A Reflection on the Power of the Rosary from a Hoya Mom

Of family members devoted to the Rosary, my grandmother, Gigi, had the greatest influence in encouraging me to pray it every day.

Gigi was a hard-nosed Irish woman who smoked cigarettes for most of her life and enjoyed a whisky every evening at five – but not before she said her Rosary. One of my fondest childhood memories is the profile of Gigi on her couch, thumbing the green stones of an oversized Rosary from Ireland’s Knock Shrine.

Several years before she died, I asked Gigi how she had managed to raise five children alone on a housecleaner’s wages after losing her husband at a young age. Her answer still resonates: “It was the Rosary.”

There have been countless manifestations of Christ’s power through this “to Jesus, through Mary,” prayer that dates back to the 13th Century and which reflects on Christ’s Life, Death and Resurrection, as seen through the eyes of his mother. Some graces are small; others are immense.

My brother, a priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, has witnessed many testimonies to the power of the Rosary unfold over the past two decades – drug addictions overcome, marriages mended, illnesses cured.

Several years ago, he counseled a young woman who had been heavily involved in the occult for 10 years and had suffered throughout that entire time with inexplicable, debilitating pain that left her bed- ridden. He taught her to pray the Rosary, which she began saying three times a day. After several weeks, her pain was nearly gone. After several months, the emotional cloud that had shrouded nearly half her life lifted. She says there isn’t a day that goes by when she doesn’t feel the presence of Our Lady. Most graces of the Rosary are more subtle, yet powerful, nonetheless.

In my own life, I think of the prayer as an anchoring force. Amid the daily grind of full-time work, parenting teenagers, and caring for aging parents, its meditative, rhythmic quality helps ground me. It imparts an enduring peace that is prevalent through even the most difficult times.

Several years ago, I helped care for my mother during her long and difficult death. The Rosary gave me the strength to rise each morning after sleepless nights and press forward with the resolve needed to face another day. After her death, within the refuge of those five decades, I found comfort in my grief in the arms of Christ and His Mother.

As part of the GP Mom’s Rosary, I’ve heard the testimonies of other moms as well. “The Rosary changed me somehow,” said one mom of a Prep alum who continues joining our group on Thursdays. Another mom finds that her prayers are always answered – though not always in the way she expects. When Jesus said to John from the Cross, “Behold your mother,” He was speaking to all of us. Christ gave us His Mother to guide and assist us in our journey toward Him.

The GP Moms’ Rosary group warmly invites you to join us. We meet every Thursday at 8:15 a.m. in Our Chapel of the Lady of Lourdes and are usually finished within 20 minutes. Often, we gather for coffee afterward. You do not need to know how to say the prayer, as we provide guides and rosaries for anyone who would like to learn. Even if you’re unable to join us, please know that we are nonetheless praying for you, your family, and the entire Prep community, especially during this Lenten season. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

Eileen Francis Jimenez P‘27