By Guest Blogger and SoulCore Leader: Christina Diers

In October, we celebrate the Most Holy Rosary, so I have been thinking a lot about how the rosary has made an impact on my life. I believe that praying the rosary has helped me grow as a person in many ways, and I’d like to share that with you, in the hope that it might inspire you to start praying it.

I wasn’t raised in the Catholic faith. My family attended a Presbyterian church, and we not only attended services, but we were involved in helping with different groups and activities there. I went to Sunday school, attended youth group, and I was confirmed in that church. I feel I had a strong upbringing in the church, and I would have never imagined becoming Catholic.

Then I met a Catholic boy, and I fell in love with him. I felt it important that we attend the same church, so after much discerning, I decided to join the Catholic church. We sent our children to Catholic schools, and we went to church as a family and were involved in groups and activities there. During this time, my faith was there, but I feel I was only using the tip of the iceberg. It was just enough to help me with my family, but honestly, not much beyond that.

Then, one lenten season, my husband decided to pray the rosary every day. I thought this was such a great idea for lent, and I decided to do it the next year. I enjoyed the ritual of praying everyday, so much, that I continued praying the rosary everyday and I haven’t missed many days since. The repetitive nature of it provided a way to relax and quiet my mind. I would get up early and sit quietly before anyone else was up (and still do). Starting the day with prayer helped me to set my priorities straight for the day.

I have to admit, that I was mostly repeating the words at first. I didn’t really understand what I was doing. There isn’t a rosary class (that I’m aware of) that teaches you how to pray it. I had some little flyer with the words and the mysteries, so I just followed along. I didn’t really spend much time contemplating the mysteries. I was just going through the motions of the prayer. It was a starting point. It got me into the habit. I became more comfortable with the prayer. The repetition and the process of it helped me immensely. I enjoyed that time (obviously) or I wouldn’t have continued to do it everyday.

I ended up finding some apps that helped me pray it. These apps would include some scripture with each mystery and that helped me understand the mysteries better, and I could therefore contemplate on those mysteries. The main thing was that I just kept praying it. I fell in love with the sense of peace that it gave me. Little by little, I began to learn more and love it more. I found it truly addictive and felt an urgency to pray it. I could let go of my worries and my fears, and I would give them up in prayer.

It is important to understand that praying the rosary is really meditating on the life of Christ. People think the rosary is just about Mary, and it obviously involves her, because she was his mother. I found that praying the rosary and learning more about the mysteries and meditating on them has taught me more about Jesus. Interestingly, as I prayed it more and learned more about it, my love for it grew. The more I delve into scripture it seems I find more opportunities that present to me to further my understanding. I learned that you can pray the rosary while sitting quietly, but you can also pray it while doing other things.

One opportunity that presented itself to me was SoulCore. SoulCore is a class in which you pray the rosary and you combine physical movement, candlelight, and sometimes music. By doing this, you are totally immersing all of your senses in what you are doing – praying the rosary.

The first SoulCore class I took won me over. I loved the combination of core exercises and stretches while praying the Hail Mary prayers, and then the quietness of resting while meditating on the mysteries. The SoulCore leader will share a scripture and reflection for each mystery while everyone rests. I find the physical movements help me focus on the prayers, and when the class is finished, I feel complete. My body and my soul have been restored. It’s a beautiful experience.

Praying the rosary has deepened my faith in so many ways. It’s like the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Praying the rosary led me to SoulCore, which led me to a self-guided retreat, which led me to books to read, which led me to podcasts to listen to, which led me to in-person retreats, and etc. I believe that the rosary has opened up my mind and my heart in ways that made me want to learn more and grow more spiritually. This in turn has made me want to be a better person overall. It has changed my life and my perspective on life, and all it took was a few minutes each day.

I hope that my story of praying the rosary inspires you to try it. You don’t have to start with praying the entire rosary each day. You could start with one decade. If incorporating physical movements would help motivate you, then I highly recommend SoulCore. I lead classes at St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn, and there is an online library of classes at their website. However you want to pray the rosary, make the the time to do it. You’ll find that it enriches your life in a most pleasant way.