Q: Is it OK to pray the rosary while at Mass? I got a little confused as one of the priests said, “It’s OK to do this.” I thought that Mass is the highest form of prayer and that we should be focused while we are there. – Elsa
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
A: You are correct: The Mass is the highest form of prayer, and we should stay focused on it.
It times past, when the Mass was almost exclusively celebrated in Latin, many people who didn’t know the language would pray the rosary during the Eucharistic celebration. This was understandable.
The shift toward the vernacular Mass after the Second Vatican Council was meant to make it easier for people in the pews to participate more actively. Praying the rosary during Mass can distract someone from the liturgical celebration itself.
Pope Paul VI in his apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus, in fact, said that “it is a mistake to recite the Rosary during the celebration of the liturgy, though unfortunately this practice still persists here and there” (No. 48).
While the Church heartily endorses the rosary, it reminds us that Mass is not the ideal time to pray it.
