--- title: "My Rosary Story: My Mother's Lifeline Became Mine" description: Recalling her mother's devotion to the Rosary, Maria V. Gallagher recalls how she finally adopted it as a daily habit. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/My%20Rosary%20Story.png --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/my-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine#) [FAITH](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/tag/faith) # My Rosary Story: My Mother's Lifeline Became Mine Oct 25, 2020 10:00:00 AM  |  by [Maria V. Gallagher](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/maria-v-gallagher) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/My%20Rosary%20Story.png) *Recalling her mother's devotion to the Rosary, Maria V. Gallagher recalls how she finally adopted it as a daily habit.* I was not the most observant child, but I couldn’t help noticing my mother’s hands. A sapphire-beaded Rosary enveloped them whenever she was in church. I wondered what the beads were for … why she clutched them with such a fierce grip. What I did not realize at the time was that the Rosary for my mother was a life-saving chain, keeping her safely away from the brink of despair. She had so many worries — the health of her husband, the behavior of her daughters, the financial ruin which seemed to be right around the corner — and she prayed the Rosary for comfort and peace. When I was a bit older, my father worked for a non-profit agency which struggled to make payroll each week. By then, I had learned the art of praying the Rosary, an art I now had down to a science. And so each week I would fall to my knees and meditate on the mysteries, praying for all my might that my father would get paid so that our family could eat. For the record, I never missed a meal. I was considered the most prayerful member of my family, and I recall upping the ante to two Rosaries a day when my Grandma Hazel lay ill in the hospital. I did not receive the miracle I was hoping for, and my beloved grandmother passed away. I learned then that the Rosary was not my lucky charm, but rather a tool for communication between God and me. Sometimes, the answers He provided were hard to accept, but I also knew Him to be all-loving and all-merciful and all about me getting to heaven. Unfortunately, I drifted away from the Rosary in high school. Overwhelmed by studies and school plays, I could just manage a few Hail Mary’s before a test or in the wake of a flat tire on the family car. As my devotion to the Rosary slipped away, so did my attachment to my faith. I began to question its teachings and took my place in line in “cafeteria-style Catholicism,” choosing which doctrinal entrees I wanted to relish and which I would discard. Such was the state of affairs when I met someone who seemed truly serious about the Catholic Church and pro-life ministry. My newfound friend asked me what I was doing for the pro-life cause, and I answered “nothing.” I was a journalist, after all, and there seemed to be rules about such things. I was persuaded to join a Rosary Walk for Life, and it changed my life for the better. I began to embrace the Rosary as a daily habit, even as I advocated for pregnant women and their children. > [CLICK TO TWEET > The #Rosary was not my lucky charm, but rather a tool for communication between God and me. #catholicmom](https://ctt.ac/8gT4G) Through the Rosary, I found my calling, helping to rebuild the culture of life envisioned by St. Pope John Paul II. Along the way, I grew in love for the God who knew me when I was in my mother’s womb. My mother passed from this world to the next some years ago, but I continue to share with her the bond that the Rosary created. It is now my life line, as it was hers. And in the recitation of the prayers, I find my peace. **[Look for a new Rosary Story](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/tag/my-rosary-story)** each day throughout October, and use the hashtag #myrosarystory to share yours on social media!   ![My Rosary Story IG](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/My%20Rosary%20Story%20IG.png?width=1080&name=My%20Rosary%20Story%20IG.png) --- Copyright 2020 Maria V. Gallagher ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Fmy-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Fmy-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Fmy-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=My%20Rosary%20Story%3A%20My%20Mother%27s%20Lifeline%20Became%20Mine) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Fmy-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Fmy-rosary-story-my-mothers-lifeline-became-mine%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Maria V. Gallagher](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/Contriubutors/MARIA%20V.%20GALLAGHER.jpeg) ### [Maria V. Gallagher](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/maria-v-gallagher) Maria V. Gallagher spends her days advocating for women, children, and families. She is the mother of a beautiful ballerina and a member of the worldwide Cursillo movement. In her spare time, Maria likes to blog, walk, sing, dance, and fill the room with laughter. Read her work at [MariaVGallagher.com](http://mariavgallagher.com). [**](http://twitter.com/mariaevitale) ## Related Blog Articles [ Three Valuable Lessons I Learned from My Mother-in-Law Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/three-valuable-lessons-i-learned-from-my-mother-in-law) [ Mothers Are Special to Their Sons: So Was the Blessed Mother to Jesus Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/mothers-are-special-to-their-sons) [ Transformed Into a Mother Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/06/16/transformed-into-a-mother) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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