A Living Rosary for the Church
by Lisa Cotter, posted in Excellence
We’re heartbroken. Hurt. Angry. Frustrated. Shocked. And so much more. The mess we find ourselves in as a Church is deep. Very deep and each day it seems to get deeper. After a summer of compounding scandal we can’t just sit back and watch our Church suffer, we must act… but how?
Today on the How-to Catholic podcast Kevin and I talked about what we can do in the midst of the crisis and our first of five actions was prayer. Not vague prayer at random times, but intentional prayer, specifically through banding together as a community to pray a Living Rosary. We hope you will join us…
What is a Living Rosary?
A Living Rosary is a group of 20 people who commit to praying a different decade of the rosary each day for 20 days. As each individual prays a different decade, together they pray a collective, full rosary each day. Here’s an example:
In this instance, member 7, Becky, would pray the Crucifixion on the 1st day, the Ressurection on the 2nd day, and so on.
Where did the idea come from?
While the history might go back further, we found out about the Living Rosary from Pope St. John Paul II. Before he was a priest, JP II was a member of a group who prayed together during the Nazi occupation in Poland. Praying the rosary was one way they fought the evil of their time. Drawing on the wisdom of a Saint, we venture to follow in his footsteps and entrust this crisis to Jesus through Mary.
What is the How-to Catholic Living Rosary praying for?
In general, the intention of this Living Rosary group is for the Church. For those suffering. For those who need redemption. For the truth to come to light. For true reform. For the future. For the rise of new Saints.
How can I join a group?
Easy. Simply fill out this Google form and once 20 new members have signed up, you will receive an email from hello@madetomagnify.com with all the details you need to know, including your start date and what decade to pray each day. We promise to never share your email or contact you again once you have been set up in a group.
I’m afraid I’ll forget to pray. Should I still join?
YES. Forgetting to pray is easy, but we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 simple ways to help you remember.
- Set an alarm. Pick a time each day to pray and set an alarm. If you can’t pray at that moment, snooze the alarm until you can.
- Find a buddy. Invite a friend to be in a group with you and text each other once you have completed your decade each day. If you notice that your buddy hasn’t prayed and it’s getting late, you can send them a reminder and vice versa.
- Light a candle. Start your day by lighting a candle in your home or office to remind you to pray. Once you have prayed, blow out the candle for that day.
- Double up. Find an activity you already do each day… walk to class, shower, make dinner, drive to the gym… and commit to praying your decade at the beginning of that activity. This way the activity itself will serve as a reminder to pray.
- Reward yourself. Pick something you love and don’t allow yourself to do it until you have prayed your decade. Coffee in the morning? Scrolling through social media? Perusing the news? Delaying the activity until you’ve prayed will motivate you to get it done.
We sincerely hope you join us and PLEASE share this uniting in prayer with those you know. Together let’s storm heaven for the Church.
Be saints – it’s worth it!
