“Be regular”: American Teen Promoting Children’s Rosary in Africa Gives Tips on Prayer

Asked to give three pieces of advice concerning praying the rosary, Asher highlighted consistency, focus, and group prayer.

Be regular

The first thing that comes to my mind is, be regular. Make it a habit. I think that's the most powerful way to really develop a relationship. Have a habit of reciting the Rosary daily. That's the way that we can make it a part of our lives.

Distracted? Don't be discouraged

Do not be discouraged if you're distracted when praying the Rosary. We always try to focus, and we should never engage in a distraction. But if we find our mind wandering, we should not be discouraged. We try to show Him that we're willing to continue the prayer and please Him despite the fact that we might be wandering.

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Don't underestimate the power of praying as a group 

There's something very powerful about praying in a community with other people, sometimes with people that you've never even met before. I experienced this in Uganda. We would all kneel down and say the rosary. The very same prayer. A universal prayer. It binds us together. And we hadn't met before. And we weren't from the same family. Nevertheless, we were praying essentially for the same thing, which was our sanctity. 

A group prayer, as we know from the church, is very powerful. St. Louis de Montfort says that we receive the graces of the people with whom we are praying in a group. You receive the merits of their prayers as well as the merits of your own prayer. So it's much more powerful than just an individual prayer. 

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.