My Rosary Journey

Amanda Lauer recalls how listening to the Rosary on the radio motivated her to pray daily.

Venerable Patrick Peyton, known as "The Rosary Priest," devoted his priestly life to encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. This October, for the Month of the Holy Rosary, Family Rosary (an apostolate founded by Father Peyton) and Catholic Mom have teamed up for this daily series dedicated to the Rosary.

On first Communion day, each student in our second-grade class at St. John’s Catholic School was gifted a Rosary: black-beaded ones for the boys, white-beaded ones for the girls. Fifty-four years later I still have that Rosary. The clear plastic case gave up the ghost recently but the Rosary — thanks to the handiwork of a local Rosary repair expert — is going strong.

That Rosary followed me from one move after another through the years. For the most part, it remained in its case, coming out for special occasions, like retreats and Catholic women’s conferences. For the most part, it sat tucked away in my nightstand drawer, waiting to be called into action.

I felt moved

It wasn’t until four years ago that I finally started to say the Rosary on a regular basis. Relevant Radio, a Catholic radio station based in our area, started the Family Rosary Across America in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. I felt moved — particularly for the sake of our children and grandchildren — to pray along with Father Rocky (Father Francis Hoffman) and his co-host each evening.

After the election was over, I was even more determined to continue to pray the Rosary on a daily basis. I dove into the history of the Rosary and took to heart the Blessed Mother’s promises to Saint. Dominic for those who pray the Rosary.

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The cornerstone of my daily prayer life

The Rosary is now the cornerstone of my daily prayer life. I use the Relevant Radio app on my phone to listen along to Father Rocky as he and his co-host recite the various Mysteries throughout the week. I really enjoy his style and, truth be told, it’s the quickest Rosary app that I’ve found, 15 minutes start to end. (Short and to the point, which is ideal for my ever-racing mind).

Some days I start my morning listening with my AirPods while I’m still in bed, other days I do a 1-mile Rosary Walk through our neighborhood or listen while I’m working out, doing dishes, or driving. The best experience for me is praying the Rosary on my knees at church in front of the Blessed Sacrament or an image of Mary.

I have various intentions for each Rosary, depending on who in my life is in need of prayers, but my constant intention is for our country. It’s not unusual for me to pray multiple Rosaries in a day (or in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep). When I’m troubled, the Rosary soothes me.

If you haven’t been in the habit of praying the Rosary, now would be a good time to start this beautiful devotion. Take it from me, it will put a smile on our Blessed Mother’s face, and increase your faith, hope, and charity.

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