Surely, I’m not the only one to have a family that sometimes goofs around during the Family Rosary …

The Family Rosary has been a nightly tradition in our household for many years.  It is always a beautiful time. There are often Latin prayers among the English; intercessory prayers for our family and friends are a given, and it is time spent together and with Our Lord and His Blessed Mother at the end of the day.  However, I sometimes wonder if I would have a more consistently reverent experience if I had trained my family when they were very young. Since we only really got started properly when they were in their teens, goofing around is something that happens reasonably often, either before or during the Rosary.  With just one week to go before my young adults leave us to travel overseas, I’ve decided to stop cracking down on some of the common quirks that come up. It may not be the holiest Rosary you’ve seen or heard pray but I’m simply grateful to have us all together to pray it.

1.       It is just my family who when Rosary time comes along, our family dog becomes the cutest dog in the world? Everyone wants to cuddle up to him, pat him or play ball with him right at that time.  Our dog is very bright, he seems to know that Family Rosary time, is a special time to get family attention, so he’s always in attendance.

2.       Is my family the only one that gets sleepy during the Rosary? One or more of us may end up in a supine position instead of sitting or kneeling before the prayers are finished. We have only ourselves to blame. We often say we’d like to complete our prayers earlier but often we leave it to 10pm at night, or later. We can’t be the only family that does that.

3.       Is it just my family that mispronounces the words of the prayers, either accidentally or on purpose? There are some words that consistently trip up one or other of the members of our family that causes the others to laugh without fail and a typical one is the first joyful mystery, which we all know is the “Announciation”.  Other times, they like to remember their childhood inside joke of calling the Fifth Joyful mystery – “The Findation”.

4.       Is it just my family with too many females who want to twirl or twist or brush their hair during the Family Rosary? Today they also confessed that they are also guilty of staring competitions and copying one another’s gestures to goof off. When full grown adults are playing or fidgeting - that’s when you really know your family members need to re-focus on the prayer.

5.       Is it just my family who can be found singing before or during the Rosary? With a family of a musicians, it is almost inevitable that there will be song. It may or may not be Rosary related – it usually is.

6.       Is it just my family members who suddenly remember something important that needs to be said that just can’t wait? I’m as guilty of it as much as the next person. We may try and justify the important announcement by declaring it between decades and then offering an intention for it– which makes it alright, right?

I can’t say I haven’t been annoyed, irritated, or even angered sometimes by one or more family members deciding to goof off during family prayer. Ultimately, though I have decided that like many other Catholic families, mine is excellent at putting “family” into the Family Rosary.