How and Why to Pray Four Rosaries a Day
“I advise you as earnestly as I can, and even adjure you not to allow a single day to pass without reciting the Rosary, which is most pleasing to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary” (St. Francis de Sales).
When Our Lord and Our Lady prompt us to venture outside of our comfort zone, our initial response is often more like Moses, Jonah, or Zechariah — “Who, me? Couldn’t be!” — than the Blessed Virgin, the Mirror of Justice, who always gave God His due without hesitation. She wasted no time and spared no love.
“I lack the time, qualifications, eloquence, or holiness … you name it, I lack it,” we protest. Often, these thoughts come from the devil because he wants nothing more than to deter us from doing God’s will and becoming saints.
For many years, my mother has recommended that I pray four Rosaries a day, all 20 mysteries. “I just don’t have the time,” I always thought, whether when I was working on Capitol Hill or raising my children as a full-time homemaker. The truth is, I lacked the humility to surrender other things I wanted to be doing to carve out more time to pray the Rosary.
My Unexpected Call
I received a loud and unmistakable prompt several months ago at a parishwide holy hour at my church, where we pray together the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Rosary, the Holy Face Chaplet, and have periods of silence and Benediction.
This prompt was not a silent Adoration-esque soft whisper, either. It took me over like a tsunami, because it involved the temporary loss of two of my children. I was absolutely terrified, but God permitted this to happen so He could wake me up.
About halfway through the holy hour during the Divine Mercy Chaplet, my three-year-old and five-year-old announced they needed to go potty and uncharacteristically bolted to the bathroom before I had the chance to strap my nursing infant into the stroller to follow them.
I will spare most of the details of my search, but it’s a big church with multiple rooms and hallways outside the main sanctuary. Many painful minutes passed, a bunch of Good Samaritans sprang into action searching inside and outside the church property, and the desperate cries of a mother who feared the worst — have my children been abducted right out of this church? — took the “silent” out of “silent adoration.”
My heart was racing, my mind was flooded with fear and despair, and I was just about to call 911, when a gentleman finally stepped out of one of the men’s rooms (where I had not thought to look) to inform me they were both safe inside.
The whole experience was a window for me into the incredible pain and fear Mother Mary must have felt when she lost her beloved Son in Jerusalem, as well as the incredible, pain-tinged relief of the Fourth Joyful Mystery when she found Him teaching in the temple.
Then came my call. A kind woman approached me to console me. I told her I was so embarrassed for screaming so loudly as I called for my kids, and she lovingly assured me she would have reacted the same way if her kids were lost. She felt my pain. We briefly discussed the perils and challenges of raising children during these dark times, too.
She asked if I had seen Catholic influencer Gabriel Castillo’s video about the graces you receive from praying the entire Rosary every day. She told me she felt she needed to tell me about it and that it would change my life.
Though she never thought she had the time as a busy homeschooling mother of nine, she eventually adopted this lifestyle because of Castillo’s video. Only a couple of days after adopting the practice of praying all four sets of mysteries of the Rosary, she started healing from a yearslong crippling chronic illness for which she could find no medical cure. As she continued, she was given the grace of total healing.
Though initially inspired and motivated by her testimony and Castillo’s video, I quickly reverted to praying only one set of mysteries a day, or skipping the Rosary altogether some days. So Our Lady provided another prompt. This time, it came during a retreat hosted by the John Leaps Evangelization titled "Shielding the Children of God.”
This entire exorcism and deliverance retreat was full of spiritual gold. The biggest takeaway and action item for me came from 96-year-old exorcist Cardinal Ernest Simoni, who was imprisoned and put in solitary confinement by communists in Albania for 28 years. Pope Francis called him a “living martyr.”
When someone like that speaks, you listen.
Before doing a worldwide exorcism, Cardinal Simoni gave the attendees a “command” to pray all four sets of mysteries of the Rosary every day, starting the day after the retreat. I could no longer resist or make excuses. I received this command Saturday, July 12, 2025, and by the grace of God, as of this writing, my guardian angel has only had to cover me for one set of Glorious Mysteries.
The Power of the Rosary
The Rosary was so crucial for Gabriel Castillo’s conversion and vocation as a husband, father, and evangelist that he felt the tug on his heart to write a book about it, despite conceding he is not a good writer and felt unqualified (though I humbly disagree after reading his book). A devoted reader of “The Secret of the Rosary” by St. Louis de Montfort, Castillo saw a need to build upon this indispensable work to prepare us for today’s unprecedented challenges in the fight against evil.
In his newly published “The Power of the Rosary” Castillo provides all the motivation you need to take up this practice with dedication and conviction if you feel called. Castillo discusses the extraordinary power and spiritual benefits of the Rosary, as well as the incredible promises associated with praying the entire Rosary.
He also summarises the Rosary’s rich and fascinating history, from its development in the early Church and the crucial roles of St. Dominic and Bl. Alan de la Roche in propagating Our Lady’s psalter, to the approved Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima, and St. Pope John Paul II’s addition of the Luminous Mysteries.
He describes the role of the Rosary as a weapon in spiritual warfare, and explains the genius science of the Rosary and the elements that make it so effective. “The Rosary is a combination of the most powerful practices in Christendom," namely the vocal prayers given to us by the Holy Trinity and Scripture, the Our Father and Hail Mary, and meditation on the life of Christ, Castillo explains, “and it is the Mother of God’s favorite tool to help ordinary people become saints.”
Most critically, at the heart of his book, Castillo dedicates an entire chapter to mental prayer. Why? According to the Doctors of the Church, mental prayer is an absolute necessity in the spiritual life and in the battle against vice and evil. For instance, St. Teresa of Avila admonished, “He who neglects mental prayer needs not a devil to carry him to Hell, but he brings himself here by his own hands.”
“The genius of Our Lady is that she takes the power of mental prayer and enhances it, simplifies it, and makes it regular in the lives of all her children who pray the Rosary,” Castillo explains. It will change your life and the lives of your loved ones, and it will save souls. There is no better deal.
Making Time
So how — and why — can you embrace this Rosary lifestyle? Everyone’s day and life are different, but here are some helpful tips:
Listen to Our Lady and the saints. St. Francis de Sales said, “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.” We all have battles we’re fighting daily, and we all have big prayer requests for Jesus and Our Lady. One of the fifteen promises revealed by Our Lady to Saint Dominic and Bl. Alan de la Roche is, “By recitation of the Rosary, you will obtain all that you ask of me.” St. Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon that wins all the battles.”
Make it a priority. I often get up a little earlier than I was before and pray one or two sets of mysteries immediately. This might mean setting your alarm clock 15 to 30 minutes earlier, but the eternal benefits outweigh the temporary sacrifice of comfort.
Ask what you can cut out. There are amazing promises associated with praying the entire Rosary. There are no amazing promises for scrolling through Instagram, engaging in needless conversations, listening to podcasts, or any number of other habits we have. Are there other habits you can reduce or cut entirely to make more space in your day for the Rosary?
Ditch the perfectionism. I see no shame in turning on Fr. Patrick Peyton’s Rosary or other favorite Rosary podcast and letting that set the rhythm for you while you chop veggies for dinner, fold laundry, drive kids to lessons, or commute to work.
Gather the family around a home altar. I pray one set of mysteries with my family around our home altar. With four small children, it’s not always perfect, or perfectly peaceful, but that’s perfectly fine.
Ultimately, where there’s a will, there’s a way. As Gabriel Castillo recommends, ask Our Lady how many Rosaries she wants you to pray. She will answer you. Once you are convinced of the benefits of praying the entire Rosary, you will no longer ask how you can get it done. Instead, you’ll be asking how you can live without it.
Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!
Katherine is a mother of four and lives in Virginia with her family. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Ave Maria University. Prior to her current role as homemaker and home educator, she served as communications director for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and former Congressman Keith Rothfus. She also worked in communications at Heritage Action for America. She is passionate about living out her Catholic faith and fostering a culture that protects children’s innocence and joy. Her favorite pastimes include reading, writing, singing, and spending time with family.