Most blessed feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! Today we need the power and support of prayer more than ever, and Our Lady’s Rosary is both simple and deep in its power to strengthen our faith and unite us to God. A helpful way to enter more deeply into the graces of the Rosary is to pray the Rosary with constancy and attention. Praying the Rosary regularly provides the opportunity enter more deeply into the rhythm of this form of prayer; praying the Rosary in moments of stillness and attentiveness, rather than distraction, helps focus on the mysteries and ultimately through them on the Lord.
Rosary Booklets help one pray with attention
One of the best helps for many people in starting to pray the Rosary with attention is to use a booklet of Rosary meditations. This helps fix your attention on the mystery, sometimes even Hail Mary by Hail Mary, and also helps stock your mind with holy images and considerations of all aspects of these mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary.
As Dominican nuns dedicated to praying the Perpetual Rosary, we keep our Rosary stall in the monastery choir well supplied with many, many Rosary meditation booklets. We have chosen a few of our favorites to share with you, making sure to choose ones that are still in print.
Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Illustrated with images from the stained glass windows in the Motherhouse chapel at Nashville, this booklet offers meditations based first on the Word of God, then on the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Catherine of Siena. The themes for the mysteries are chosen from the theological and cardinal virtues, and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Behold Thy Mother: An English/Latin Scriptural Rosary
This hardbound book, arranged in a style reminiscent of medieval illuminations, includes beautiful art, inspiring quotes from saints and others, and Scripture verses for every Hail Mary in both Latin and English. The “illuminated” format draws you into meditation in a unique way.
From the Rose Garden of Our Lady
This pocket-sized booklet is a reprint of a very old Rosary booklet we have from the 1920’s. Each of the 15 mysteries is illustrated by an old-fashioned engraving, followed by Scripture from the Douay-Rheims, and ten short considerations, one for each Hail Mary (or use one or two for the whole mystery).
Mysteries Made Visible: Praying the Rosary with Sacred Art by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Illustrated by Father’s beautiful photography, this book includes accompanying meditations which he calls “visio divina,” like lectio divina but pondering the Word as depicted in sacred art.
Dominican Rosary Meditations
Those familiar with our website already know of this booklet that we published during the recent 800th Jubilee of our Dominican Order. It contains a beautiful set of Rosary meditations taken from the writings of Dominican Saints, along with sacred art by Dominican artists – Preachers both with words and with images.
Click here or on the image for the PDF file; a print version of this booklet is also available. A $5 donation covers the cost of the booklet and shipping; we do not run a gift shop, but may be able to send some booklets out as time allows. Contact us here.
Books on the Rosary (including meditations)
While the books above focus on Rosary meditations, the following three books are treasuries of different kinds of writing about the Rosary itself, although they also include meditations on the mysteries.
The Riches of the Rosary by Fr. Gabriel Harty, O.P.
With the lilt of the Irish, Fr. Gabriel Harty shares out of his contemplative love and apostolic experience of many decades of promoting the Rosary. History, prayers, healing, devotion, all are an encouragement to persevere in allowing the Rosary to unite us to God.
Champions of the Rosary by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC
With unabashed enthusiasm, Fr. Calloway shares a compelling account of the origins, significance, and saints of this “spiritual weapon” given us by Our Lady. Extensive and inspiring.
The Rosary: “The Little Summa” by Robert Feeney
Mr. Feeney, a Lay Dominican, also shares papal teaching and tradition, saints of the Rosary, especially John Paul II, and inspiring incentives to pray the Rosary. The last third of the book consists of meditations on the mysteries.
There are many, many other Rosary booklets that we have found helpful over the years, but we cannot list them all here! As we celebrate today’s feast, we encourage you to persevere in praying the Rosary with constancy and with attention, so that meditation on these mysteries of Jesus and Mary can continue to draw you into ever closer union with God.
You may also want to visit our Rosary Resources Page for more about the Rosary.