October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. Why not challenge yourself to memorize the Rosary in Latin this month? Brendan Weston’s new workbook will guide you!
Memorize the Rosary in Latin
by Brendan Weston
Published by Sophia Institute Press
A few years ago, I became interested in learning Latin. It is, after all, the universal language of the Church. I enjoyed discovering the Latin Mass, and I loved the beauty of the Pater Noster and Ave Maria in Latin. One day, I would like to learn enough Latin to be able to read the Bible and other primary texts in Latin. Having a universal language is a beautiful thing, and allows us to pray with other Catholics no matter what language they speak or what country they are from. I recently read a book about a woman who underwent an exorcism where the priests prayed many of the deliverance prayers in Latin, so I figure it must also offer some sort of enhanced spiritual protection! It is also fun to learn something new while giving glory to God at the same time. Brendan Weston’s new book, Memorize the Rosary in Latin, is a helpful guide and workbook for learning the prayers of the Rosary in Latin.
Great for Beginners Learning Latin
This book is perfect for a beginner learning Latin. The Rosary is the perfect place to start learning Latin because it is something you probably already do frequently, so you will have plenty of time to practice. The book has every prayer of the Rosary in Latin and English, side by side. It also has a Latin pronunciation guide, as well as some background about the Rosary and praying it in Latin. The guide also contains every mystery listed in both Latin and English. There is also a full glossary at the end of the book, and lovely artwork to accompany the prayers throughout. The only other resource that I think would be useful to include is a video or audiofile that could be accessed so that you can hear the proper pronunciations of longer or trickier words. However, I’m sure a quick search on YouTube would lead you to plenty of Latin Rosary videos.
A Guide and a Workbook
The first part of the book guides you briefly through praying the Rosary and pronouncing the Latin words. The rest of the book is a workbook. The method for memorization is:
- Look at the prayer in Latin and English side by side
- Level 1: Few words are missing and there is a word bank to fill in the blanks
- Level 2: More words missing and a corresponding word bank
- Level 3: Write each line with word bank
- Level 4: Each line jumbled (you put them in order)
- Level 5: Whole prayer jumbled where you match the Latin words above the English words
- Reflection: Blank lines to write a reflection after finishing each prayer
How to Use this Book
For Individuals
Ideally, one book would be used by one person. If you write in it, it is consumable. This is how it is intended to be used.
For Families
This book would be great for personal study by mom, dads, or kids who are old enough to read and write. Once you and/or your spouse memorizes the prayers, you could simply just start praying the Rosary (or parts of the Rosary) in Latin and your kids would pick it up over time.
I think that it could also work to have 1 copy for the family and the parents can leave out the words for the kids to verbally fill in together. Alternatively, you could purchase a copy for each family member to work through.
For Religious Education Classrooms
This could be a fun book to go through at the beginning of class together if you are interested in teaching your students some prayers in Latin. Use it in the same way as the family – either 1 book for the teacher to teach the kids out loud, or get them each a copy to work through.
For Homeschoolers
If you want a gentle introduction to Latin in your homeschool, then this workbook would be perfect. It’s actually very similar to how our kids are learning Latin in their Classical Catholic homeschool program. Just dive right in and start translating! If you have your child work on this little-by-little, everyday, he or she will learn the prayers via their perseverance.
You can find Memorize the Rosary in Latin, at Sophia Institute Press.