October has traditionally been considered the month of the Rosary. October 7 is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This prayer celebration focuses on the Mysteries of the Rosary. You may want to emphasize to participants that although the Rosary is an intercessory form of prayer wherein Mary intercedes on our behalf, we recall through these mysteries the story of our salvation in Jesus Christ. We pray with Mary and the whole Church that the work of salvation will continue.


"Praying the Rosary" – Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
Materials Needed		Prayer table with Bible and candle, flowers, rosaries, and music
Reading		Luke 1:28, 42; 2:16, 33, 48
Music		"I Say 'Yes,' Lord/ Digo 'Sí,' Señor," Blest Are We Music CD 6, "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman," Carey Landry (OCP Publications); "My Soul Rejoices," Owen Alstott (OCP Publications); "Mary's Joy," Christopher Uehlein, OSB
Preparation		Create a "living rosary" by dividing participants into five groups, one for each of the five decades of the Joyful Mysteries. Within each group, two participants are needed to lead the prayers. With a smaller group, have participants take turns. If you do not have the time to pray the complete rosary, you might choose to pray only one or two Hail Mary’s for each Mystery. Photocopy the liturgy pages so each participant has one.
Adaptation		Teach participants to pray the Hail Mary by using gestures such as crossing both hands over the chest, bowing the head, folding hands, raising both hands above the head, and kneeling. You might invite participants to suggest other prayerful gestures to use.
Additional Materials		"I Say 'Yes,' Lord/ Digo 'Sí,' Señor" Blest Are We Music CD 6 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36657-3 Blest Are We Song Book Words and melody for children; contains music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book Contains accompaniment music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2