[carmelite15]

How many times can you say the rosary a day i dont know 1 2 can you guys help me out here.

[TeresaBenedicta]

As many times as you'd like, I suppose. :)

Although most people opt for once a day. Or you could do a set of four, for all the sets of mysteries.

I know there've been times when I've had a really really bad day that I've prayed the rosary quite a few times over, drawing comfort from Our Mother. But generally I just do one.

[alicemary]

I think you need to examine your reasons for wanting to keep saying a certain pray over and over again. It is a wonderful prayer, but you have to guard against being obsessive about things. It is a l tribute to the life of the Holy Family and the most important part is the meditation on the mysteries. What purpose would it serve to keep repeating it? And how does one find that much time in ones life? I think you need to explain more your reason for asking so we could better get a grip on things to answer what you need to know.

[carmelite15]

i mean just some times i just want to pray pray pray all day sometimes its not just the rosary.

[USAirwaysIHS]

I'd say as many times as you feel compelled and want to, without getting lazy or "careless".

[Laudem Gloriae]

Padre Pio always said a ton. I know of one recorded incident when a man asked him how many he prayed and it was in the morning or late morning I believe and Padre Pio responded "35, but I can do more than one thing at a time."!

I wonder if this was only the morning total how many he did in a day!

[DominicanPhilosophy]

Immaculee Ilibagiza, author of Left to Tell, said, I believe, about fifteen rosaries a day. She was hidden in a small 3x4 bathroom with seven other women for ninety-one days during the Rwandan genocide. Immaculee soon realized that all she really had was her faith.
I had the amazing experience of having her talk at my school, as well as then praying a living rosary with her at a Destination Jesus retreat about four months later. She is honestly one of the most beautiful, strongest women I have ever met. She also wrote some prayers to Our Lady of Kibeho, to be prayed throughout parts of the Rosary.

http://www.immaculee.com/story.html

As far as saying the Rosary myself, I have trouble even getting through one Rosary when not in a group. Praying the Rosary alone, I get so distracted mentally, and it's hard to keep saying the same things over and over with conviction. It's not that I don't love Our Lady, but it's just one of the ways that original sin affects me, personally, I think.

+JMJD

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
isn't rosary just one mystery (like the Joyful)
but Rosary is all four?

[inunionwithrome]

I would say that if you feel drawn to it you can say the Whole Rosary which I refer to as all Four Mysteries of the Rosary. You can also find a meditation guide with the rosary on which to reflect on each mystery if you just do the ones for the day.

[VeniteAdoremus]

We've got several old ladies in our church who do four daily. They were pretty happy when the new Mysteries were added :)

On pilgrimages I do four daily, but other than that one-and-a-bit daily is a good score for me... I say a rosary every night for a special friend and usually fall asleep during the third decade :)

[Jennifer G.]

VeniteAdoremus, on Jun 25 2009, 01:17 PM, said:

We've got several old ladies in our church who do four daily. They were pretty happy when the new Mysteries were added :)

On pilgrimages I do four daily, but other than that one-and-a-bit daily is a good score for me... I say a rosary every night for a special friend and usually fall asleep during the third decade :)

I've fallen asleep around that point a few times. Once, I was sick, and I was praying the Rosary while trying to rest. I'd nod off to sleep, and wake up continuing the Rosary right where I left off.

Anyway, if you could say the Rosary between 20 and 30 minutes, you could say 48-72 Rosaries in 1 24 hour period. ;)

[dominicansoul]

Have you tried the 54 -day Rosary Novena?

I heard it's Mother Assumpta's favorite!

It's one Rosary a day for 54 days, the first 27 are for petition, the next 27 for thanksgiving...

Traditionally, Dominicans say many Rosaries a day, particular to the Community. In Ann Arbor, we had a Novitiate Rosary in the afternoon and an Evening Rosary with the Community. On special Marian months, we prayed 3.

[alicemary]

It is certainly a wonderful prayer to pray, but if you have that much time on your hands, you need to get more involved in life. There can be prayer in action, do good for someone, volunteer your time, take a class, help your parents out at home. Sitting there praying all day, while a wonderful advocation, is not reallity. Even the strictest of cloisters realize you need a healthy balance of work and prayer. Jesus went out and healed.
When I go to my job, I consider that a very valuable part of my prayerlife.
My opinon

[elizabeth09]

I must agree. My family does say the rosary. We take turn saying it.

[loveletslive]

DominicanPhilosophy, on Jun 25 2009, 11:19 AM, said:

as well as then praying a living rosary with her at a Destination Jesus retreat about four months later.

CRAAAAAAZY. i was totally at that retreat!

[Thomist-in-Training]

alicemary, on Jun 25 2009, 09:12 PM, said:

It is certainly a wonderful prayer to pray, but if you have that much time on your hands, you need to get more involved in life. There can be prayer in action, do good for someone, volunteer your time, take a class, help your parents out at home. Sitting there praying all day, while a wonderful advocation, is not reallity. Even the strictest of cloisters realize you need a healthy balance of work and prayer. Jesus went out and healed.
When I go to my job, I consider that a very valuable part of my prayerlife.
My opinon

One can say a rosary while doing many other things, such as walking, waiting in line at the grocery store, driving to work, as well as in chapel. Even praying the Divine Office, which is the official prayer of the Church second only to Holy Mass, was not requested by Our Lady when she appeared at Fatima; the Rosary was.

But I think carmelite's question was practical?

1. Terminology... In the general sense, "a rosary" often means "5 decades." More specifically, each set of mysteries is referred to as one chaplet, so in the complete rosary there are 3 chaplets, 15 decades; or 4 chaplets, 20 decades if you choose to use the Mysteries of Light.

2. How many are you allowed to say? As many as you like; it's not like Holy Communion where there is a limit to how many Communions you may make in one day.

3. How many is one practically capable of saying? I don't know, depends who you are! 3 or 4 is usually the max for me in a day, but some people have more patience, or more blank stretches of time that are appropriate. It takes me about 20 minutes, so if I go for a walk in the evening I can say one or two chaplets in a little less than an hour.

By the way, something that makes it much easier for me to say more than one chaplet in a day is knowing that you don't have to start every one with the Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys. In different countries, there are different customs, so in Italy in some places it might be just started with the sign of the Cross and then the first mystery, or with short versicles:

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be...
As it was...
(O my Jesus...)
and then the first mystery.

And even in the U.S. it's perfectly customary, once you've said the Creed, etc., and five mysteries, to go right into another set of mysteries; you don't have to say the Creed again.
I don't have anything against the Apostles' Creed, quite the contrary, but omitting it sometimes lets me get right to the 'meat' of the rosary on days I'm feeling sluggish.

[MissyP89]

I don't think there's a limit like there's a limit on receiving the Eucharist. Personally, it's a good day if I get through one decade, let alone a whole rosary.

[TeresaBenedicta]

Thomist-in- Training, on Jun 26 2009, 12:56 AM, said:

By the way, something that makes it much easier for me to say more than one chaplet in a day is knowing that you don't have to start every one with the Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys. In different countries, there are different customs, so in Italy in some places it might be just started with the sign of the Cross and then the first mystery, or with short versicles:

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be...
As it was...
(O my Jesus...)
and then the first mystery.

And even in the U.S. it's perfectly customary, once you've said the Creed, etc., and five mysteries, to go right into another set of mysteries; you don't have to say the Creed again.
I don't have anything against the Apostles' Creed, quite the contrary, but omitting it sometimes lets me get right to the 'meat' of the rosary on days I'm feeling sluggish.

They pray the rosary before daily Mass at this near-by Dominican Priory that I go to sometimes, and that's how they begin the rosary-- never with the apostles creed, Our Father, and 3 Hail Mary's.

[johnnydigit]

i try to do at least 1 Rosary a day. when visiting monasteries, we may do about 5, depending on the activity level of the monastery. when praying at abortion clinics, we can do 8-9 over a 6-hour morning. that's the most i've ever done in a day so far..

a Rosary can take anywhere from 12 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how deep i meditate on the mysteries.

Laudem Gloriae, on Jun 25 2009, 08:06 AM, said:

Padre Pio always said a ton. I know of one recorded incident when a man asked him how many he prayed and it was in the morning or late morning I believe and Padre Pio responded "35, but I can do more than one thing at a time."!

I wonder if this was only the morning total how many he did in a day!

from what i read, that's 35 complete Rosaries. one complete Rosary back then = 3 sets of mysteries, so 105 Rosaries a day, or 105 x 50 = 5250 Hail Mary's.

it still boggles my mind how Padre Pio was mentally able to do this. i think he said he did 4 simultaneously. i can comprehend saying 2 - one in the foreground and one in the background.. kind of like praying while working, but more than that and my mind can't handle it.

DominicanPhilosophy, on Jun 25 2009, 09:19 AM, said:

As far as saying the Rosary myself, I have trouble even getting through one Rosary when not in a group. Praying the Rosary alone, I get so distracted mentally, and it's hard to keep saying the same things over and over with conviction. It's not that I don't love Our Lady, but it's just one of the ways that original sin affects me, personally, I think.

+JMJD

i used to assume that people just need to focus more, but now i sympathize as i've been hearing just how difficult it is for people to do. i don't know, what would St. Dominic say?

my advice is to not only memorize the mystery titles, but memorize what happens in the mystery by studying Scripture. e.g. when doing the Sorrowful mysteries, it's like i'm watching the movie "The Passion" play in my head. there are many meditative, or scriptural Rosaries you can find in pamphlet, booklet, or even full book forms.

i actually prefer to say it alone so i can control the meditative pace, and a priest told me the Rosary was actually designed to be more of a private/solitary prayer versus a public/group prayer, i imagine for the same meditative reasons..

[VeniteAdoremus]

johnnydigit, on Jun 26 2009, 12:13 PM, said:

it still boggles my mind how Padre Pio was mentally able to do this. i think he said he did 4 simultaneously. i can comprehend saying 2 - one in the foreground and one in the background.. kind of like praying while working, but more than that and my mind can't handle it.

i used to assume that people just need to focus more, but now i sympathize as i've been hearing just how difficult it is for people to do. i don't know, what would St. Dominic say?

A hermit I know always prays the Jesus prayer (in Greek, I believe), even while talking to you. You see the beads turning in his hand.

St. Dominic would probably say that there are many different ways to pray and we should practise them all, but focus on the ones that best lead us to contemplation.

Then he would go to his room and stand next to his bed and pray until he passed out.