How to Pray the Rosary Better

How good are you at praying the Rosary? Do you struggle through, getting distracted and letting your mind wander? Do you rush through the prayers?

Kendra Von Esh, Catholic speaker and author, joined Morning Air on Relevant Radio to discuss some ways you can delve deeper into the beautiful meditation of the Holy Rosary.

“My road to Mary has been very bizarre,” Kendra admits. As she was coming into the Catholic faith, she had a hard time understanding Mary. She struggled to go deeper in her devotion to the Mother of God, so she turned to St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary.”

It was intense, said Kendra. “I realized I am not reverently praying and I am not giving Mary her due love.”

She says she was “saying the words and not praying from the heart”, attempting to just get it done and “check the box” rather than really pondering and meaning what she says.

Does this sound like your experience with the Rosary? 

We can always go deeper in our prayer, so Kendra shared some ways to do just that.

Find a Quiet Place to Pray — Put your phone away, hide from the pets, kids, and other distractions. Find a comfortable (although not too comfortable) location where you can get away and focus on your prayer.

Utilize Sacramentals — They’re not “lucky charms”, says Von Esh, “it’s there to remind us about our faith.” Bring a statue of Mary, a crucifix, a Miraculous Medal, or some other blessed object that can help you to visualize and focus in on the presence of God. Use holy water or blessed salt or oil to complement your prayer.

Announce and Meditate on the Mysteries — Immerse yourself in the Gospels as you pray each decade. Kendra Von Esh encourages you to “put yourself in the scene”, and shares that she likes to put herself in Mary’s shoes to consider her point of view.

Slow Down — Listen to the beautiful words of the Hail Mary, the Our Father, and the other prayers. Next time you pray the Rosary, slow down and don’t rush through it. The words are extremely powerful, and if you are flying through you will miss them.

Offer Your Prayer for Others — Offer the time you are spending and the prayers you are saying for specific intentions and the conversion of sinners. “Make little sacrifices, offering up your time and distractions—because that’s going to happen, you’re going to get distracted along the way—to align it with Jesus on the cross,” said Kendra.

The more you work at reverently praying the Rosary, the deeper your devotion to the Virgin Mary will become. Give her the love and reverence she deserves as the Mother of God and your mother by setting aside time and attention for her each and every day.

As important as quiet, peaceful, solitary prayer time is, it’s also so vital to pray together with our family and brothers and sisters in Christ. Join us each evening at 7pm CT as we pray the Family Rosary Across America. Tune in to your local Relevant Radio station or view the video broadcast on the free Relevant Radio app! We can’t wait to pray with you and for you, as we pass along our love of the Rosary to the next generations of Catholics.

Lindsey is a wife, mother, and contributing author at Relevant Radio. She holds a degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lindsey enjoys writing, baking, and liturgical living with her young family.