Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This week in our journey through our Year of the Family, we unleash one of the most powerful weapons we can deploy in our struggle to protect our families from the snares of the devil and to build a happy and a holy home. The Holy Rosary.
Bishop Boyea's Year of the Family | Week 4 | Praying the Rosary
You likely have a Rosary lying around the house. That's a start. But what do we do next? Firstly, pick it up. Secondly, learn to pray with it. Why? Because a Rosary is not merely a string of beads or a collection of repeated prayers. It is a contemplative journey through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as seen through the heart of His Blessed Mother, Mary.
As we pray the Rosary, we grow closer to Christ through Mary. As the great 20th century promoter of the Rosary, Venerable Father Patrick Peyton (1909–1992) says, "If families give Our Lady 15 minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God's grace, peaceful places." What a great promise.
Today's film focuses on a particular family from our diocese who pray a particular form of the Rosary. They are the Jimenez family from the parish of Saint Joseph in Saint Johns. Dad, Demetrio, and Mom, Veronica, have four children. For several years now, they have prayed a form of the Rosary focused on the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
Quite appropriate given this month, September, is dedicated to those seven sorrowful episodes in the life of Our Lady. They are the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the child Jesus in the Temple, Mary meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary, the crucifixion and death of Our Lord, the body of Jesus being taken down from the cross, and finally, the burial of Jesus.
What difference has praying the Rosary made to the Jimenez family? Watch the film below to find out.
What a beautiful and edifying story of the power of the Rosary in the life of a family. As the Jimenezes testify, we have a blessed Mother who can share in our sorrows because she too has suffered and can help us unite our sorrows to her beloved Son, whereby our sorrows are made bearable and even joyful.
So where to start? As Mrs. Jimenez advises, "poco a poco". "Little by little". Don't expect or demand too much of your family, and especially your children, right away. The Rosary should not become a burden. So start with just one decade and take it from there, "poco a poco". But don't give up. Stick with it. It's worth it.
Until next week, may God bless you and Mary keep you.
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing