One of the ways I taught students to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary, was to have them create a rosary journal for a particular week. We focused on one decade/mystery of the rosary each day (for a total of five mysteries per week). I found this to be especially powerful for the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.
Creating the Journals
Materials needed: notebook paper, construction paper (or plain white paper), and a stapler.
Steps:
1. Fold the notebook paper and construction paper in half (hotdog style/long-ways).
2. Place the notebook paper within the construction paper
3. Staple on the fold.
4. Decorate the journal cover with the title “Rosary Journal” and your name. (Give them a designated amount of time and tell them they can finish the decorating at another time if necessary).
Meditating on the mysteries of the rosary
Objective: SWBAT meditate upon the mysteries of the rosary while praying the rosary.
1. Distribute class rosaries (if possible)
2. Provide a list of perspectives
3. Instruct them to label the first page
4. Read the Scripture verse
5. Provide 5 minutes to journal (often I would play Danielle Rose’s music in the background while they wrote). Ask them to describe the events from the perspective they have chosen as though they were really there. Tell them to focus on what they saw and heard, but more importantly how they felt.
6. Ask them to visualize the event from the perspective that they had taken while you pray a decade of the rosary together as a class.
Grading the Rosary Journals
For this activity I did not provide a rubric for their writing. I graded them on their effort. However, I did expect them to use the time wisely. Writing one half to a full page of journaling is not too much to ask. Most students were given A’s for appropriate effort while others were given B’s for writing only a couple of sentences, showing very little effort. For students that missed certain days, I gave them the scripture verses we read and the perspectives they could take for their make-up work.
A lovely book on the Rosary including meditations can be found on http://www.200rosarypearls.com
Have a look!
What do you mean by perspective?
Thankyou
Great question. So if the students are journalling about the Annunciation, the perspectives would be Mary, Gabriel, and possibly God the Father. If they were focusing on the Visitation, the perspectives would be Mary, Elizabeth, and maybe even John the Baptist and Jesus in their wombs. Does that make sense?
Thank you for asking this question Ivette. Exactly what I was thinking.
Yes Jared this does make sense.
Thank you.
Thanks Jared for this tutorial. I teach 2nd yr confirmation and it is amazing that our young adults are not being taught the Rosary within their own homes. I have been looking for an easy way to get them to know Our Lady and most importantly to love Her by teaching them the Rosary. I am going to use the Journal as my lesson in the morning.
Once again
Thank you.
Wendy, I’m so glad to hear that you’ll be trying this out. I know my students always love the activity and it really helps take meditation of the mysteries to a whole new level. Thanks for saying hi and let us know how it goes!
My 7th and 8th graders wilk be utiluzing this for this year. I live it and it helps prepare them for the reflectios they will be doing in confirmation.
Your approach on meditating the rosary is clear and meaningful. Thank you for making them easy to grasp by both teacher and students.