By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent
With October designated as the month of the Rosary, and Oct. 13 being the 100th anniversary of the miracle of the sun at Fatima, the recitation of the Rosary has been especially encouraged by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
“The intercession of the Blessed Mother has always been a grace given to the Catholic Church,” the Bishop said. “The Mysteries of her Rosary bear witness to that grace as they tell the story of and lead us to her Beloved Son. In that spirit, as your Bishop, I invite you to pray the Rosary, asking Mary, the Mother of God, to keep us and our intentions in her loving arms.”
In response to his appeal, The Monitor is making available a Rosary CD recorded by Bishop O’Connell and students of St. Paul School, Princeton.
Recorded in June, the project idea came from the St. Paul School Catholic Identity Committee as a vehicle for family prayer, giving students and their families an audio option to use both in their cars and on portable devices.
At the invitation of St. Paul School, Bishop O’Connell led the students in praying all four sets of Rosary Mysteries, with recording facilitated by the diocesan Office of Communication and Media’s Department of Multimedia Production. The group recorded in the peace and seclusion of the St. Paul Mercy Chapel – formerly the convent chapel for the Sisters of Mercy, who began teaching at St. Paul School more than 135 years ago, and retired in June 2016.
“It is the complete package, our Bishop leading the Mysteries of the Rosary with the beautiful voices of the St Paul’s children praying together,” said Marianne Hartman, director of the diocesan Department of Multimedia Production. “This, combined with superior sound quality and the peaceful and light background music, helps to make this a profound prayer experience.”
A CD containing the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries is planned for distribution to all families of St. Paul School and parish religious education programs; funding for the CD replication was provided by a parish family donor.
Hartman has found the Rosary CD a welcome companion when praying in her car on the way to work.
“All four Mysteries are included in the CD, so you can switch around each day to select the Mystery you want to pray on that particular day,” she said. “It is very helpful to me since I do not know all the Mysteries by heart, and you feel the presence of the community.”
A podcast preview of the CD, the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, is available on the diocesan website at DioceseofTrenton.org/podcasts, or on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/diocese-of-trenton.
The Rosary CD is being sold by the Diocese for $15 per copy. (Information yet to come on digital downloads available for purchase.)