Strategies for Praying the Rosary as a Family

So cool Ellen, people have mentioned, you told us about how fruitful the rosary was for your family and how you were praying it for us but it’d be awesome if we could get an idea of how it could work in our homes. 

Seems simple, right?  You set a time, get a pamphlet of the mysteries, a rosary for each person and then you pray it. Psych! 

Most tiny humans are not exactly engaged in a 20-minute repetitive prayer nor do they get pumped about stopping a game or ending a craft to gather in the living room.  We have learned to add certain elements into the routine to keep them focused or, let’s be honest, at times just less disruptive. 

Rosary Strategies – Part 1

Make it visual – If you have a smart TV,  smartphone or computer you can bring the rosary to life with pictures.  Download a photo app to your smartphone or add pictures to your Google photos on your PC. Also most smart TVs have compatible photo apps. This will allow you to create a slideshow picture rosary that you can cast.  

There will never be a shortage of beautiful images that represent our faith. You can make a slide show that lasts the duration of the rosary without repeating easily. We also enjoy adding in pictures of all of our favorite saints as well as our loved ones that have passed so we remember to pray for their souls.  My husband shared with us one night that every time a saint’s picture pops up he likes to ask them to “pray for us” in his heart and that added much more meaning for him. “It’s like double praying!”

Easy on the ears – A nice playlist of Gregorian chants, instrumental hymns or sweet, soft praise and worship music sometimes allows for a quieter session. Caution, sometimes the serene setting will cause a little snooze action. When it’s my oldest’s turn to lead a decade she will occasionally fall asleep mid-Hail Mary and wake up only to yell out “THY WOMB, JESUS” when we nudge her awake. 

On the road – If we know we will not be home at 7:30 p.m. then we try our best to make the time for it when we can. We often pray in my sweet 2003 Chevy Suburban, affectionately known as “Large Marge.”  She is an old girl and tends to rattle. So when I say we pray the rosary in the car, I mean we yell it, sometimes not all at once. You can get half that rosary in before early afternoon jujitsu and then finish it up on the way back from an evening softball game. 

The tactile approach – You would think the act of holding and following along on an actual rosary would satisfy this user but not for tiny ones. Our rascals often require extra hands-on things to allow them to be more present. Our oldest son enjoys drawing images he knows his grandmothers and great aunts will love that he will later mail. My oldest daughter will journal or write prayers, and our youngest daughter will copy rosary booklets word for word to have “her very own version.” 

The baby enjoys tug of war with the rosary and also loves a warm bottle by the third decade so I will add him as a kinesthetic disciple. The rosary will become something that can be said while doing other “holy” things.  They are expected to only focus on leading when it is their assigned decade lest you want it to turn into a century. I do suggest taking a look at artwork after prayer because come to find out, “What, mom? Mama likes when I draw Pokemon” in which I must try and gently reply, “There is no mystery where Jesus catches Pikachu, Indiana. THE. ROSARY.”

Take a back seat – Let the kids explain what the mysteries mean to them.  Give them ownership of the beads for the night. This option may cause you to overdraft your patience bank account.  For us, this technique is more of a weekend routine. It can take as long as 45 minutes due to someone trying to recall every word from the movie  “The Star” or it can be very short because the leader was not feeling it that night. Either way, as parents you may get the urge to take the helm and give the prayer its “proper” reverence but we all know the Blessed Mother and the sweet  Sacred Heart of Jesus rejoice when those babies take these prayers as their own.  Admittedly, it is also a super cool way to assess what they know, and it helps us to add certain things when it’s dad or mom’s turn to explain the mysteries. 

To be continued y’all because we have to keep evolving to make sure these rascals know Jesus loves them.  I’ll continue to pray for you guys and I’d celebrate if you threw some back this way too! 

The columnist is a Catholic mom living in the Diocese of Baton Rouge facing the same challenges all families face.