Book Notes: Scriptural Rosary Books for the Whole Family

With the Month of the Holy Rosary only two weeks away, have you made any plans to pray the Rosary with your family or re-energize your own prayer life? I've found Scriptural Rosary resources for the whole family from Suffering Servant Scriptorium that invite you to pray the Rosary in a different way that can really deepen your appreciation for each of the mysteries.

For the Kids

Parents, catechists and Catholic-school teachers can use Speak, Lord, I am Listening with children to introduce them to the practice of meditating upon the mysteries of the Rosary. Watercolor illustrations of Rosaries, scenes from the Bible, and modern-day people at prayer enhance the experience without becoming distractions.

At the beginning of the book there is a letter to parents from Fr. Michael R. Deusterhaus of the Diocese of Arlington, VA. This letter is very encouraging to parents who want to introduce the Rosary to their children, reminding them that " no effort to raise a child in the vocabulary of faith will be wanting." Father addresses some common objections to praying the Rosary and shares strategies to overcome these objections. One of these strategies is to "intertwine Scripture verses with the prayers."

That is exactly what author Christine Haapala does in this book, designed for primary-grade children. Parents or teachers can read the Scripture verses, then children can lead the prayers. As their reading skills increase, the children will be able to read the Scripture verses as well.

For You

The Psalter of Jesus and Mary is a scriptural Rosary based on the Psalms and Proverbs. Each Hail Mary in The Joyful Mysteries is accompanied by a verse from a psalm, running from 1 through 50; the Sorrowful Mysteries go from Psalm 51 through 100; the Glorious Mysteries go through the final 50 psalms, and the Luminous Mysteries contain meditations from Proverbs.

This booklet is the perfect size to tuck into your handbag. I brought it to Eucharistic Adoration and used these Scripture meditations as I prayed the Rosary. This method of praying the Rosary slows down the prayer and reduces the temptation to just zip through the Hail Marys. The verses from the Psalms or Proverbs provide additional prayer opportunities.

At the end of the book, you'll find an Author's Note with information on the history of the Rosary and the connections between the Old and New Testaments that are brought out in the Scriptural Rosary. It's fascinating reading.

The illustrations in this book are original works that follow a centuries-old style, intricately depicting the various mysteries of the Rosary.

Suffering Servant Scriptorium offers many other resources for families as well as religious-education programs and for individual prayer.

Be sure to check out our Book Notes archive.

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Copyright 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS.