The story of the family rosary


MARY IN YOUR HOME

THE ROSARY
IN YOUR FAMILY CIRCLE

No home on earth is worthy of the great
honor of opening its doors to Mary — Mary,
Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God
the Son, Spouse of God the Holy Ghost.
But, gracious Mother that she is, Mary not
only invites you, she begs you, to accept this
honor. Open wide, then, the doors of your
heart and your home to Mary.

Recite the Perfect Family Prayer

THE DAILY FAMILY ROSARY!





Story

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The Family Rosary
Albany, N. Y.



a Mother who would not fail him. With all

the fervor of his soul he called upon her.

Then, according to tradition, the lovely

Queen of Heaven and Earth appeared to

him holding a Rosary in her hand, taught

him how to pray it, and instructed him to

preach it to the world. These are her words

telling the secret of its power: ''Introduce the

Rosary devotion everywhere; teach it to the

people and tell them that this devotion is

most pleasing to my Divine Son as well as to
me. By means of the Rosary devotion, virtue

will flourish, vice will be destroyed, heresy

will perish, and Divine graces will be ob-

tained. The Rosary will be an inexhaustible

fountain of every kind of blessing. I promise

you that I will prove by many graces how

pleasing this devotion is to me and how

profitable to the faithful.”

This was what Dominic had been waiting

for. He did introduce the Rosary to the
people, as his Lady asked,

Preached but more than that, he

by a made it his life’s work. The
Son people must have been

waiting for it, too, for they

took it from the churches to their homes. It

became the prayer that conquered vice,

caused virtue to flourish, and brought Divine

graces and blessings to everyone.

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For nearly two centuries the Rosary re-

mained the great prayer of Christians. Later,

when the first ardor for the

The Plea Rosary seemed to slacken,

of a Our Lady appeared to

Mother Blessed Alan, another of

her zealous sons. She told

him to revive the Rosary, adding that im-

mense volumes would be needed to tell of all

its miracles. To him, too, she made certain
promises. Here are four of them: "He who
calls on me through the Rosary shall not per-

ish. —The true children of the Rosary shall
enjoy a great glory in heaven. —Whatever
you ask through the Rosary shall be granted.

— Those who propagate my Rosary shall be
helped by me in all their necessities.”
The events of the succeeding years proved

that she kept her promises. The Mohamme-

dans were ready to overrun

Salvation of Europe. Mary’s Rosary
the Christian stopped them by two great

World victories, that broke their

sea power and destroyed

the last remnants of their land forces. Pope

Clement XI, to commemorate these victories,

along with the even greater spiritual victory

of St. Dominic and Blessed Alan, com-

manded the whole Church to celebrate the

Feast of the Most Holy Rosary.

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Coming closer to our own times, we have

further evidence of the great value of the

Rosary. Eighteen times at

Recommended Lourdes Our Immaculate
to the Mother appeared to Bema-
World dette, recited the Rosary

with her, and recommended

the practice to the w’orld. Again, on October

13 in 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, Our Lady

summed up the greatness of the Rosary by

calling herself the Lady of the Rosary. These

are her w^ords: "I am the Lady of the Rosary
and I have come to warn the faithful to

amend their lives and ask pardon for their

sins. They must not continue to offend Our

Lord, already so deeply offended. They must

say the Rosary”

The Rosary has had a glorious past. Our

Lady of the Rosary has kept all of her prom-

ises. She has saved indi-

The viduals, families, nations,

Family Rosary and the whole world
Today through its power. Now

the Rosary takes on a new

glory. It is the family that is threatened to-

day. It is the family that must be saved if

the world is to be saved. The Rosary has

saved the world in the past. It will save the

wrorld now by saving the family. But it is

no longer the Rosary alone — it is the Fam-
4



ily Rosary. It is the family saying the Rosary.

It is the Rosary saving the family through

the family.

The Rosary by itself has proved its power.

The Family Rosary has a new power all its

own. The family in itself
A is already a power: it is
Family Prayer one of the units upon

of Power which society is founded.

Its bond of unity is mutual

love. When such a unit lifts its voice in the
Family Rosary, the power of this prayer of

the centuries increases as the family becomes

one with Jesus Christ Who said, "... where
two or three are gathered together for My
sake, there am I in the midst of them.”

"Where two or three are gathered to-

gether”: how much more truly are they

gathered together for His sake when it is the

family already united by love that is so

gathered! How much more truly does the
prayer of the Family Rosary ascend as one

voice with that of Mary’s Son! Prayer is

talking to God. The Rosary is Mary’s way

for us to talk to Him, for she, His Mother,

gave us this way, and a mother knows best.

When individuals so closely united in love as
to form a family talk to God in Mary’s way,
the power of the prayer is increased. The

most powerful prayer said by the members of

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life’s most powerful social unit, the family,

becomes an irresistible plea to God and His
Mother, Mary.

The Family Rosary is a lesson in living

A father and mother on their knees teach
their children dependence

A Family upon God. The simple
Lesson prayer of the children

in Living brings back to their

parents Christ’s words,

"... whoever does not accept the kingdom of

God as a little child will not enter into it.”
No husband and wife who learn well the les-
sons of the Family Rosary can be unfaithful

to each other, or live very long in a state

of mortal sin. The petty quarrels of brothers

and sisters will give way to true love for one

another. It is impossible to imagine a family

dedicated to the daily recitation of the Fam-

ily Rosary, living in enmity with one another

or with God.

The Family Rosary, too, is a practical way

to strengthen the unity of family life, so

easily weakened by the

Builder of modern way of living. Fa-
Family ther, away from home in
Unity the office or factory most

of the day, sisters and

brothers at work, school, or play, come home

often to their own individual interests with

6



little thought for one another. The Family

Rosary, for at least a few short moments of

every day, will join them in a bond of loving

prayer to God and His Mother.

Today more than ever there is need of a

powerful weapon to protect family life.

Worldliness and worldly

Against doctrines — the sworn ene-
Worldly mies of the Christian life

Wickedness — strike first at the family.
These are stronger forces

today than ever before. What hope has any
family against them? What hope has family
life against the teachings of many college

professors on planned parenthood, compan-

ionate marriage, divorce, and general immor-

ality? The radio, newspapers, comic sheets,

and magazines bring these doctrines into the

home itself, lay them on the table for all to

see, leave them ringing in everyone’s ears.

Moving pictures with color and sound attract

even the wisest and wariest by scenes that

make a joke of family life.

Happily, God provides us with the weapon
we need. It is the Family Rosary. The his-

tory of the Rosary has

Protector of proved already how power-
Family ful it is against the forces

Life of sin and evil, whatever

these forces be. It won the

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victories of Lepanto and Temesvar against

the Turks, and saved nations when they took

the Rosary into their hands. Now it will
all the more save the family if the family will

only take it into its hands. The Rosary has

accomplished great things. In the Providence

of God the Family Rosary will do even
greater things if families will only use it.

The power of the Family Rosary is not sur-

prising to anyone who realizes the perfection

of its very make-up. It is a

A Prayer living organism, so to
of Perfect speak, with a perfect body

Parts and soul. Its body (the

vocal prayers) is perfect,

since it is made up of the sign of our salva-

tion and the three greatest prayers of the

Catholic Faith. Its soul (the Mysteries) is

perfect, too, since these Mysteries are Christ’s

life — the perfect life — relived again in the
minds of the praying family.

The first act of the family is the sign of

the cross. They begin the perfect family

prayer in the perfect way.

The Sign They sign themselves with

of the sign of Redemption

Salvafion and with united voice they

offer their Rosary in the

Name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost. As each member of the

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family tenderly holds the cross of salvation,

from their lips comes forth a firm and united

profession of faith for all that the cross

stands for. They recite the Apostles’ Creed —
a prayer that embraces all the Christian

truths and mysteries of our Holy Faith.

The Our Father raises the family circle to

a Divine level. No longer as earthly father,
mother, son, and daughter

Our does the family pray but
Lord's rather as children of God,

Composition united into a higher family

circle where God is Father
and Mary Immaculate is Mother. No one
but the Son of God Himself could have com-
posed a prayer so full of meaning and power.

It is not merely a portion of the Gospel; it is

a summary of the Gospel — that Gospel by
which we must live to be true children of

God.

,

The Hail Mary is the beautiful prayer
that for centuries has been lovingly spoken

by old and young. Still

A today it is on the lips of
Divine millions — in health, in
Masterpiece sickness, in death. It is so

beautiful that it finds its

way into music and into song. If we ask our-

selves what is the secret of its beauty, the an-

swer is that it is God’s word-picture of the

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loveliest of all creatures, His Mother and

ours. Never do we tire of repeating over and

over again His beautiful description of Mary.

She is full of grace. The Lord is with her.

She is blessed among all the women of the

world. She is the powerful Mother of God
who can help us now and at the hour of our

death. Most blessed in the sight of God is

the family that brings to life fifty-three times

each day this masterpiece of Divine Wisdom.

The greatest mystery of our Catholic Faith

is that of the Most Blessed Trinity: one God
in three Divine Persons. A family that says
the Family Rosary daily gives glory six times

a day to the Blessed Trinity as they raise

their voices in the beautiful prayer of praise:

"Glory be to the Father and to the Son and

• to the Holy Ghost.”

The most important part of the Family

Rosary is its soul — the meditations on the
Joyful, Sorrowful, and

•The Soul Glorious events in the lives

°f fhe of Our Lord and of Our
Rosary Lady. This is the part of

the Rosary which, accord-

ing to tradition, Our Lady took such pains to

explain to St. Dominic. It is easy to see why

she did this. She wanted, and wants, the

prayer of the Rosary to be more than a reci-

tation of memorized sentences. She wants it

10



to be a way for the ordinary person of a busy

workaday world to think over the things she

and her Son have done for them. She knows

that no person with a human heart can ever

be ungrateful, forgetful, or cruel once he

has understood what pain sin has caused the

hearts of the sweetest Mother and Son. She

knows that there is no surer way for a per-

son to grow up to be worthy to be called a

son of God than to review with her, his
Mother, some part of the life of the Son of

God each day until one finally learns to imi-

tate Him so closely that she will say to Jesus:
"Son — behold Thy brother.”

Daily meditation is the spiritual power

house of the great leaders of the Church. But

it is not for them alone.

Power House Every person in the world,

of Spiritual no matter what his talents

Energy be, can draw from this

same power house by daily

meditation on a portion of the Mysteries of

the Rosary. The home that makes a daily

practice of the Family Rosary is strong unto

selflessness, meets trials courageously, faces

life joyously. Father, mother, brothers, and

sisters all sense the new feeling of power.

The family is not only teeming with life —
it is teeming with the life of Christ.

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The family will find no difficulty in medi-

tating on the Mysteries of the Rosary. Each

of the Mysteries gives a

The snapshot of some event in

Mind's Eye the life of Jesus and Mary.

Sees Meditating means looking

at that snapshot with the

eyes of the mind. At first, if the eyes have

not been used to looking at these pictures,

they may get a dim, hazy view. But once they

are in focus by a little practice, the picture

will become clear. Then just one thing can

happen — the person behind those eyes will
have to say: "Now I see what God and His
Mother have done for me. I must do some-

thing for them. What can I do to prove that
I mean what I say?” Even the seven-year-

olds can understand that. They learn before

this age to say "Thank you” for a gift.

There is no one method of meditation,

but for an example here is one on the

first Joyful Mystery. First,

An listen carefully as the
Unforgettable leader announces the Mys-

Picture tery. Imagine yourself right

there in Mary’s own room.

You watch her praying. You see the Angel

Gabriel approach her. You notice that she

is frightened as she suddenly sees a strange

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person in her room. The sound of his voice

is like sweet music. She is no longer afraid.

You listen to what the Angel is saying: "Hail

Mary. ...” The words are on your lips, too.

"Full of grace. ” Not another person in

the world is full of grace, yet how humble

Mary is about it all. The Mother of God!

Such a meditation, or any other that you

like, can be used for each of the Joyful, Sor-

rowful, and Glorious Mysteries. Later we

shall give a short sample meditation for all

of them.

Just as there is no single way of meditat-

ing on the Mysteries, so there is no one man-

ner of recitation of the

The Family Rosary. The most
Family practical way, however,

Recitations seems to be this: first, at

the beginning of each dec-

ade, let the leader announce the proper Mys-

tery so that all may hear. If convenient, the

leader may offer a few suggestions to make

the meditation easier. He may read the medi-
tations which we have placed at the end of

this booklet, or any others he may have. Per-

haps he may wish to compose his own. Where

practicable, the whole family may together

read aloud the meditation for each Mystery,

since the vocal recitation directs the attention

13



of each one more effectively to the Mystery

in hand, and gives all a fuller sense of par-

ticipation in the prayer.

The recitation of the Family Rosary should

be the unfailing practice every day in every

family, no matter what

A may take members of the
Daily family away from home.

Practice As long as two members of

the family say the Rosary

together, they say the Family Rosary, and all

the added power of the Family Rosary is pres-

ent in their prayer. Of course the entire fam-
ily should try to be present. Those members

who are deliberately absent not only fail to

receive the fruits of the Family Rosary reci-

tation which they would receive were they

present, but they also weaken the power of

the united family plea before God.

The presence of visitors should never be

the occasion for letting a day go by without

the Family Rosary. No
Win guest at your home, no
the Family matter what his religion

Guest may be, would want to feel

that because of his presence

in your home God and Mary were put aside

for fear of embarrassing him. Experience has

shown that the recitation of the Family Ros-

14



Recite

at

Any Hour

ary in the presence of visitors has been one

of the most fruitful means of spreading the

Family Rosary to others. Is it any wonder?

If it is a beautiful thing to do, then it is a

beautiful thing to see, and those who see it

themselves will wish to do it.

There is no determined time at which to

recite the Family Rosary. Different times fit

different families. The
most popular, however,

seems to be after the eve-

ning meal — perhaps even
before th e dishes are

washed, while everyone is at the family table.

Our Lady, good housekeeper though she is,

will not condemn the housewife who delays

washing the dishes for ten minutes in order

that she may bring to the family table

prayers worth an eternity.

The fruits of the Family Rosary? What
is there to say about them? Who can enu-

merate them? Ffistory tells

its story — from Dominic
to Lepanto, from Lourdes

to Fatima, and down to

the present day. The beauty

of its prayers is beyond comparison, the

power of its plea is irresistible. In addition

to these fruits the Church grants a special

Value

Its

Indulgences

15



indulgence to the Family Rosary, because it

grants twice the amount to group recitation

as to recitation alone. Also, on the last Sun-

day of the month, the family that has been

faithful to the daily Family Rosary may gain

a plenary indulgence by going to confession,

receiving Holy Communion, and visiting a

church.

The Rosary is not a new prayer — it goes
far back in history. The Family Rosary goes

back just as far, and if to-

The day families do not every-

Family Rosary where say the Rosary, it is

Crusade not because the Rosary does

not belong to families but

rather because families have failed to belong

to the Rosary. This is the reason why, in

January of 1942, Father Patrick Peyton, a

young priest of the Congregation of Holy

Cross, obtained the permission of his supe-

riors to dedicate his life to the restoration of

the Family Rosary. He is not the creator
of the Family Rosary. He is not even the
first leader of the present Family Rosary Cru-

sade. He has only taken up the cause of
the Vicars of Christ.

The Popes, especially of recent years, have

been constant in their plea for the Family

16



Rosary. Pius IX said: "If
Began you desire peace in your

with the hearts, in your homes, in

Popes your country, assemble ev-

ery evening to recite the

Rosary.” The last plea of this same Father

of the Christian Family was: "In the whole

of the Vatican there is no greater treasure

than the Rosary. . . . Let the Rosary — this
simple beautiful method of prayer enriched

with many indulgences — be habitually re-
cited of an evening in every household. These

are my last words to you, the memorial I
leave behind me.”

Wifh

Repeated

Pleas

Pope Leo XIII was another great apostle

of the Family Rosary. He appealed for it
in several encyclicals. These

are some of his words: "It

is therefore not only agree-

able to the devotion of pri-

vate persons, but also suit-

able to the public needs of the times,

that this kind of prayer should be restored

to that place of honor which it long held,

when each Christian family would suffer no

day to pass without the recitation of the

Rosary.”

Again he said: "The formula of the Ro-

sary, too, is excellently adapted to prayer

17



in common.” — "It will not then seem too
much to say that ... in families ... in which

the Rosary of Mary retains its ancient honor,

the loss of Faith through error and vicious

ignorance need not be feared.”

The late Pius XI carried the Family Rosary
Crusade directly to parents with this mes-

sage: "The fathers and mothers of families

particularly must give an example to their

children, especially when at sunset they gather

together . . . and recite the Holy Rosary on

bended knees. . . . This is a beautiful and

salutary custom, from which certainly there

cannot but be derived tranquillity and abun-

dance of heavenly gifts for the household.”

And today our present Holy Father
preaches the Family Rosary by both word

and example. In an ad-

And dress to newly wedded
Humble groups, speaking of the re-

Example citation of the Rosary he

said: "You may be sure

that in doing so you are insuring the success

of your future family life.” But to clinch

his words with action, each day he gathers

the papal household together to recite with

them the Family Rosary.

Father Peyton took up this Crusade of the

Holy Fathers in thanksgiving to the Mother

18



of God for the restoration
Modern of his health. He made the
Rosary first plans for a world-wide

Crusade Crusade for the Family Ro-

sary at Holy Cross College,

Washington, D. C., in January, 1942. In

September of the same year he opened the

first Family Rosary Crusade Office in Albany,

N. Y. From there the Family Rosary mes-

sage went to every church, school, and re-

ligious institution in America. So great was

the response and enthusiasm of America to

this appeal that its effects soon began to be

felt in Canada, Cuba, Panama, Newfound-

land, Australia, Hawaii, Ireland, and Eng-

land. The American hierarchy at their an-

nual meeting in 1942 recommended the Fam-

ily Rosary to America. Requests for leaflets

and pledge-cards poured into the Crusade

Office by the thousands. Radio stations in-

cluded the Family Rosary on their schedule

of programs. Translations were made into

Braille and Spanish. French and Italian

translations were asked for, too. Personal

letters praising the Family Rosary came from

cardinals, archbishops, bishops, religious su-

periors, national and diocesan leaders of lay

organizations; from students and families.

The voice of America clamoring for the

perfect Family Prayer, is even heard beyond

19



its own boundaries. Soon, please God, there

will be a world-wide united prayer ascending

to the Throne of God, the prayer of the

Rosary said by millions of families.

The Family Rosary is not only the family’s

prayer — it is the family’s crusade. As each
family takes up the prac-

The tice of the daily Family

Family's Rosary, its members become

Crusade apostles, persuading other

families of the beauty and

power of the Family Rosary, and of the

peace and love it will bring into their home.

There are many apostles and many ways

to be an apostle. The Family Rosary said

for the promotion of this

Apostles Crusade has in itself a

by world-conquering sweep;
Prayer for like true love it is never

satisfied until there are no

more worlds to win for the beloved. Berna-

dette, after she had drawn first a village,

then a nation, then a whole world, to Lourdes

to say the Rosary, quietly went to a convent

to be out of the reach of the world. Yet

she knew she had lost none of her marvelous

power by so doing — she still had its source,
for as she herself said: "I can do two things,

I can love Mary and I can say my beads.”
The family that loves Mary and says the

20



Family Rosary will draw families to the Fam-

ily Rosary as Bernadette drew crowds to

Lourdes.

Crusade apostles have not limited them-

selves to prayer alone, but have developed

methods of organized ac-

Apostles tion. Bishops promote it,

by pastors make it a parish

Action project. Army and Navy

chaplains preach it. Con-

gregations of Religious spread it; students

of colleges, high schools and grade schools

win family pledges; the Catholic press pleads

for it; and the lay organizations of Amer-

ica have adopted it.

Great advances have been made, as you

see, but the end is still not in sight. There

is a world to win. Yet even

For when that world is won and
All the Family Rosary Crusade

Eternity is finished, the Story of the

Family Rosary will still go

on. For it is a living story — a story of the
prayer of a living family which will worship

God and honor Mary for all eternity.

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DIRECTIONS FOR THE
FAMILY ROSARY RECITATION
Vocal Prayers of the Family Rosary

ALL:

In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

LEADER:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus

Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was
conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of

the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius

Pilate; was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended into hell; the third day he
arose again from the dead; He ascended
into heaven; sitteth at the right hand of

God the Father Almighty; from thence
He shall come to judge the living and
the dead.

GROUP:

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy

Catholic Church; the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of

the body; and life everlasting. Amen.

LEADER:

Our Father, Who art in heaven; hal-
lowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

22



GROUP:

Give us this day our daily bread; and

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive

those who trespass against us, and lead us

not into temptation; but deliver us from

evil. Amen.

LEADER:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is

with thee; blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

GROUP:

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for
us sinners, now and at the hour of our
death. Amen.

(Three Hail Marys as above)

LEADER:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost.

GROUP:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

LEADER or ALL TOGETHER:

FIRST MYSTERY

Announce if. Then give the appropriate
meditation — either one suggested below,

23



or any other you like. The more closely it
applies to the particular group the better

it is.

Then: One Our Father
Ten Hail Marys
One Glory be to the Father

Leader takes the first part of these pray-

ers, the group the last part.

After the Glory be to the Father is said,

announce the second Mystery, then con-

tinue as above, and so on for all of the

Mysteries.

24



SAMPLE MEDITATIONS ON THE
MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES

Monday and Thursday

(Also Sundays from the first Sunday

of Advent to the first Sunday of Lent)

Setting the Scene:

Today may have been a day of sorrow
and pain. So many days of life are. But
meditation on the five Joyful Mysteries

will help to turn sadness into true spir-

itual joy.

The Annunciation:

An Angel came to you, dear Mother,
as you prayed in your home at Nazareth,
and told you that you were to be the

Mother in the Holy Family and that the

Son of God would be your Child. You
are God’s Mother, but you are our Mother

too. God always listens to you. Mother of
God and of us all, listen to our prayer.

The Visitation:

Dear Mother Mary, when you ieft your

home to visit your cousin Elizabeth, you
brought the Son of God into Elizabeth’s
home. Through the Family Rosary we in-
vite you to bring Him into our home.

25



The Nativity:

Mother of Christ, when you brought

your Son Jesus into the world, His first

home was a cave for animals, but He was
happy because you were there to care for

Him. We, too, will know real happiness
if you come to our home, however humble

it be. Come to us, then, as we recite
Your Rosary!

The Presentation:

In the Temple of Jerusalem, Immaculate

Mother, you offered your little Son to the

Father to Whom He belonged. Although
Simeon prophesied that a sword of sorrow

would pierce your heart, yet your joy re-

mained because you knew that you and

your beloved Son belonged to God. Let

us likewise remember that no sorrow can

drive away our family joy if we offer our-

selves generously to God.

The Finding in the Temple:

Dear Mother, after three days of sorrow

and searching, you found Jesus and your

soul was filled with joy. Never again can

you lose Him. Yet daily you seek Him in
the soul of each of us in this family circle.

May your search be ever rewarded by find-
ing Him in our souls when they are free
from mortal sin!

26



THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

Tuesday and Friday (also Sundays in Lent)

Setting the Scene:

Today you go with Out Lord and His

Mother over the way of the Sorrowful

Mysteries. There is no need to tell you of

sorrow. If you have lived, you have felt it.

But let your only sorrow in this short jour-

ney be sorrow for sin — yours and the
world’s. For the rest, let peace, confidence,

love, and joy stirred by the thought of so

loving a God, be the sentiments of these

meditations.

The Agony in the Garden:

Dear Lord, permit us to kneel with You
as You pray in the Garden. We are sorry
because our sins caused you so much suffer-

ing. With this Family Rosary we will try

to show You that we love You very much.
Give us the grace to be always a comfort

to You and to Your Sorrowful Mother.

The Scourging at the Pillar:

The crack of the whip rings in our ears,

dear Lord, as they scourge You. What,

terrible pain You suffei just for us! Help
all in our family to be holy in body and

soul.

V



The Crowning with Thorns:

Your crown, dear Savior, is made of
cruel thorns. Many people will not have
You as their King. But You will always
be the glorious King Who rules our family.

The Carrying of the Cross:

We are walking at Your side, dear Lord.
We are carrying crosses, too. You told us
that we must. Our crosses are little ones . .

.

Yours is the heavy cross of Calvary!

The Crucifixion:

In spirit we stand at the foot of Your
cross, dear Lord. You hang there for three
hours. Our Family Rosary takes us only a
few minutes, but we will remember all our

lives the lesson we are now learning — the
lesson of Your great love for us. Dear

Jesus, our family thanks You for all that
You have suffered for us.

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES

Wednesday and Saturday (also Sundays

from Easter to Advent)

Setting the Scene:

In life on earth joy follows sorrow and

sorrow follows joy, until life ends with the

last great sorrow — death. Then joy alone
28



remains — joy so great that we call it glory,
for there is a Resurrection and Coronation

waiting for us, too, when we enter forever

on the way of the Glorious Mysteries.

The Resurrection:

Dear Mother, this is a happy day for

you. Your Son has come back to life, and

His glorious body will live forever. Our
bodies, too, will rise from the dead and

will live forever. Help us to live so that

our family will be together again in heaven.

The Ascension:

Dear Blessed Mother, we kneel beside

you as your Divine Son ascends into heav-

en. He is going to prepare a place for
you — you will be Queen of Heaven and
of Earth. Ask Him to prepare a heavenly
home for our family.

The Descent of the Holy Ghost:

Blessed Mother, our family cannot be

good unless the Holy Ghost lives in it. As
you prayed with the Apostles, the Holy
Spirit came upon them. Pray with us how
that during this Family Rosary the Holy
Ghost may come and bring His wonderful
gifts to cur family circle.

The Assumption:

You are in heaven, dearest Mother, body
and soul. You are preparing a place for us,

29



You made a promise that the true children
of the Rosary would enjoy great glory in

heaven. We know that you will keep that
promise.

The Coronation:

Your Son, Jesus, dear Lady, is the King
in our family. You are the Queen. Our
Lord has promised to be with us when we

pray in the family group. We know that
you, too, are in our midst when we say your

favorite prayer — the Daily Family Rosary.

30



Though not a part of the Family Rosary,

these beautiful prayers are said by many

families as its fitting conclusion.

Prayer

JjfjAIL, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy; our
TJf life, our sweetness, and our hope! To
thee do we cry, poor banished children of
Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine
eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our
exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy
womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet
Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the

promises of Christ.

©
Let Us Pray

GOD, Whose only-begotten Son, by His
life, death, and resurrection, hath pur-

chased for us the rewards of everlasting life,
grant, we beseech Thee, that we who medi-
tate upon these Mysteries of the most Holy
Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary may both
imitate what they contain and attain to what
they promise. Through the same Christ our
Lord. Amen.

For additional copies of this booklet or
other literature on the Family Rosary,

address

:

The Reverend Patrick Peyton, C. S. C.
The Family Rosary

Albany, N. Y.



©HERE is no greater hope for
earth than the sight of father,

mother, brothers, and sisters on their

knees together in the quiet of their

home saying the Rosary. On their
lips, the Words of God In their

hearts, the Lore of Mary. Within

their home, all the Special Graces

and Blessings God pours down on

those who make their home a home

of the Daily Family Rosary.