Rosary Trivia
No doubt everyone recognizes the Rosary as a Catholic devotion. Presumably, most Catholics own at least one rosary. Chances are, they pray it while traveling or trying to fall asleep, finding it more comforting than lavender oil. Rosaries hang from rear view mirrors and are in hands of those in coffins. As I research the Rosary, I’m discovering some little known facts about it that are intriguing. Today I’ll share some with you.
History of the Rosary
Long ago people who couldn’t pray the 150 psalms prayed the Our Father on beads called paternosters. Later when the Hail Mary prayer took shape, it replaced the Our Father prayers. In the beginning, only the first half of the Hail Mary was prayed!
Lady Godiva bequeathed her paternoster of gems to a monastery.
St. Dominic and his Dominicans promoted the rosary. However, people were praying the prayers before he lived, and the mysteries arose after he lived. Therefore the idea that Mary gave him the rosary seems to be a legend that a fellow Dominican who lived much later spread.
When Mary appeared at Fatima in 1917, she recommended praying the Fatima Prayer after each decade: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
Originally the Assumption and Coronation of Mary were the fourth glorious mystery, and the Second Coming of Christ was the fifth one.
Mary Queen of Scots took her gold rosary with her to her execution in 1587. It had a gold filigree crucifix with an image of Mary on the reverse side. Three drop pearls were attached directly from the circle of fifty beads. Unfortunately, someone stole it from Arundel Castle in 2021.
Chaucer, who wrote the Canterbury Tales, appears in a frontispiece with a rosary in his hand.
Unique Rosaries
The world’s largest rosary is behind Christ King Cathedral in the City of Tagum in the Philippines. It measures 280 feet. Each bead of Magcono wood weighs a little over 77 pounds, and the entire Rosary weighs 6,206 pounds.
The world’s most expensive rosary was sold at auction for $842,500. It was passed down through the Germanic Saxon royal family from the 17th century. It is made of 70 emerald beads spaced by gold rondelles with diamonds embedded. Five emeralds and diamonds set in gold form the cross.
Donald Brown started collecting rosaries in 1917. Before dying in 1975, he had amassed about 4,000 of them from thimble-size to 16 feet long. Some of his rosaries are associated with famous people like President John F. Kennedy, Sister Lúcia, and St. Padre Pio.
Unique Beads
In Windsor, Ohio, foot-high lamps, large, white globes, form a giant rosary. It encircles a fifty-foot-high statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the tallest one of her in the world. A whopping 450,00 one-inch mosaic tiles cover the statue.
A unique rosary sold at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and elsewhere has beads like ladybugs. The reason is a legend. In the Middle Ages when insects plagued crops in Europe, people prayed to Mary. Bugs with orange-red wings arrived and devoured the pests. People called their saviors Our Lady’s Bugs, which became ladybugs. Common ladybugs have seven black spots on their wings, said to represent Mary’s seven joys and sorrows.
Sister Angela Salazar made a rosary from baked cotton balls, providing me with a photo for my book about art activities for parents and teachers.
Rosary Facts
In Mary’s apparitions—especially at Fatima—she stressed the importance of praying the rosary for world peace.
In 1949 Brother Sylvan Mattingly, C.F.X. founded Our Lady’s Rosary Makers based in Louisville, Kentucky. Its 17,000 members make and distribute about seven million rosaries a year for Catholic missions, both chain and cord rosaries. See their website.
Pope Leo XIII wrote no less than twelve encyclicals on the Rosary.
An atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945, killed or injured 140,000 people. Eight blocks from the bomb was a house for Jesuits. Surprisingly, although the bomb destroyed the church attached to the house as well as everything around it, the house survived and so did the Jesuits who lived in it. The men suffered only minor injuries. They credited their remarkable survival to the fact that they prayed the Rosary daily in that house.
For some religious communities, like the Rosary Sisters from Jerusalem, the rosary was part of the habit. We Notre Dame Sisters wore ours hanging from a hook at the right side of our waist.
Other Prayer Beads
Islam prayer beads (tasbih) have 99 beads for the 99 names of God. Supposedly Fatima, Muhammad’s daughter made the first set in the seventh century. A smaller version has 33 beads in sets of 11. Muslims use it to count praises of God. For example, on the first set people pray “Glory be to Allah,” on the second set “All praise is due to Allah,” and on the third set, “Allah is the Greatest.” Here is the tasbih that I purchased when I was in the United Arab Emirates:
The Seven Sorrows Rosary comprises seven sets of seven beads. During each set, people pray an Our Father and seven Hail Marys in honor of one of Our Lady’s sorrows. A complement to this rosary is the Seven Joys of Mary Rosary. It has seven decades plus two Hail Marys. This totals 72, the number of years Mary presumably lived on earth.
A novena is praying a prayer for nine days. Therefore the 54 Day Novena is praying three novenas of the rosary (27 days) in petition and three novenas in thanksgiving for a total of 54 days. Special prayers for this are on the Hallow website .
Anglicans and Lutherans have developed their own forms of prayer beads. The Lutheran one is known as the Wreath of Christ.
Annually in London a Rosary Crusade of Reparation occurs. The fortieth one took place on October 13, 2025. More than two thousand people walked two miles, praying the Rosary and singing hymns.
A man in Florida conceived the idea of Hopeful Mysteries of the Rosary to foster hope in people who live in a world in turmoil. Fr. Chris Winklejohn developed the mysteries. Then in 2025, Bishop William Wack gave these mysteries an imprimatur and declared them worthy of devotion. The five Hopeful Mysteries are Creation, the Great Flood, the Exodus, Abraham’s sacrifice, and the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
For Reflection
Do you have a rosary that has special meaning for you?
When do you pray the Rosary?
Have you ever prayed original mysteries, such as joys you had or Jesus’ miracles?
Here is the Hail Mary prayed in Aramaic, the language of Mary and her Son.
Mary, a Mother for Moms
Mary Can Identify with Moms Today
Recently I spoke to a group of moms and grandmothers. They requested that I talk about how Mary was a model for mothers. This prompted me to review the Blessed Mother’s life noticing how it resembled what current moms might be going through. Because it is May, Mary’s month, it’s fitting that I share points with you.
We first meet Mary when she is about 14 and the angel Gabriel comes to her. Because she is engaged to Jospeh, I imagine she daydreamed about him often, maybe even when Garbriel visited. God turned her world upside down by impregnating her. Mary’s life takes a shocking turn, something other mothers might experience.
Mary as a Pregnant Woman
As any pregnant woman, Mary is thrilled to be carrying new life. But she is also apprehensive. What will the baby be like? Do I have the wisdom, skills, and patience to be a good mom? Can I bring this baby to full term? Will it survive infancy? As an unwed mother, Mary wonders what Joseph will say, her parents, the neighbors. Besides, in Mary’s culture unwed mothers were stoned to death.
Mary experiences the physical aspects of pregnancy. Her body changes, she’s tired, goes to the bathroom more often, has morning sickness, she waddles. She prepares baby clothes. Maybe her mom St. Anne and her mother-in-law give her advice. Mary travels to help elderly Elizabeth who is pregnant. No doubt the two talk about the inconveniences of being pregnant, their hopes and dreams for their sons. They support each other.
Mary as a Wife
After Mary and Joseph are wed, Mary learns how to live with a man, a partner. She has to share her life, listen to Joseph’s advice, accept his help. She no longer lives just for herself but must take him into account. She might think, What food does he like? Is my hummus too spicy for him? How can I make him happy? Is he sore from working in the carpenter shop? I’ll give him a backrub.
Mary as Mother
When Rome calls for a census, Mary must travel to Bethlehem. That means a five-day, 90-mile hike. She must wonder, “How can this be? I’m nine months pregnant. I might give birth on the side of the road. Is this really God’s plan?” No doubt today’s moms wonder things like, how could I have this car accident now? Why are gas prices rising so I must sacrifice health care? Why is the government making my life more difficult?
Then in a stable, Mary goes into labor and has her baby, a real baby. She must nurse him, burp him, change his diapers, clean up his baby spit. She also knows the joy of having him cuddle against her and watching him sleep.
King Herod is intent on killing Jesus. So Mary knows what it’s like to have a baby in danger. She would do anything to protect him. She would die for him. So she becomes a refugee in Egypt to save his life.
Mary as Keeper of the Household
Safe back at home, Mary knows a mother’s pride in watching her boy grow. She helps him crawl and walk, teaches him to talk and how to eat. Like most mothers, her life is consumed with daily tasks: cooking, sewing, shopping, cleaning, doing laundry, getting water from the well every day. She has no maid. She maintains a relationship with her mom and a mother-in-law who may be critical of her.
Mother of a God-Man
When Jesus is 12, he goes missing in Jerusalem. Children do outrageous things. For three days, Mary and Joseph search for him. Imagine their nights, their panic, their dread. After they find Jesus in the temple, Mary scolds: “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety. ” She probably shakes him and hugs him. Jesus’s response verges on being sassy. He says, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Sometimes you just don’t understand your children.
When Jesus is thirty, he is still at home (like some young adults today), and Mary is caring for him, supporting him in his carpentry business: consoling him when customers complain or the price of wood goes up.
We see the two of them at the wedding at Cana. Jesus is Mary’s only child. Looks like he’s not going to be married. That means she’ll have no grandchildren. Like most mothers, Mary is quick to notice a problem: wine is running out. Instinctively Mary acts to help. She knows her son could fix things. She takes charge and tells the waiters to do whatever Jesus tells them.
Mary as Widow
One day Joseph dies—we don’t know when or how. Maybe Mary has the shock of having him killed suddenly in a construction accident. Maybe Joseph is ill for a long time and Mary nurses him. In either case, Mary loses her life partner and goes through his funeral heartsick. She also lives through the deaths of her mother and father. Our Blessed Mother knows grief.
The day Jesus leaves to carry out his ministry, Mary had to be sad, like mothers are when their child leaves for kindergarten, college, or marriage. Then rumors come back to Nazareth that her son is crazy and possessed by the devil. Certainly she worries about him like mothers you suffer when their child is bullied or misunderstood. Things get worse when he returns home and Mary’s neighbor and relatives don’t like what he says and try to throw him off a cliff. There is a mountain in Nazareth with a chapel called Our Lady of Fright. Presumably that is where Mary watched as people tried to kill her son. Then she had to deal with those people afterward. She would meet the women at the well. That had to be awkward.
Later when Jesus is preaching and people tell him his mother and brother want to see him. He says, “Rather my mother and brother are those who hear the world of God and keep it.” Now that looks like a slight that hurts Mary. She might think, “All I did for you and that’s how you treat me?” However, Mary more than anyone heard the word of God and kept it. Sometimes moms are hurt by their children.
Childless
One station of the cross is Jesus meets his mother. She stands with him during his painful suffering. Although all but one apostle desert him, she is there on Calvary watching her child die, her only child. She once kissed that head that is crowned with thorns. She heard his first word, mama, and now hears his last. She watched him draw his first breath, and now she sees his last. This is the cruelest pain a mother can suffer, to see a child die.
From the cross, Jesus gave her John as a son. This apostle represented all of us. At Pentecost Mary is with the apostles praying with them. She forgave those who deserted her son. She is their mother now too. Living with John, she had to adjust to a new situation: a different home, country, lifestyle. Change is hard. No one likes it but a baby with a wet diaper.
Right now Mary is Queen of Heaven, but she remembers what it was like to be a mom. She’s been there. She eager to help moms carry out their difficult but all-important vocation. They can look to her as a model. Besides asking WWJD mom can say WWMD?
When St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta faced a difficulty, she prayed, “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.” She advised, “When distressed, call on Our Lady. Say this simple prayer. I admit this prayer has never failed me.”
A Favorite Marian Christmas Song
Here is a version of “Mary, Did You Know?” that I think you will like:
What about Mary had you not thought of before?
What feature of Mary’s life do you think was the most difficult for her besides Jesus’s death?
Encouragement vs. Discouragement
Recently a friend who returned from South Africa told me this story. She met a woman, who had a lovely voice and composed her own songs but used to sing only for herself, family, and friends. One day someone commented to her that she ought to share her gift with others by becoming a professional. The woman is now a popular singer with recordings. All it took for her musical success was a verbal nudge.
Encouragement is powerful and intimate. The etymology of the word shows this: “cour” is heart.” To encourage someone is to put heart into them, to give them courage, to lift their spirits. We do this by showing confidence in someone, affirming them, giving them hope.
No doubt, you mastered the feat of walking when someone urged, “Come on. Come on. You can do it.” Maybe now a therapist says to you, “You’re doing great. Keep going.”
Encouragement requires identifying a talent in someone and persuading them to develop it. This takes empathy. It means assuring someone that you are with them. You’ve got their back.
My Encouragers
I recall that when we children looking for something lost, a neighbor woman said to me, “Kathy, you’re always so good at finding things.” I don’t think she really knew that, but it goaded me to search for the item even harder and persevere.
After I played a Chopin prelude, my piano teacher said, “That was beautiful. Ask your parents if they would send you to the Cleveland Institute of Music.” What a vote of confidence! But we decided I wouldn’t go. It was just as well because my teacher never brought it up again.
At the end of the school year, my eighth-grade teacher, Sister John Francis, asked me to write compositions during the summer and send them to her at Xavier University, where she was studying. With her support and encouragement my writing skills were honed.
Years later I was asked to speak at a national convention. At the time I had never addressed a group larger than about 35—my students. During the days I was given to reply, I asked a friend, Sister Melannie, if she thought I could do it. She remarked, “If you can teach, you can talk.” Her words emboldened me. Ever since then I’ve been giving talks, or as she put it, “making money with my mouth.”
The Virtue of Encouragement
Scripture encourages encouragement. (See what I did there?) St. Paul wrote, “Encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) He lists encouragement as one of the spiritual gifts bestowed on believers. (Romans 12:8) In Hebrews 10:24–25, Paul advised how to be holy: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
To encourage others is to bless them. And in blessing them, we ourselves are blessed.
God is the ideal encourager. He is known as the God of encouragement. In Isaiah 41:10 God says,, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.”
Today’s World
In the song “Home on the Range,” the range is a pleasant place where “Never is heard a discouraging word.” The world now is quite the opposite. The atmosphere is rife with criticisms and putdowns. Attacking other people instead of building them up is the modus operandi for too many. Success is then squelched. People who encourage others are more needed than ever.
Look how Helen Keller blossomed with Anne Sullivan’s encouragement.
Pythagoras encouraged Plato.
Bruce Lee encouraged several other actors.
A physical education teacher encouraged Rihanna to pursue music.
Some Encouraging Words:
“You’ve got this!”
“I believe in you.”
“Don’t give up.”
“Trust yourself.”
“One step at a time.”
“I’m here for you.”
“You’re stronger (better) than you think.”
Besides speaking words to boost people’s confidence, we can also write notes or send emails that do that.
By the way, indulge in a little self-encouragement occasionally: “I can do this. I am strong. I’ve done this before, etc.”
Goethe noted, “Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.”
For Reflection and Comment
When have you benefited from someone’s encouragement?
How can you encourage someone now?
What Scripture verse gives you confidence and hope?
See what a little encouragement can do:
Here is a hilarious video that clearly demonstrates the power of encouragement. I first saw it on America’s Funniest Videos. Click the link and make sure you have the sound on by clicking “unmute.”
https://9gag.com/gag/an7VLbb?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=post_share
Eucharist, Our Sacred Meal
An Amazing Gift
On Holy Thursday we heard the story of how Jesus instituted the Eucharist. And lately the Mass readings have to do with this sacrament. Jesus took some bread and said, “This is my body,” and then he held a cup of wine and claimed, “This is my blood.” Some faith traditions hold that these words were merely symbolic. For some two thousand years, Catholics have taken the words of Jesus at face value. Still, how easily we let our Communions become routine and stale, forgetting what an astounding miracle they are. We might even fail to take advantage of this gift. As St. Augustine wistfully noted, “Christ is the bread, awaiting hunger.”
Because of the Eucharist, Jesus remains with us on earth, we’re able to share in his redeeming sacrifice, and we are united as his mystical body. Beyond that, we are able to actually consume God in the form of bread and wine! At Mass we feast on God. Jesus becomes one with us, divinizing our humanity.
In the words attributed to Saint Teresa of the Andes:
“I eat Jesus. He is my nourishment. I am assimilated by him. What greater happiness is there than this: to hold tightly to our heart the God who is our God! Receive Communion as well and be deeply aware of the One who visits you, infinite love, divine madness; of One who not only became man like ourselves, but who became bread. After you receive Communion, ask Jesus, the God you hold prisoner in your soul, to stay with you throughout the day so that you may love him and give him thanks.”
Prayers to Participate
When the priest raises the paten with the host, we can mentally place ourselves on it too, offering our lives to God the Father.
At the Consecration, when the priest holds up the sacred host, I was taught to say, “My Lord and my God.” These were the words of the apostle Thomas when he acknowledged the true presence of the risen Jesus.
And when the priest holds up the chalice of wine, I was taught to say, “My Jesus, mercy!” For that was the blood that was shed for my sins.
Facts about the Eucharist
Here is a Eucharist IQ Quiz that I use in my workshops on the liturgy. You simply have to tell whether each statement is true or false. The answers are at the end. Don’t peek!
- The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life.
- The Mass is our highest form of worship.
- The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.”
- Jesus gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He told us to do it in remembrance of him. At Mass we remember his death and resurrection.
- At Mass the sacrifice Jesus offered at the Last Supper and on Calvary is re-presented.
- At Mass salvation goes on. Sin is atoned for, and the graces won are poured out on us.
- At the sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus is both the priest and the offering.
- At Mass we offer Jesus to the Father with him.
- At Mass we also offer ourselves to the Father.
- The sacred bread and wine are truly Jesus. This is called the Real Presence.
- Jesus is totally present in both the bread and the wine and in every part of each.
- The change of the bread and wine into Jesus (called transubstantiation) is brought about by the Holy Spirit through the words and actions of the priest.
- By consuming the food and drink that is Jesus, we become more like him.
- Jesus is present as long as the substances remain bread and wine.
- At Communion we are also united with the Mystical Body of Jesus: the Church.
- At the Eucharist we participate in heaven’s liturgy; angels and saints are present.
- The Eucharist is a sacrament of initiation. Only Church members can receive it.
- Bread and wine signify all God’s gifts of creation for which we give thanks.
- Bread and wine recall the Passover when God saved the chosen people from death by the blood of the lamb.
- The altar signifies that the Eucharist is a sacrifice and a meal.
- At Mass we feast at the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist. It anticipates the heavenly feast.
- When we receive the Eucharist, our sins are forgiven.
- We prepare for Mass by being free from grave sin and by fasting for an hour
- We bow before receiving the Eucharist and respond Amen.
- The Eucharist is a gift of love from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Hopefully you persevered through all twenty-five statements and you eventually realized that all of them were true. Yes, this is a trick quiz. The Eucharist, though, is no trick. Jesus really meant it when he said, “This is my body,” and “I will be with you always.” Isn’t his love for us outrageous? And aren’t we fortunate that we live in this century when we can receive Communion every day if we wish and not just with special permission as in former times!
The first hymn here is quite lovely. If you have a half hour, you might listen to the entire video.
What do you recall about your First Communion?
Which is the most awesome Mass you have attended?
What do you say to Jesus after receiving him in Communion?
What is your favorite Eucharistic hymn?
Moon Memories and Musings
Exciting News about the Moon
The moon captured the attention of most people lately because of the historic journey to it four astronauts made. Like me, as the Artemis 11 capsule surrounded by flames sped 24,000 mph at 5000 degrees for an ocean landing, you probably held your breath. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are our newest heroes.
The astronauts spoke some poignant words when they were safe at home. In case you missed them…
Reid said, “It’s a special thing to be human—and a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
Victor said, “I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again.”
Christina described a crew and then said, “Planet Earth, you are a crew.”
Jeremy spoke of gratitude, the joy train, and love.
The crew had some firsts: They traveled 250,000 miles from Earth. They saw the dark side of the moon as well as a solar eclipse as the moon passed between them and the sun.
The whole experience of the journey around our closest neighbor in the solar system and its stunning sights lifts our hearts to the Creator!
Our Natural Satellite and Us
The moon has always fascinated people. It represents beauty and calm. A site on YouTube lists 62 best moon songs. For decades a national dream has been to go to the moon. Then finally the Apollo 11 crew landed on it. I remember watching it.
Do you recall the excitement generated by the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024? Wearing special glasses, we had our eyes glued to the sky.
I love to see a full moon, especially a huge orange one on the horizon. The full moon of each month from January to December has a name: Wolf, Snow, Worm, Pink, Pink Flower, Strawberry, Buck, Sturgeon, Harvest, Hunting, Beaver, and Cold.
The moon influences us. Its gravity creates tides and influences migration and mating rituals. Some people think it affects our emotions too. There is moon gazing therapy, but no proof that it works. Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, the basis of words like lunar and lunatic. The Greek name was Selene, who pulled the moon across the sky in her chariot.
Our Partner in Space in Our Language
“Moonwalk dance” “Moon pie” “Love you to the moon and back.” “I’m over the moon.” “He’s mooning over her.” “Many moons ago” “to moon someone” “Honeymoon.”
Facts about Our Moon
Our solar system has more than 200 moons. Ours is fifth in size.
The moon doesn’t make its own light but reflects sunlight. That is why it is a symbol for Mary, who reflects the light of God.
The lunar surface is pocked with craters made by asteroids and comets. Besides craters, there are about 18 mountain ranges on it.
The cycle of the moon’s phases takes more than 29 days. The 13th full moon can be seen every 2 ½ years and called a blue moon. The next one is in May.
Formerly it was thought that the moon was a chunk of Earth broken off by an asteroid, but the two bodies don’t have the same basic materials.
The dark spots on the moon, some of which we discern as the Man in the Moon and the Japanese see a rabbit, are caused by the impact of comets. The dark spots are called marias, Latin for seas. A thin layer of dust surrounds the moon, kicked up by comets.
The moon’s gravity is about 1/6 of Earth’s. It also has a very thin atmosphere.
In 2018 water ice was discovered in craters on the unlit side. In 2020 water was found on the sunlit side.
The moon spins slowly and follows an elliptical path, so sometimes it appears closer.
For Thought
Just before the 40-minute communications blackout on the far side of the moon, Victor Glover said, “As we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth. And that’s love.”
• What is your favorite moon song?
• Where were you for the solar eclipse in 2024?
Here is a rendition of my favorite moon song. The video is overlaid with tidbits of information about how this song came to be. Enjoy!
