The Rosary Confraternity: Solidarity In Prayer

An interview with Fr. Athanasius Murphy, O.P.

Through the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary (also known also as the Rosary Altar Society), the friars offer the laity a way of participating in the Dominican form of life. Members commit to praying the 15 decades of the Rosary each week. BlackFriars sat down with Fr. Athanasius Murphy, Promoter of the Confraternity, to discuss this enduring devotion.

What effect does regularly praying the Rosary have on a person’s life?

Praying the Rosary allows one to dwell within the mysteries of Christ’s life through the lens of Mary. The more we pray the Rosary, the more we see how transparent Mary became to her Son, Jesus, and we begin to see our own lives in a similar way. We see ourselves not as independent from God, but dependent upon Him and how He wishes to change us through his grace.

What does membership in the Confraternity add to the practice of praying the Rosary?

The Confraternity allows us to be a part of a community of the faithful who are intentionally praying for each other throughout the entire world, a community that has been established by the Catholic Church for this reason. It’s a bit like a Google doc of grace, where you can have multiple people contributing at the same time. In the Confraternity, each member contributes prayers for the others, so that there is a treasury of grace that God is giving to all.

What significance does the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions have for the Rosary Confraternity?

One of the meanings behind the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima was to encourage all Christians to pray the Rosary daily for the conversion of souls and to foster peace among warring nations. The same message of Our Lady is applicable to our own day and age. The Confraternity hopes that more Christians will take up the Rosary as a spiritual weapon that promotes the conversion of souls and the end to unnecessary and harmful conflict both at home and internationally.

To join the Rosary Confraternity of the Province of St. Joseph, visit www.RosaryConfraternity.org

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