Dear Padre Artical - 19th April 2009

Dear George,

The rosary is a very rich prayer in the Catholic Church’s treasury. It originated from the Church’s liturgical prayer, which used the 150 psalms of the Old Testament, and developed into a way of prayer for people who couldn’t read or who didn’t have full access to the Bible. The 150 psalms were later replaced with simple, easily memorized prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary. Additions were made over the centuries, and the rosary’s current form took shape in the sixteenth century.

The prayers used in the rosary (Apostles’ Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary) are considered foundational prayers Christians need to know. We begin with the Apostles' Creed, which says our prayer centers on the mystery of God, who transformed the world through Christ incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. The Our Father focuses us on the contemplative task of prayer. Through the three Hail Marys we ask God to strengthen our faith, hope, and charity, the three theological virtues in any Christian’s life.

The rosary focuses us as we make our way through key mysteries in the lives of Christ, Mary, and the Church. The repetitive use of very common, well known prayers helps draw us into this great act of contemplative prayer.