As a speaker, teacher, and bestselling Catholic author, Megan McKenna has informed and inspired audiences both within and outside the Catholic tradition with her warmhearted, contemporary approach to spirituality. Now she turns her attention to the rosary, revealing the universality of this ancient practice and how it can enrich lives today.

Praying the rosary—the act of counting off prayers with a string of beads in a rhythm of focused spiritual contemplation—is a practice that has existed for centuries and is common to many faiths, including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. For the world’s one billion Catholics it has become the most popular form of devotion. Though strongly associated with the Virgin Mary, the prayers of the rosary are ultimately meant to bring those who say them closer to Jesus Christ, whose life and teachings are central to all branches of the Christian faith. This gives the rosary an ecumenical dimension that is in sync with today’s emphasis on the common bonds, rather than the divisions, among all Christians. In 2002, Pope John Paul II updated the rosary by adding a new section on the teachings of Jesus, further emphasizing the centrality of Christ and the biblical Gospels at the heart of the prayers.

Embracing this ecumenical attitude in PRAYING THE ROSARY, Megan McKenna explores the rosary and explains how to pray it, incorporating the Pope’s recent additions and revealing its relevance to a new generation. She breaks down the rosary into its twenty components, prefacing each with a selection from Scripture that identifies the prayer’s source in the Bible. Combining practical instruction with meditative reflections on the prayer’s spirituality, she reveals the rosary’s richly contemplative nature and shows how praying the rosary can inspire peaceful, calm attitudes, and an awareness of the universal spiritual mystery that connects all Christians.