Introduction

J.M.J.

 

Greetings on this most blessed day (Our Lady of Victory) during the month of the Holy Rosary!

If anyone knows me at all, they know I am a bit of a rosary fan.  And who can blame me?  It was the rosary that ultimately led to my conversion.  More specifically, it was Saint Louis de Montfort's book The Secret of the Rosary that pushed me over the threshold and Home at last into the Catholic Church.

While my heart took almost immediately to the rosary, it was much more difficult to get my family as excited about it as I was.  With a house full of children at the time, I came up with the idea of The Rosary Quilt, which helped keep little ones' hands and hearts still and prepared their minds for meditative prayer on the Mysteries.  I also wanted to teach them the valuable virtues Our Lady teaches us within each Mystery.  At the request of friends, I put the program into printed format and offered it to anyone who wanted to raise their children under the protective mantle of Our Lady and teach them about the rosary.

The Rosary Quilt has been a blessing to many families and parishes.  But something was missing.  I wanted to bring the entire Secret of the Rosary to little ones!  Not just a small portion of it.  But how could it be done?  to simply read each meditation aloud to my children did NOT work.  Too many big words, and too many topics they did not understand.  And so I decided to present each reading to them as a mother speaks to her children.  And it worked!  My younger children love it!  (What can I say - my teenagers are a little beyond this type of format!)

My plans are still forming  I want to make available a workbook/journal but finances are not cooperating right now.  It is all in my head.  I just have to figure out how to get it all into print.  We just have to trust that if Our Lady wishes it to come to fruition, it shall be done.  Until then, I will mention some ideas on how a few of these lessons can be accented by activities, etc.  I will also list any supplies you may need along the sidebar for a general shopping list, and also list the specific items you may need for the particular lesson at the beginning of each lesson. The first few talks require nothing but the script.

For now, I will be posting each talk you can read to your child.  I recommend 2 or 3 talks per week as this seems to offer new information in just the right amount, with verbal reinforcements throughout the week as well.  The First Lessons are solely to prepare your child for what we are about to learn and are not directly associated with the book The Secret of the Rosary, but once we start with the actual 'roses', I will follow it exactly.  I will be adding St. Louis de Montfort's actual words at the beginning of each talk, once we get started on the actual book.  I will be using the version which is currently available via public domain.  This gives you a sense of what the Saint wanted us to learn, and will help you improvise wherever you see a need when reading my talks to your children.

As far as reading these to your children, read over the lessons out loud the night before to give you an idea of how the lesson could best be expressed.  Try to be as excited and animated as possible!  Don't be shy.  It adds to your child's excitement when they see Mommy or Daddy reading and talking about this with much enthusiasm. Also, there are portions where you will have to have a personal example readily available to insert into the talks, so be prepared for that beforehand as well.

While most of these talks are written in parent/child tones, sometimes I still use 'big people' phrases.  But my children are used to me speaking like this to them.  If some sentences feel completely foreign to you, or you know your child may understand something if it is explained in a different way, change it!  Relax and make it exciting for your child!  This is a guide - not a rule book.

I am working a few weeks ahead of you, and as I come across any fixes, I will go back to earlier posts and make any adjustments I feel need to be made.  And since this is everyone's first year, please feel free to leave comments and suggestions after the lessons if you see where an improvement might need to be made!

I am so excited to be able to share this with you all!  Please share my blog with your friends and family and help me get the word out.  Our Lady is anxiously awaiting ALL of us to gather under her mantle so that she can lead us confidently to her Son and Our Savior, Jesus Christ!

****NOTE****

I realize it is far easier to have this in hardcopy form. If you want to help us move forward with the accompanying workbook/journal and templates for activities, please consider purchasing the Rosary Quilt digital files as a donation.  The Rosary Quilt activities will be used during the second half of the Secret of the Rosary program anyway, so you will be that much ahead!  Thank you!  And God bless!