WHY DO A ROSARY BEFORE MASS?

We are trying to have a rosary said before each weekend Mass, as we do before every weekday Mass.  

Some enthusiastically participate, while others complain.  

Why have we decided to do this?  

First of all, it was one of a number of recommendations made by our parish convocation team at the end of last year’s Convocation of Catholic Leaders, with Bishop Sullivan.  

Secondly, numerous persons, including various saints and Pope Benedict, have said it is one of the best ways to truly prepare our hearts for Mass, cultivating attentiveness and love for Jesus in the Eucharist.  

Thirdly, the Virgin Mary promised Saint Dominic, when she first gave the rosary to the world, that recitation of the rosary would bring Catholics back to church.   

Personally (and many of you have said the same), I like to meditate in silence before and after Mass.  (And many people would just like to sit there and have a conversation!)  However, as with any family, sometimes we have to put aside our personal preferences for the sake of the common good.  

Please join with me, with rosary in hand, in begging Jesus and Mary to bring back to church those of our Catholic family who have fallen away, while cultivating the soil of our hearts to best receive the seed that will grow the Tree of Life in each of us!             

 Father Chuck