The Family Rosary | 8 Tips to pray the Rosary as a Family
“The Rosary is a chain that binds the family together.” - Father Patrick Peyton
Praying the Rosary as a family is such a valuable and powerful act to do together. Here is a short guide to help you begin to pray with your family, and eight ideas on when you can pray the Rosary together.
Tips to begin to pray the Holy Rosary as a Family
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Start small.
Regardless of what age of children you have, it’s important to start small when beginning to pray the Rosary. Diving into a 20-minute prayer is daunting for anyone, especially if it’s a new practice for your family. Begin by introducing the prayers to the family. Add an Our Father at the end of saying grace before dinner. Before you head to school ask the car to say one Hail Mary together. Work up to saying a decade together and then introduce more parts of the Rosary.
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Watch a video about why.
When individuals understand the purpose behind something, you’ll often find they are much more engaged in it. Helping explain the tradition, purpose, history, and power of the Rosary will help your family understand it’s importance. A great way to do this is to watch a video about it together. Below are two great examples.
“The Power of Praying the Rosary” - Fr. Mark Mary and Fr. John Mary (More basic)
“The Rosary: Spiritual Sword” - Fr. Don Calloway (More advanced)
And here are seven more Rosary videos to keep you going.
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Welcome questions.
Creating an atmosphere where your family (both spouse and children) can question and look for answers is important, especially when cultivating faith. The Rosary can be a difficult/advanced devotion and questions should be welcomed. Use a local priest or an online resource and look for the answers together.
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Let your family see you praying the Rosary by yourself.
Asking your family to pray the Rosary shouldn’t be the first time they are hearing about this devotion. Start by making it part of your family’s culture by making it part of your daily prayer life. Start your morning praying in the living room so your family wakes up to seeing you pray. Tell them you are going for a walk to pray the Rosary so they see that it’s part of your daily faith. Let them see it’s importance to you, and then it’s a natural step to praying together.
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Ask the family what they want to pray for.
Before you start the Rosary, ask each family member what intentions they want to dedicate the Rosary prayer to. Letting each person provide input helps make the prayer personal to them, and will help keep the family engaged.
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Ask others to lead or take turns.
One of the most effective practices is asking different members of the family to lead parts of the Rosary. You can take turns leading a full decade, or even do every other Hail Mary. If they are just starting and need a guide to follow along with, we’ve got a free PDF here.
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Create a ritual.
Once you’ve introduced the Rosary, a great practice is turning it into a weekly ritual. Find a time that your family will know is the time to pray the Rosary together. It could be Wednesday Mornings at breakfast, or Sunday when Mass is finished. Tying it to weekly repeated time takes it from an unscheduled prayer to part of your family’s prayer life.
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Use Rosary Cards!
We suggest trying out our Rosary Cards to pray together with a family. They are especially helpful if you have small children. The cards are much easier to hold, very durable, and won’t get all tangles like beads will! Check them out here.
Ideas for when to pray the Family Rosary Together
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Pray in the Car.
Pray together when you start a road trip, or on the way to school in the morning.
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Pray before you go to Mass.
Before (or even right after) you go to Mass is wonderful time to pray the Rosary. It can help prepare everyone for the Holy Mass and is a great way to honor the sabbath.
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Pray before you go out to eat.
Going out to eat together as a family? Ask everyone to pray a Rosary together before you jump in the car. What a way to come together as a family before celebrating a night out together.
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Pray before breakfast at home.
Teach your family to give it’s first fruits to the Lord, and a great way start the day is to pray the Rosary together.
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Pray on a walk together.
Praying the Rosary on a walk is a wonderful practice, and is an easy thing to do together!
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Ask an extended family member to join.
Sometimes our children will really learn when someone outside the parents shows them what to do. Asking an Aunt, Uncle, or Grandparent is a great way to show your children that this is a family practice.
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Pray a decade together at bedtime.
Make it part of your evening prayers, and keep a Rosary on their nightstand. It’s also a powerful practice to ask for protection while you and your family sleep!
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Pray together before something big.
Getting ready for a big soccer game? Do we have a big school test coming up? Is one of our family members in the hospital? Sanctify the big moments in your family by bring the Rosary into them.
Check out more of our Rosary Resources from Everyday Prayer Co:
Learn to Pray the Rosary | Free Booklet
Anima Christi: A Prayer to Bless Your Children
The Toughest Prayer - The Litany of Humility
The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience
This article was brought to you buy the Everyday Prayer Co, if you found it helpful, please check out our Rosary Cards. They are designed for convenience (same size as a Credit Card) and make it much easier to pray the Rosary often.
Connect
Please let me know how your journey with the Rosary is going, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message an email at: brennan@everydayprayerco.com
Need a Rosary to get started? Check out our Wallet Rosary Cards. It'll make sure you are never without the Rosary.
Get inspired by our daily Rosary quotes: Instagram
And don't forget about our free Rosary Guide Download. Keep Praying!