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Saturday Morning Rosary Group: Connecting Our Prayers with the Blessed Mother, Growing in Fellowship
Our Blessed Mother cares deeply about us, her children. Mary intercedes for us as we pray, bringing our petitions to her Son. One of the ways we can connect our prayers with Mary’s is through reciting the Rosary. Here at St. Francis Xavier, we are blessed to have the weekly Saturday Morning Rosary Group that prays and supports each other.
Kevin Larios leads the group that meets every Saturday at 8 a.m. before Mass. He has been involved since 2014 and took over the leadership role in 2019.
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“To me, it gives me another good opportunity to start off the weekend with praying to our Holy Mother for our intentions,” Kevin says. “And also, the Church has always recognized Saturday being the day of Mary. It’s a way to honor her, to say the Rosary. Since COVID was disruptive, it’s more opened up for the time being. It’s good to be able to visit with those who I don’t regularly see.”
The group members gather, share their petitions, and take turns leading the decades of the Rosary. Prior to the pandemic, the group would meet for breakfast after praying the Rosary, but the details for that social time are still being worked out. For now, following the Rosary, they typically visit with one another in the narthex until 9 a.m. Mass, which many members choose to attend. This provides the opportunity for fellowship, something that the COVID-19 pandemic removed from our lives for a time.
While it’s possible to pray the Rosary alone, doing so in a group allows for more support and fellowship among the attendees. Sharing petitions with one another also helps to keep in mind the well-being of others and gives everyone the chance to pray for each other.
“There’s often maybe a family member who is ill or having some major surgery,” Kevin says. “Later we find out that person is recovering. We can only think that we have faith that our prayers are answered. I bring up the conflicts around the world, I’m constantly praying for that. But yes, still small miracles that come about in those intentions of others that come and pray the Rosary, we find out later that they are doing okay.”
Kevin was raised Catholic but didn’t encounter the Rosary until he joined the Knights of Columbus in 1993. The first component of his membership was the encouragement to pray the Rosary regularly.
“That’s where I learned to pray the Rosary,” he says.
Now, Kevin prays the Rosary several times per week, despite a busy daily schedule.
“Saying the Rosary with a very sincere and proper approach — not just rambling off, but really saying each of those prayers — to me, it’s important,” he says. “When the Church says to honor her, this is the best way to do it.”
