Helpful guide to praying the Rosary

Book Review 

“AMONG all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favoured by so many miracles as the devotion of the most Holy Rosary,” (Pope Pius IX).

The Rosary is one of the principal forms of Catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While its main component, the Hail Mary, originates from the angel Gabriel’s salutation to Our Lady, the Rosary in its complete form traces its history back to the 13th century.

During that time, the Albigensian heresy was rampant in Toulouse, France, and St Dominic sought the help of Our Lady. According to Tradition, she instructed the friar to preach the Rosary to the people of Toulouse.

In the short, 26-page booklet, Meditating on the Holy Rosary, Fr Laurie Bent, a retired priest of the Archdiocese who resides at Goulburn, provides readers with simple, yet profound, thoughts on which to meditate while praying the Rosary.

Fr Laurie describes his reflections on each mystery as “the fruit of a lifetime of praying the Rosary”, and indeed his years of Scripture study and theological knowledge are evident throughout the short work.

The events depicted by each mystery are described with the help of Scripture and Tradition, and readers are provided with though-provoking questions to reflect and meditate upon.

Despite the deep theological mysteries of the Catholic faith the booklet explores, it is written in a way that would make it suitable for readers of all ages. It would be a helpful tool for school-aged children, and is brief enough to be incorporated into an individual’s or a family’s daily Rosary.

Funds raised by sales of the booklet go towards the restoration fund for Sts Peter and Paul’s Old Cathedral in Goulburn. It can be purchased for $10 from the Goulburn parish office.