7 Ways to Explain the Rosary to a Stranger...

1. To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ. 

- Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae 3

It is a devotion that uses a string of beads to keep track of a certain number of prayers. The Rosary is made up of five simple sets of repeated prayers, with each set made up of an Our Father and ten Hail Marys. Each set is called a "decade" for the ten Hail Marys. And each decade is assigned a "mystery," a meditation from the life of Christ or Mary. 

2. By its nature the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are unfolded. 

- Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, 47

- St. Padre Pio Copyright @ Leadustoheaven.com

3. Pray, Hope and Don't Worry.  

- St. Padre Pio

Sometimes it's just best to advise them to try it and let Mary and Jesus do the speaking.  

4. The difference is not in what God can do and what Mary can do. The difference is in the way they do it. God wills something and it happens. Mary prays to Him for something and He does it. He will never say 'no' to her.

- Father Cornelius to Father Patrick Peyton in A Man of Faith by Jeanne Gosselin Arnold

- Pope John Paul II copyright @ Leadustoheaven.com

5. The centre of gravity in the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of Jesus. 

- Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae 33

6. Christ is the supreme Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed.  It is not just a question of learning what he taught but of "learning him."

- Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae 14

7. O Blessed Mary, sweet chain which unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you. 

- Blessed Bartolo Longo