The Rosary Prayer by Prayer: How and Why We Pray the Christ-Centered Rosary of the Blessed Mother

This book is a beautifully done work explaining a completely beautiful prayer. It will help a beginner to more fully understand and someone who has been saying the Rosary for years to grow in their understanding and appreciation for this wonderful form of prayer.

I bought this book for my daughter who is away at college. It is also in our Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at St. Peter in Geneva. I have seen many people reading it during their prayer time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. It has a complete list of references for each Mystery of the Rosary. For example, a scripture passage from the Gospel of Mark is printed for the Fourth Luminous Mystery, the Transfiguration. The chapter and verse where this same passage can be found in the Gospels of Luke and John are also noted. At the back of the book there is also a good list of Marian Organizations with their addresses and websites, a detailed bibliography and an index.

Doyle's latest book is a basic presentation on the rosary for beginners and also a rich resource for those who have a little and a lot of experience and knowledge of this prayer form. She opens with a history of the rosary, an explanation of the individual prayers, and an overview of the mysteries. It is here that she invites readers to consider the scriptural basis of the mysteries, suggesting a variety of ways they may be tied to church teaching and everyday life. She also suggests alternatives to saying the rosary daily when our prayer time is limited. The rosary, Doyle shows us, is a many-faceted devotion that shapes and is shaped by our changing life circumstances. She uses the joyful mysteries as an example. As a child, she saw them as a sequential story from Jesus' conception to age 12. As a young mother, she identified more with Mary as a role model. Later in life her focus when reciting these mysteries shifted toward the revelation of God through the person of Jesus. The core of the book consists of a complete rosary for each of the four mystery groups: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious. For each mystery, Doyle provides the relevant scripture passage and her own reflection. All mysteries are accompanied by annotated scans of a rosary to aid beginners and enriched with unique full-page illustrations depicting the theme. The final section contains more prayers and basic teaching tools, lists of Marian organizations, a glossary, bibliography, and index.

This was the best book I have ever read! Mary Doyle is a wonderful author, and this book is a must for all Catholic households, and a must for anyone who enjoys a good read! The illustrations were also just to die for

Knowledge, in general, is never final because you can never know enough. The knowledge of religion, in particular Catholicism, holds the same value. It is in this thought that "The Rosary Prayer by Prayer" is an incredible book of knowledge and respect for one of the Catholic Church's most sacred tradition of prayer. For those who hold the deepest reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in praying the Rosary, the reader will find this a wonderful and timely book that will give you further insight into the meaning, history, and recitation of this gift. For those who wish to find out more about the Rosary, or for those who wish to learn, but do not know how to begin, Ms. Doyle, in her kind and gentle dialogue, will guide the reader along and make the journey all that more joyful. She begins with a history of the Rosary; how it developed, and how it can bring us peace. She discusses the Prayers and Mysteries, then brings us to how you can best use the book to fully understand the joy of prayer. The second section begins with the actual Mysteries, their meanings, and how we relate them to what we are praying. To help make this journey easier, especially as one begins this as a new experience, there are Rosary illustrations for each step and each set of Mysteries so that you can see which bead is used. The third section deals with other prayers that we can incorporate as we pray the Rosary, as well as the actual Rosary itself and its parts. Societies which are devoted to the adoration of The Blessed Mother, sources to turn to for further information, and a glossary are just a few of the last parts that Ms. Doyle gives us so that we have all the readiness we need to begin this empowering experience with The Blessed Mother. The beautiful illustrations that are part of this book give us the visual education of what the Mysteries mean, as seen through the eyes of a most gifted artist. They give you pause to reflect and ponder on each part of the life of Jesus Christ. This book would be a most appreciated gift of understanding of the Holy Rosary, sure to please the heart and soul. Blessings!