Santa Cruz Roman Catholic Church in Tucson shared a reflection on the importance of the Rosary in the month of October. 

“The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated in the Catholic Church on Oct. 7,” the Rev. Stephen Watson said in the Oct. 4 bulletin. “It is traditional to hold rosary congresses or some other event centered on the devotion and prayer of the Rosary. Naturally, these events are associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Watson stated that Mary and the Rosary cannot be separated, as it is a devotion to Mary that originally caused the Rosary to be formed. 

The Rosary can be an important tool to draw us closer to God in prayer because it contains all of the important components of prayer: vocal, mental and contemplative. 

“The two main prayers recited vocally are the most cherished prayers of the Christian religion, the Our Father and the Hail Mary,” Watson said. 

Mental prayers allow us to use our mind to imagine who we are praying to while reflecting on various aspects of life. 

“What a beautiful thing to be thinking about the life of Jesus and Mary when we recite the Rosary," Watson said. "It can happen that we forget ourselves and our thinking becomes more like a fixed thought or gaze." “Without even realizing it, our heart is intimately united with Someone whose love touches us. We have found peace and joy while praying the Rosary. This is a taste of contemplation.”

Watson noted that praying the rosary is hard, but it is sometimes the most challenging things that make us holier and bring us to the Lord. 

“I highly recommend it as a family prayer," Fr. Watson said. "At least during the beautiful month of October let us take up our Rosary. It is so important to pray for our country at this time."