The Rosary was introduced to the world through an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a poor shepherdess named St. Dominic Guzman in 1208. She delivered him a powerful weapon that could be used to fight the corruption and heresy that had taken hold in Europe at the time. This weapon was the Rosary – a set of prayers focusing on events from the life of Jesus, composed with the help of Mary herself.
The Rosary has been used by Catholics as a way to meditate on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ ever since its inception during the Middle Ages. It consists of fifty-three beads, divided into five sections known as decades, each one focusing on specific mysteries from Jesus’s life. As you pray through each decade, you meditate on certain influential events and moments in his life, such as his birth, resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. Its purpose is to bring those who pray it closer to Christ, while strengthening their faith and devotion.
So does the Virgin Mary herself pray the Rosary?
In art and in apparitions, Our Lady often carries a rosary. Western art often depicts Mary with a rosary in her hands, an image confirmed by the recorded apparitions of Lourdes and Fatima. This may seem strange as it could imply Our Lady was praying the “Hail Mary” to herself – something that wouldn’t make much sense given her humility. To understand why this is the case, it is important to look at the testimonies from Lourdes and Fatima. St. Bernadette testified that when praying the Rosary, Our Lady made a sign of approval with her head and held a rosary on her arm; however, she did not pray each decade, but only joined for the “Gloria” at the end of each one. She also noted how she couldn’t start until Our Lady made the Sign of the Cross. At Lourdes she asked to “Pray for sinners”; at Fatima she asked them to “Say the Rosary every day…to bring peace to the world and an end to the war” as well as “Make sacrifices for sinners”. It is clear that Our Lady carries a rosary so as to encourage us to pray it ourselves, accompanying us like a loving mother while guiding our hands when they fall limp. Pope Francis said it best in 2013: “The Rosary is a school of prayer, the Rosary is a school of faith!”
