Reinvigorating the Rosary

“My brother’s sick,” one boy says. Another hand pops up, “For my mom.” A flicker of hands pop up and students offer their petitions for a class Rosary: an end to abortion, friends fighting cancer, for students traveling on a class trip. It’s a common sight at the Lower School, where Marian devotion has flourished in recent years.

Every morning, students pray Hail Marys together during morning prayer. For years now, they have ended Masses with a series of Hail Marys. Last year, the Lower School added a monthly school Rosary to the calendar, led by 6 th grade, now 7 th grade students. Class rosaries were added during October, the month of the Rosary, and May, the month of Mary. “The class rosaries are great because everyone has a role,” Lower School Principal Mr. Schultz said. “The students can lead the Rosary and add their own petitions in a comfortable environment.”

Now, other Rosary devotions are emerging at the Lower School, notably, the Marian procession. This devotion comes from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, where they host a procession every night. The 19th - century tradition is in honor of the apparitions of Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous in a grotto on the banks of the Gave de Pau river. The image of Our Lady told Bernadette to “come here in procession” and build a chapel at the grotto, where the sanctuary now stands.

Last May, students and faculty processed around the Lower School parking lot, carrying a statue of Mary and praying the Rosary. We invited our families to participate in this devotion the following October on a Friday night. “We went around the building with the statue of Mary while holding blessed candles and ended in the chapel, which was close to full of parents and students,” recalled Mr. Schultz.

Rosary devotions have spread to our Upper School and Preschool, too. Some families brought the image of Our Lady into their homes, a special devotion to Mary called Pilgrim Queen of the Family. Families who sign up committed to placing the image of Our Lady in a central place in their home, and regularly praying a Rosary together in front of it. The Pilgrim Queen prayer kit comes with a Rosary and a booklet explaining how to pray the Rosary, which were blessed at the Basilica of Guadalupe.

The Pilgrim Queen has been transferred between families at Lower School Rosaries and at Upper School Connections Rosaries. Every two weeks at the Preschool, students led by Mrs. Clara sing “Immaculate Mary” while the traveling image of Our Lady passes to a new family, creating a community of faith and continuous prayer.

Sharing the Rosary has become increasingly important to administrators, students, and parents organizers like Araceli Sanroman. “There are two parts of the Rosary that make it important for our students,” explained Mr. Schultz. “One part is the idea of petitions and the importance of praying for others. The other is in the meditations and thinking about the meaning within the mysteries while reciting them. The Rosary itself is no more than 20 minutes. It’s not hard, it’s a realistic prayer. That’s why I love it.”

PILGRIM QUEEN TESTIMONIES

“Gathering around her statue and praying to Mother Mary as a family each day or night was a very moving and memorable spiritual experience as having the mother of Our Lord in front of us brought peace, calm, and spiritual deepening to us all. Having our child at Holy Spirit Prep has been very rewarding from an educational standpoint, but more importantly, from having Jesus in every aspect of John’s quality education.” -The Olivas

“When we tried to pray the rosary as a family, I was discouraged. The kids were not as reverent as I wanted them to be. They were playing with the rosaries. They were giggling or poking one another. It seemed impossible, but again, we persevered. We took away the physical rosaries and taught them to use their fingers to keep track – I am sure that is why God gave us ten fingers! Every rosary was not perfect, but from time to time, we would be graced with a truly peaceful and transcendent experience as a family all cuddled together in prayer.” -Dede Casal

“Receiving the Pilgrim Queen in our home has meant to open our hearts more to Christ, since she is the best messenger of Christ’s love and the strongest bridge to heaven. Going to Heaven in the end, is saying yes to God’s love, and the best role model is Mary. We placed Our Heavenly Mother at a place where we can all see her and talk to her heart to heart, where we can enjoy the sweet and loving company of our Guest of Honor.

Just knowing that the Rosary is a prayer very blessed by God—because through Mary we meditate on the mysteries in Jesus’ life and help our hearts be closer to his—is an amazing motivation! For among God’s promises to those who pray the Rosary are to sanctify them with graces, virtues, mercy, and love from Jesus. What an amazing gift for everyone we love to pray together and to pray for them” -Araceli Sanroman