Whether you’ve never prayed the Rosary before or are a seasoned veteran, this set will help to enrich your prayer life. The insert has a little primer on how to pray the rosary, including the prayers and which mysteries to pray on which day. He includes lyrics for all of the songs that St. Alphonsus wrote (there are 5), as well as the text of the devotions that accompany each mystery complete with the source from which they were derived. In addition, there is also a small article on the meaning and the history of the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
When I requested to review this 2-CD set from Tiber River, I had a feeling that the Lord was trying to tell me something. The devotions that accompany each mystery often brought tears to my eyes as I realized that Mary would intercede and help me get the grace I so desperately need. My favorite is:
Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is to give birth to John the Baptist. Elizabeth greets Mary: âBlessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.â? Oh My Queen, you moved quickly to sanctify the home of St. Elizabeth.. I implore you, therefore, visit me, visit the poor home of my soul. Hurry, for you know very well, much better than I do, how poor it is and how weak from many diseases: from disordered affections, vicious habits, and numberless sinsâall of which will lead it to eternal death. You can enrich it, O treasurer of God, and you can heal all those infirmities. â The 2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Each Rosary begins with an opening prayer to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In addition to the typical rosary prayers (Apostles’ Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be & The Fatima Prayer), Fr. Schavitz also includes little extras: reminders that the initial 3 Hail Mary’s are for an increase of faith, hope and charity, requests for Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Alphonsus to pray for us after each decade, as well as an additional verse/response at the end of the Rosary.
The audio portions of the Rosary were very appealing to listen to. The music, where it is, is very liturgical and reverent. It gets you in the mood to mediate this beautiful prayer to the Lord. The Reverend Peter Schavitz, C.Ss.R. has a very pleasing voice and the ladies that he has doing the responses do a very good job. They sound very sweet and it is at a tempo that most people are probably used to. It’s in that sweet spot between the International Rosary on EWTN in the afternoons (which seems rather quick) and Mother Angelica’s slow-paced Rosary. The CD also includes 5 songs written (and sometimes composed) by St. Alphonsus. The music was reverent and the lyrics holy. I am a bit ambivalent about them, but if you put this on your iPod or keep it in your car, odds are you will be skipping the songs anyway.
Overall, I would say that this is an excellent item to purchase and keep on handâin your car, in your CD player, on your phone or MP3 player. I know that having this CD handy has allowed me to meditate on the mysteries better and more frequently than in the past and I am loving the benefits of it. It’s sure to become a favorite.
You can purchase this item here.
This review of Praying the Rosary with St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori was written for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.
Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.
sandraraven15
9 September 2009 at 8:06 AM (15 years ago)Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
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