The Rosary


© Copyright 2002 Grace D. MacKinnon

Grace MacKinnon is a syndicated columnist and public speaker on Catholic doctrine. Readers are welcome to submit questions about the Catholic faith to: Grace MacKinnon, 1234 Russell Drive #103, Brownsville, Texas 78520. Questions also may be sent by e-mail to: grace@deargrace.com. You may visit Grace online at www.DearGrace.com.



Yes, it is fine to recite the rosary without holding the beads. The whole purpose of praying the rosary is to helps us meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself asked His disciples to pray unceasingly, so from the earliest times, His followers wanted to be faithful to His request. Thus, the custom of repetitive, meditative prayer has a long history in the life of the Church.

The rosary as we know it today evolved over the centuries. One tradition dates the rosary back to Irish monks who would keep track of their daily one hundred and fifty Our Fathers by counting on knotted cords so that they would not fall short on their devotional intention. With time, eventually many Christians took up the practice of saying one hundred and fifty Hail Marys. They believed in their hearts that Mary would always lead them to her Son, so they prayed with her and reflected on the mysteries of Jesus’ life. The full rosary consists of fifteen decades of ten Hail Marys each, divided by an Our Father. Each of the decades is devoted to a major event or “mystery” in the story of our salvation. Praying the rosary is a spiritual exercise that is meant to draw us closer to God. The idea is not merely to have a rule or a count of how many prayers we recite. Holding the beads in your hands is good, but the most important part is the prayer and reflection.

As for the place or time of day, if you find that any hour or setting allows for productive and meditative prayer, then yes, any time or place is fine. Many Catholics wonder if it is appropriate to recite the rosary during Mass. The Mass is one time when the rosary should not be prayed because it is very important to be focused on everything that is happening during the Holy Sacrifice. Praying the rosary would only divide our attention. At the Mass, Jesus comes to us in His body, blood, soul and divinity. It is the highest form of prayer possible. Therefore, no other prayer is necessary or appropriate at this time.

Reciting the rosary may compensate for missing Sunday Mass, but it depends on the circumstances of why you missed Mass. If the reason was intentional, then that would constitute a mortal sin and could not be made up by reciting the rosary. If, however, you had good reason (illness, caring for others, lack of transportation, etc.), then reciting the rosary, or meditating on Scripture that day, or attending Mass on another day of that week would be acceptable and good.

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