Johnnette S. Benkovic

As an Irish Catholic I obviously am very familiar with the rosary and prayed it more times than I can count in my life. As a kid I remember dreading when the time would come for us to pray because it seemed to take forever, it was boring and seemingly pointless - just a horrible act my parents used to punish us or keep us from watching prime time television. As a teenager the boredom continued along with the frustration and resentment. I eventually taught myself to pray the rosary in English, Latin, Spanish, Italian and French so I could pray each decade in a different language in order to not get bored. That worked for a while but eventually when I got old enough to leave my parents house the praying stopped.

The problem was I had no real concept or understanding of what the rosary is or why we were praying it other than my parents telling us we had to because we were catholic. Reading this book has been an eye opening experience because the history behind the rosary is astounding. If I had been taught what is in this book when I was a kid I would've had a greater appreciation and respect for what we were doing but unfortunately my parents were not alone in the fact that at some point the knowledge and history of our faith had become secondary to just going through the motions.

This book is not just educational but it was actually written in a way that it made learning about the rosary interesting and had me flipping back and forth between pages to make sure I was soaking up everything the authors were trying to impart. The personal stories that were included from people to explain what the rosary meant to them and the impact it had on their lives made it seem so much more powerful and relative to everyday life. I also enjoyed the fact they didn't just focus on the prayers but the people behind them. Learning more about Joseph, the husband of Mary, St. Michael and others not only adds a greater depth to understanding why we say these particular prayers but also makes me glad to be doing something that in a way honors what they have provided to the faith. As a woman I was especially glad to see a focus on the females who have left their own impact on an otherwise male dominated belief system. Our Lady of Guadalupe, the saints and others have all left indelible and lasting impressions on what we do, what believe and created role models for us to look upon. Also including people from more recent times such as Maximilian Kobe show that the importance of the rosary was not left in the dust of history but is very alive and continues to play a much needed role in our lives.

Despite maintaining a cultural attachment to my faith I am in practice a lapsed Catholic. I appreciated the prayers and meditations that were included because I haven't prayed in such a long time I don't remember more than the basics.

I chose to read this book because I often like to read books that aren't necessarily my first picks to curl up with to see if I can find something worthwhile. I believe the mark of a good author is one who can reel you in when you sat down feeling apathetic about the material only to end up feeling invested. They did a wonderful job making this interesting and made me want to dust off my rosary now that I understand its importance.… (mer)