October Is the Month of the Rosary [Free Rosary Coloring Page]

In honor of the Rosary, I'm sharing my free Rosary coloring page. Use it to help teach your children to pray the Rosary and to keep track of the prayers.

Or they can color each bead ("rose") as they say a prayer, or they can make copies of the little flowers at the bottom of the page and cut them and paste them onto the bead.



Inspired by my grandmother's Spanish prayers, I also created El Rosario coloring page (a coloring page in Spanish):

My earliest memory of the Rosary is wrapped in the scent of lavender, the whisper of beads passing through wrinkled fingers, the murmured Spanish of my abuelita Blanca.

We shared a room, and the Rosary filled my every evening. For the years that she lived with us, she'd pray the Rosary nightly, the repeated "Dios te salve Maria, llena eres de gracia..." embedded into my sleep.

The set prayers, rather than dulling with repetition, formed a cadence of sweetness, a litany of love. My grandmother often told me that she loved me, and I understood that the rosary was like her repeating to Jesus that she loved him.

One cannot say that enough.

Unfortunately, when I grew older and further from the Lord, I stopped praying the rosary nightly, stopped saying "I love you" to the One Who Loves Us Best.

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” (St. Padre Pio)

Yet, whenever I was in trouble and needed Him, I turned to the  Rosary. Always. Sometimes, I prayed all the mysteries. Other times, just the set prayers. In great difficulties, I'd just clutch the rosary in my hand as tightly as if I were clutching Mama Mary's hand.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit's intervention, my husband's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, and the piles upon piles of books I read, I returned to the Catholic Church in 1995 and have remained in the family.

Since then, the Blessed Mother has truly become my mother. And through the Rosary, she teaches us, not to worship her, not to focus on her, but to turn to the main events in the life of Jesus and our relationship with Him.

* * *

I also have the following free Rosary activity ideas:

• Rosary index-card ring (prayer helper)
• Pro-Life Novena activity page
• Roses for Mother Mary

Happy coloring and praying!
Vee

Crafts & Coloring Pages for the Month of the Rosary

It's the month of the Rosary, and Lacy of Catholic Icing is inviting everyone to share ideas about how to celebrate it.  If you need a refresher for praying the Rosary, here's a quick, solid article from EWTN.

(If you're not Catholic and wondering what's going on, let me explain briefly.

photo credit: bubbels

First, Catholics do not worship Mary. We honor her as we honor our parents according to the 10 Commandments. She's the mother of Jesus, so she truly deserves the greatest honor. But, yes, she is human, not a god, to Catholics. When Catholics pray to Mary---or any other saint---we pray differently from how we pray to God. We are beseeching her for her prayers. In other words, we are talking to Mary and asking her to pray for us to God. Also, the main prayers of the Rosary are taken from Scripture ... the "Hail, Mary" comes from the archangel Gabriel himself when he appeared to her. And the "Our Father" is what Jesus said when folks asked him how to pray. We repeat ourselves just because the repetition helps our mind and hands to get into the spirit of the prayer. And it's like saying "I love you" a hundred times to someone we love. You can't say it enough when you're in love. The same is true of praying the Rosary. If you want to learn more, Catholic teachings aren't a secret ... You can read more at this EWTN site.)

All right then.  Here are a few activities related to the rosary.

My Pro-Life Novena Worksheet was just posted yesterday, so it's fresh from the scanner. You print out the two pages: one of Mary with open arms and the other of the babies. Each day that you pray the rosary is a day you get to add the baby to Mary's care. It's a sweet little craft to track days of your novena.

 I also have an easy sewing craft to do to keep little one's hands busy while praying the rosary. (Xhonane of Familia Catolica took my idea and gave it a prettier, easier spin ... and glitter! Go see her nicer version if you've time. )

Be sure to visit Catholic Icing for more blogs to check out during this lovely month. And let's remember to pray for one another!

♥
Vee

Mary, Queen of the Rosary / Maria, la Reina del Rosario

This paper doll now appears in the Saints Coloring Book, Vol. 2. You can find out the details at the Paper Dali Etsy shop.