The Rosary is one one of the most powerful prayer reflections that we have available to us,” said Abby Hauke, an eighth-grade student at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa. “It helps us stay connected to our God through the loving care of His Mother Mary.”
The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. It was instituted to pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in appreciation for the love and protection that she provides the Church in response to those who pray it faithfully.
“We needed what it provides for us,” said Leah Hauke, sixth-grade student and Abby’s sister. “A strong and dedicated way to ask our God for his help.”
The two sisters started a weekly Rosary reflection at school during recess.
“Every Thursday we gather at Mary’s Grotto and pray together for the souls of unborn children and for an end to abortion in our world,” said Leah.
The effort began as a family affair but was quickly embraced by the campus faith community.
“It started out small, but it wasn’t long before lots of students began to join us. At this point, we have students from fourth through eighth grade joining us every week,” said Abby.
And so we are reminded, by our children, of the importance of making time to pray the Rosary each day. It helps us resist daily temptations, it encourages us to slow down and find peace in our hectic world, it helps us pray for our neighbor and God’s world in a strong and dedicated way, and finally it helps us to focus when we’re not quite sure how to pray for what we need. The Holy Rosary is powerful because it’s based on sacred scripture and sacred tradition. It is a grace-filled weapon to help us bring about peace and healing during these difficult and challenging times in our world.
Both sisters want to keep the effort going as long as they can.
“It’s a beautiful gift from Our Blessed Mother and it belongs to all of us, so we need to use it as often as we can,” said Leah.
“Mary promised us that if we pray to her, she will hear us and respond,” said Abby, “and that’s saying a lot.”