Vatican Rosary begins live broadcast

Vatican City, Jan 28, 2013 / 10:38 am

The Vatican is now broadcasting the Rosary live every weekday from St. Peter's Square.

The Vatican television outlet CTV and the Catholic internet portal Aleteia are broadcasting "A Moment with Mary," which is being held Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. outside St. Peter's Basilica.

"We really want to bring the prayer to the people and enable the people all around the world to bring themselves closer to the heart of the Church," said the initiative's coordinator at Aleteia, Carly Andrews.

"We're trying to bring it to people through the new media technologies, through their social networks and with the new technology Google+," Andrews explained.

The broadcast is meant to be a response to the Pope asking that the Year of Faith be a time of entrusting people to the Blessed Virgin by praying the Rosary every day.

It is part of an initiative supported by the Church, which is celebrating the Year of Faith until Nov. 24, 2013.

"It's a personal moment, as each day is an appointment with Mary," stated Andrews.

"We're just inviting people to take half an hour out of their day to join us in prayer," she added.
A different group leads the prayer each day, including some parishes from around Rome and members of various Catholic movements.   

But groups from abroad also take part when visiting Rome.

Deacons from Minnesota's St. Paul Seminary were in charge of leading it on Jan. 16.

"The Rosary is a devotional prayer that developed in the Church to increase our devotion to the Blessed Mother, but more importantly that she can lead us to Jesus Christ," Deacon Jacob Greiner told CNA after the event.

"It's repetitive, but it's also soothing, and it's supposed to be a comfort to us who come to be under her mantle to really grow in relationship with her son," Deacon Greiner reflected.

He noted that "it is not a hard prayer, but one that goes deeper and deeper the more you pray it."

Many of those who help lead the Rosary are young people visiting from abroad, who pray in their group's mother tongue.

"We've seen a whole array of languages so far, and then everybody responds to us in Latin so that people who are following along on TV or on the web can join in with the responses," Andrews remarked.

Rosary comes from the Latin word "rosarium," signifying that the prayers serve as a "crown of roses" or "garland of roses."

It is a prayer devoted to Mary which offers people an opportunity to reflect on the most important events of the life of Jesus.

To learn more, visit: http://rosary.aleteia.org/en/.