The Holy Rosary is the chief prayer offered to Mary and probably closest to the hearts of the faithful for the past 800 years. In 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter devoted to the Rosary of the Virgin Mary. It is a beautiful document that teaches, meditates on the mysteries of the rosary, and encourages us in our prayer. It is with this document that the Holy Father introduces the Luminous Mysteries, which focus on the public life of Christ.

Here are some highlights of this valuable letter:

• “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a prayer [centered on Christ]…it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety.”
• Praying the Rosary is to “contemplate the face of Christ in union with, and at the school of, his Most Holy Mother. To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate, with Mary, the face of Christ.”
• “Against the background of the words Ave Maria (Hail Mary),the…life of Jesus Christ [passes] before the eyes of the soul…they put us in living communion with Jesus through…the heart of his Mother.” Also, “the Rosary can be a means to embrace all the events that make up the lives of [all people],” along with “our personal concerns and those of our neighbour, especially those…who are dearest to us.”
• The pope also gives valuable suggestions on how to pray the Rosary well, focussing on ways to better understand its richness, symbolism and how to harmonize it with the demands of daily life.”
• The pope concludes: “I look to all of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the Liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives.”

The Rosary is prayed 30 minutes before every Mass in our parish churches. Please join us!