Rosary during the Mass?
To Jesus Through Mary
There seems to be a lot of discussion about the Rosary being prayed during the Mass. I think it is a beautiful devotion during the liturgy which should be brought back and shouldn’t be looked down on. There are some who still take part in this and some who don’t.
It is my understanding that at least two previous popes have recommended this devotion. There are even missals and prayer books that encourage it as well.
With keeping this in mind, I can’t help but think of the well known phrase which is associated with Consecration to Our Lady and St Louis De Montfort:
To Jesus Through Mary
In my opinion, I think it’s a great way to connect ourselves to the mystery of our faith but also it’s a great meditation of what the Holy Mass is. Timothy Flanders goes into this more in depth over at One Peter Five.
Be open to this ancient practice. If older parishioners are not afraid of this beautiful practice, you shouldn’t be either. We could learn a lot from them. Just think of our grandparents and great grandparents who’ve filled the pews during Mass praying the Rosary.
This is actually something I’ve been wondering about lately, so your article is very timely. Just curious, who were the popes that recommended this devotion? I find it difficult to pray during the Canon at a Novus Ordo Mass since the priest is talking aloud, but I definitely see the beauty of this devotion at the Tridentine Mass. Our forefathers and mothers have such wisdom if we but learn from their example!
This is a practice which has existed for centuries. Before people were literate, they learned the Mass and associated its parts with the actions of the priest so they knew exactly what was happening. Praying the rosary was undoubtedly a prayerful way to enter into the event which had a lot of silence. The modern Mass is fairly constant noise so praying the rosary is hard. But people pray it in different ways - for me the mysteries are a launch pad for my brain, which then wends its way through what I have been reading, experiences I have had, to bring them to God, and I can see how praying the rosary during Mass could bring the mysteries of the incarnation more into focus with the eucharist.