October Is the Month of the Rosary: A Simple Way to Begin

Every year the Church dedicates October to the Rosary. The month holds the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October, and for many Catholics it is the natural time to pick up their beads again, or to begin for the first time.

What is the Rosary?

The Rosary is a prayer built around the life of Jesus, seen through the eyes of Mary. On each decade you say an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be, while thinking about one moment from the Gospel, called a mystery. There are four sets of mysteries, the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious, and five decades take roughly fifteen to twenty minutes.

A simple way to start this month

You do not need to pray the whole Rosary at once. One decade a day is a good start. Choose a quiet moment, hold your beads, and take one mystery slowly. By the end of October the habit may be there to stay.

Saint Carlo Acutis, the teenager who loved computers and football, went to Mass and prayed the Rosary every day. If a boy of fifteen could find the time, most of us can find ten minutes.

If you would like a rosary to begin with, the Carlo Acutis Rosary Beads (€7) is a good place to start, and an Our Lady of Lourdes Purse (Blue) (€10) keeps it safe in a pocket or handbag. A pack of Carlo Acutis Novena Cards (€1) makes a nice companion.

Marian Holy Art is an Irish Catholic company offering unique religious gifts and devotional items inspired by Lourdes, Knock and the Catholic faith. Our products are available exclusively through Marian Holy Art and are sold at Knock Shrine, Ireland.