The Rosary & the Liturgical Year

This course introduces lower school students to the Rosary as a prayer rooted in Scripture, centered on the life of Christ, and lived within the rhythm of the Church’s liturgical year. Through guided prayer, storytelling, sacred art, music, memorization, and hands-on activities, students will grow in familiarity with the prayers of the Rosary and an understanding of its mysteries.

Instruction is developmentally appropriate and emphasizes reverence, repetition, beauty, and joyful participation. The course culminates in the month of May with students creating their own rosary and offering it in prayer to Our Lady.

Students will:

• Learn the prayers of the Rosary (with age-appropriate expectations)
• Understand the structure and purpose of the Rosary
• Become familiar with the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries
• Connect the mysteries of the Rosary to the liturgical year
• Develop habits of reverent prayer
• Grow in love for Our Lady and Christ
• Create a handmade rosary as a culminating act of devotion

Quarter 1

Advent & Christmas The Joyful Mysteries: Preparing for Christ

Liturgical Focus:

• Advent
• Christmas
• Early Ordinary Time

Themes:

• Waiting, obedience, humility, joy
• God entering the world through Mary

Key Lessons:

• What is prayer? What is the Rosary?
• Who is Mary? Why do we pray with her?
• Introduction to the Sign of the Cross and the Hail Mary
• The Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation, Finding in the Temple

Activities:

• Storytelling of the Joyful Mysteries
• Sacred art observation and discussion
• Memorization of the Sign of the Cross and Hail Mary (older students add the Our Father)
• Advent prayer practices
• Coloring and sequencing the Joyful Mysteries

Prayer Practice:

• One decade prayed together weekly

Quarter 2

Ordinary Time & Early Lent The Luminous Mysteries: Walking with Jesus

Liturgical Focus:

• Ordinary Time
• Transition into Lent

Themes:

• Jesus’ public life
• Light, discipleship, listening

Key Lessons:

• What are mysteries? Why do we meditate?
• The Baptism of Jesus
• Wedding at Cana
• Proclamation of the Kingdom
• Transfiguration
• Institution of the Eucharist

Activities:

• Gospel storytelling
• Matching mysteries to Gospel passages
• Introduction to the Glory Be
• Learning how to hold and use rosary beads
• Simple written or oral reflections (grade-dependent)

Prayer Practice:

• One decade prayed with guided meditation

Quarter 3

Lent & Easter The Sorrowful Mysteries: Love and Sacrifice

Liturgical Focus:

• Lent
• Holy Week
• Easter

Themes:

• Sacrifice, love, forgiveness, trust
• Jesus’ suffering and victory over death

Key Lessons:

• Why Jesus suffered
• The Agony in the Garden
• The Scourging
• The Crowning with Thorns
• The Carrying of the Cross
• The Crucifixion
• Transition to Resurrection joy

Activities:

• Stations of the Cross connections
• Sacred art reflection
• Age-appropriate discussion of suffering and love
• Memorization of the Glory Be and Fatima Prayer (older students)
• Lenten prayer practices

Prayer Practice:

• One decade prayed reverently, with silence

Quarter 4

Easter & May The Glorious Mysteries & Marian Devotion

Liturgical Focus:

• Easter Season
• Pentecost
• May (Month of Mary)

Themes:

• Hope, resurrection, heaven
• Mary as Mother of the Church

Key Lessons:

• The Resurrection
• The Ascension
• Descent of the Holy Spirit
• Assumption of Mary
• Coronation of Mary

Activities:

• Discussion of heaven and eternal life
• Marian hymns and prayers
• Review of all Rosary prayers
• Introduction to praying multiple decades (older students)

Culminating Project — May Create a Rosary In the month of May, students will:

• Learn about the history and purpose of the rosary beads
• Create a handmade rosary using age-appropriate materials
• Pray with their rosary as a class

• Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.
• High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.
• Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)
• Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm
• Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
• Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.