in which you can focus exclusively on Jesus. This increases the Christocentric appeal of the Rosary. And this brings us to the third purpose - that it just works. I don’t know how, but for some reason every time that I pray the Rosary it helps bring my life more into focus, and increases the sense of holiness that I can feel in everything for the rest of the day.

– Is it a requirement for all Catholics to possess rosary beads and use them regularly?

Nope. Absolutely none at all.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of St. Louis de Montfort’s The Secret of the Rosary. It’s an excellent book that outlines the reasons for praying the Rosary pretty well. Scott Hahn’s Hail, Holy Queen is an excellent book on Catholic Mariology, that I’d recommend if you’re seeking to change your views on Mary. Also, if you still feel uncomfortable with the Marian Rosary, you could always buy a Komboskini. This is an Eastern “prayer rope”, usually of 100 beads (although there are bracelets as little as 10 and ropes as large as 300 beads) on which the Jesus Prayer is recited. You could also buy a Rosary and recite chaplets on it - the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, for example.
 
Thanks for all the replies and for sharing from your own personal experiences. I really appreciate it.
 
The Rosary is the scourge of the devil. It is the second most powerful prayer after Holy Mass. We gain many graces by praying the rosary and it brings us closer to Our Holy Mother.
 
Tommy999 said:
To lifelong Catholics:
– How does the rosary make a difference in your life?

– Is it a requirement for all Catholics to possess rosary beads and use them regularly?

Full disclosure:
I just had my one-year anniversary on CAF. I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism in that time. The Marian doctrines continue to be my major obstacle to becoming Catholic, but I’ve come to accept and believe most of the rest of Catholic beliefs over time.

Any other comments and insights are welcome. I appreciate your time.
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The rosary has made a difference in my life as I will witness…

1, My mother brought us to a rosary group at a neighbors house when I was young and we always started the prayer with a special intention for my younger brother who was born with a heart defect. Praise God! He’s had 2 major heart surgeries and is married with 3 children, still with us till this day. A short while ago I told him that I prayed for him since I was a young girl largely because of the rosary and I believe God heard our prayers. That’s just one example of the many times rosary prayer has proven itself to be fruitful in my life.
  1. It started a prayer life for me.
  2. Praying the rosary is a meditative prayer that allows me to become ‘in Spirit’ so that I can block out the ‘external world’ and focus in on God and the gospels which are/the mysteries of the rosary and Mary is part of Jesus life as the Mother of Our Lord. Not some Trojan horse bringing Jesus in as some claim she is, but the actual biological mother of Our Lord. That is huge! when a person thinks about the purity of Jesus and how Jesus could have been that way as a perfect offering for our sins.
  3. We are One with Jesus as part of the Body of Christ, Mary is the Mother who the fruit of her womb Is Jesus. So for an analogy. Think of Mary as a cloud, with Jesus as part of that cloud, and us who are the offspring of Mary and Jesus as Our Brother, so that is our spiritual connection as the family of God, so one big cloud (the Holy Spirit)… In opposition to that, all people are the offspring of Eve in Our human nature, but Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and we are spiritual people of God so we are all connected as people of God to Mary. We are a family of God, never forget that, and Mary is our Mother because she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus and we will have to endure Satans blows so we want to put on our spiritual armor of God which includes Mary… Rev 12:17
  4. It’s a way to discipline us in prayer. Prayer is important to a Christian and so if a Christian takes time to pray the rosary they are spending time away from the trappings of our secular world and more time for God which is a good thing!
  5. Rosaries can be prayed as a group, which is a good thing… When two or more are gathered in His name He is there among them.
  6. Mary becomes a prayer partner to us when we pray the rosary and God listens to her prayers as she is favored among all women. So in this way, Mary is our intercessory.
  7. Reflecting on the mysteries of the Rosaries allow us to learn about Mary and Jesus and emulate their behavior so it teaches us how to live as a Christian and to be more loving to one another.
I keep a rosary and most faithful Catholics do, I don’t believe that people pray the rosary as much as they used to, but those who become ‘intentional disciples’ of Christ may more than just those who are faithful but maybe are not as close to Jesus as they could become. God wants us to share in His life and have a relationship with Him and so the rosary prayer helps with that because we are reflecting on the mysteries surrounding Jesus life. Contrary to what people erroneously believe it is a Christ centered prayer.

And no, It is not a required part of our faith but it is something that can add to our faith as a spiritual weapon against the evil forces in the world. God put enmity between Satan and Jesus and that is Mary, who was made pure by God so that she would be the ark of the covenant which brought Jesus into the world. Genesis 3:15… So the way to fight off evil in the world is to put pureness in front of it. It’s battle against evil forces not in the way of the world with swords or guns, but the Lords way with goodness and love given in prayer…

Peace…
 
Hello,

I’m a convert from the Church of Nazarene. My Catholic friend gave me a little booklet and her rosary beads blessed by StJPII when I was not interested in the CC. I didn’t pay any attention for weeks but one night I felt a need to pray it and took the beads out, opened the booklet and went for it. It’s hard to describe but when I pray it, I feel as if the whole of Heaven has opened up and I am spiritually there, a part of it. Sometimes I smell fragrant roses and know Our Lady is there.

The rosary has helped me find peace when I am tempted, it brings me peace amongst chaos, it gives me strength when I need it, it has set me on fire with the Love of our Lord.

On the rosary beads:

The Apostle’s Creed is said on the Crucifix;
The Our Father (Lords Prayer) is said on each of the Large Beads;
Hail Mary is said on each of the Small Beads;
The Glory Be after the three Hail Mary’s at the beginning of the Rosary, and after each decade of Small Beads.

In June 13, 1917, Our Lady asked that an additional prayer be added after each decade of the Rosary (see prayers at the end of this document). It is a prayer of forgiveness to Jesus and is said following the Glory Be after each decade only.

If it was Friday or Tuesday then we mediate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of Christ as below:

**Our Father
10 Hail Mary’s
Glory Be
My Jesus

During the 10 Hail Marys (small beads) we mediate on the below:

1st sorrowful mystery- The Agony of Jesus in the garden
2nd sorrowful mystery -The scourging of Jesus at the pillar
3rd sorrowful mystery - The Crowning with Thorns
4th sorrowful mystery - The Carrying of the Cross
5th sorrowful mystery - The crucifixion and death of Jesus
**

The Rosary is basically the story of the life of Christ. The above sequence remains the same except the Mystery changes.

Glorious - Wednesday and Sunday
1st glorious mystery - The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
2nd glorious mystery - The Ascension of Jesus to Heaven
3rd glorious mystery - The Descent of the Holy Ghost
4th glorious mystery - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven
5th glorious mystery - The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

Joyful - Monday and Saturday
1st joyful mystery - The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary
2nd joyful mystery - The visitation of Mary to Saint Elizabeth
3rd joyful mystery - The nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem
4th joyful mystery - The presentation of Jesus to the Temple
5th glorious mystery - The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

Luminous - Thursday
1st light mystery - The Baptism of Jesus
2nd light mystery - The wedding of Cana
3rd light mystery - The proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4th light mystery - The Transfiguration
5th light mystery - The institution of the Eucharist
 
Hey Tommy! 👋

One word.

Peace.

It brings peace.
The peace you need when your mind is racing,
The peace you feel when you’ve "forgotten’ that someone in heaven loves you.
The peace that is necessary when under attack from evil.
The peace of remembering all the works of Christ. From coming, to rising.
The peace of offering your prayer for someone in need.

Great thread. I loved reading all the replies.
I’m a cradle Catholic, and I loved reading this.
Peace to YOU Tommy. 👍
 
pianistclare said:
Hey Tommy! 👋

One word.

Peace.

It brings peace.
The peace you need when your mind is racing,
The peace you feel when you’ve "forgotten’ that someone in heaven loves you.
The peace that is necessary when under attack from evil.
The peace of remembering all the works of Christ. From coming, to rising.
The peace of offering your prayer for someone in need.

Great thread. I loved reading all the replies.
I’m a cradle Catholic, and I loved reading this.
Peace to YOU Tommy. 👍
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Yes, yes, yes.

I grew up nothing and converted to Catholicism as a young adult. I did not pray the Rosary for many years even after that because it felt “hokey” to me. I didn’t really understand the meditative aspect.

I began praying it when my first child was born and pianistclare nailed it…I felt peace, especially when praying at night, when my thoughts were prone to racing and I frequently had insomnia just because I was worried all the time. I also used to hear strange noises and feel strange presences around, that would disappear when I prayed the Rosary. I don’t know if those were invented in my own head or if they were real, but regardless, praying the Rosary offered me a peace that no other prayer did.
 
Thanks again to all who replied. I enjoy reading your insights and personal accounts of what it’s done for you.
 
Tommy999 said:
Thanks again to all who replied. I enjoy reading your insights and personal accounts of what it’s done for you.
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Tommy, Where you as to find out that the Rosary is really about the Gospel?
It is a very sad thing that we are fed such lies about The Catholic Church. That is what happened to me and I began to think, what else about the Catholic Faith have I been mislead about?
Hopefully you will stand up for The Truth you have learned next time your are on an anti-Catholic website or someone in your congregations begins telling lies about The Catholic Church.

God Bless you.
 
Hi Tommy,

I know that you are asking about the spiritual benefits gained from praying the Rosary, but I hope that it’s not going too far off topic if I post a video on the subject of the mystery of the Incarnation, and Mary’s role in it.

It’s a video of a sermon given by Fr. Linus Clovis in London, England a few months ago, and if you view the first five minutes, you’ll get an idea about the Incarnation as being the single most important work of God. He also mentions the praying of the Rosary.

Later in the video, the role of Mary is explained as her having submitted in perfect humility to the will of God. I hope that this will provide some further info about why the Church venerates her.

God bless!

catholic.org/video/watch.php?v=13038
 
The section titled “To Jesus Through Mary” at the link below provides a brief explanation of the intercessory nature of Marian devotions.
rosary-center.org/consecrt.htm#jesus

The rosary carries many benefits and is heavily indulgenced:
rosary-center.org/nconobl.htm#ben

The history of the rosary is well documented by St. Louis de Montfort. This is a free on,ine version of his work on the Dominicans’ site. I highly recommend reading it:
rosary-center.org/secret.htm

The apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” Is informative:
w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae.html

You might want to read Scott Hahn’s “Rome Sweet Home” if you haven’t already done so.

Hope this helps!
 
rosaryconfraternity.org/
Enroll in the Confraternity

If you pray the Rosary regularly, consider joining the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, known also as the Rosary Altar Society. Membership in the Rosary Confraternity is open to all the Catholic lay faithful as well as to priests, deacons, and consecrated religious. Members promise to recite the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary over the course of each week and to include the other members and their intentions in their prayers.
Spiritual Benefits, Obligations, and Conditions of Membership
The Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary is an international association of the Catholic faithful established “to praise and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and to secure her patronage by the recitation of the Rosary for the mutual spiritual benefit of all the members throughout the world.” Accordingly, members of the Confraternity promise to pray for each other when saying the Rosary and receive certain spiritual benefits from their membership.

The Confraternity was last reorganized by Pope Leo XIII in 1898 with his Apostolic Constitution, Ubi Primum, and continues to exist, under the direction of the Dominican Friars, in accordance with the norms of the current Code of Canon Law (1983). The Catholic faithful may enroll in the Confraternity through any of the Dominican Provinces by contacting their local Provincial Promoter of the Holy Rosary.

Both the obligations and benefits are detailed below:

Obligations of Membership
As a requirement of membership, each member of the Confraternity promises to pray fifteen decades of the Rosary each week and to include the other members of the Confraternity in their intentions. This is sole obligation of membership in Rosary Confraternity. It does not bind under pain of sin.

Details of the Obligation
The fifteen decades of the Rosary do not need to be said all at once; they may be said throughout the course of the week, typically in three groups of five decades.
Meditation on the Mysteries of the Christ is necessary as part of praying the Rosary.
The intentions of the other members are to be included in one’s prayers. This can be done by making a “general intention” to always include their intentions and this does not need to be explicitly repeated every time one prays the Rosary.
The obligation to pray the Rosary does not bind under pain of sin.

Spiritual Benefits of Membership
A share in the prayers and the good works of countless thousands of Rosary Confraternty members throughout the world and in heaven.
A share in the good works and prayers of the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order).
Various plenary and partial indulgences
For members of the Confraternity, a plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions on the day of enrollment (the day indicated on the register/certificate) as well as the feast days of Christmas, Easter, the Annunciation, the Assumption of Our Lady, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Immaculate Conception, and Our Lord’s Presentation in the Temple.
A plenary indulgence is also granted, under the usual conditions, to all who pray the rosary in a Church or oratory, in a family (family rosary), religious community, or in a pious association of the faithful. Otherwise, the indulgence is partial.
And most importantly, the intercession and special protection of Our Lady, the Mother of God.

Enrollments links based on your region of the United States/World are below:
rosaryconfraternity.org/documents-and-resources/rosary-confraternity-links/
 
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