“And coming to her [Mary], he [Gabriel] said, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’”

- Luke 1:28

The earliest prayer asking for Mary’s intercession is the 3rd century, Sub Tuum Praesidium. It was discovered in Egypt on a fragment of papyrus. It is believed the prayer dates back to mid-late 200s AD.

The prayer is as follows:

We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious blessed Virgin.

Prayers asking for Mary’s intercession are very old.

Christians should have a devotion and love for Mary, the Mother of God. She was an essential part of God’s plan. Just as she is the Mother of Jesus, she is the mother of all the faithful.

Is it right to ask for her intercession? Yes. But first one must acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the one and only mediator and Savior. But this does not deny the possibility that Jesus would permit others to share in his mediating role. Here on earth, we routinely ask others for their prayers. So why not those friends of our in heaven, the saints.

The Rosary is one of the many devotions to Mary that a person can have.

Why the Rosary?

The Rosary gradually took its form in the second millennium of Christianity under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is a prayer loved by many saints and has been encouraged by the Church.

In the Rosary, the faithful sit at the school of Mary to contemplate Jesus Christ.

The Rosary is meant to be a meditative prayer that can transform the heart. As we meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, we reflect on the truth of the Bible and the key moments in the salvation history. As with Mary in general, the Rosary is meant to bring us closer to Christ her son.

Ten Benefits of Praying the Rosary

(Taken from a Blog entry from the Ascension Press Team)

1. Deepens Your Relationship with God: It helps us to grow closer to Jesus Christ. The Rosary invites us to meditate on the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus along with Mary’s role in salvation history.

2. Strengthens Your Virtue and Overcomes Sin: A significant benefit from praying the Rosary is that it give ones the strengthen to fight against sin and be built up in the virtues. Father Jason sees this in the lives of the faithful all the time.

3. Promotes Peace and Reduces Stress: The Rosary invites us to enter into a calm mediation through Mary’s intercession. The repetition can ease anxieties and foster a sense of stillness.

4. Increased Spiritual Protection: The Rosary is a powerful weapon against the Devil. Saint Padre Pio called it “the weapon for these times.” Mary is the New Eve who crushes the head of the serpent.

5. Aid in Intercessory Prayer: The Rosary allows us to lift up the needs of others to God through Mary’s intercession.

6. Encourages Meditation and Focus: The Rosary causes one to meditate and focus on the events of salvation history. It centers one on Christ.

7. Builds Discipline and Consistency in Prayer: The Rosary can help in establishing a regular, structured prayer life integrated into daily life.

8. Unites You with the Church and the Saints: As we recite the Rosary, we join many Catholics around the world and throughout history in honoring God.

9. Draws You Closer to the Eucharist: The Rosary through meditation on the life of Christ deepens our understanding of his love and sacrifice, made present in the Eucharist.

10. Leads to Miracles and Graces: Numerous miracles throughout history have been attributed to praying the Rosary