Block Rosary
You Can Do This!

You can make it as small as you want
or as big as you want.

       Look at the remarkable fruits of the recitation of the Rosary by family groups.

       In Nigeria, a lay-apostolate movement is spreading spontaneously and with phenomenal rapidity among the mass of the faithful and particularly among the young. It is the "Block Rosary Movement" which gathers individuals and families by blocks of houses to recite the Rosary together every evening. It is essentially a prayer movement comprising hymns and other prayers in addition to the Rosary, and often Bible readings and religious instruction. This is a remarkable movement which might well become a new instrument of evangelization in view of its spirit and enthusiasm.

       Could not this movement be launched and developed in many other African and Asian missions? It would be specially useful in countries threatened by persecution, in order to ensure an intense life of faith and prayer in Christian communities which will soon perhaps be deprived of priests.

       In the Philippines, a similar movement called by the same name, "The Block Rosary Movement" is arousing the same enthusiasm there among laymen, developing with the same rapidity and yielding abundant fruit. Some 80 groups of 30 families and more met for half an hour every evening for the whole month of October to recite the Rosary together, sing hymns and listen to a Bible reading with commentary. Moreover, devotion to Mary has been renewed, many people have resumed the habit of family prayer, the spirit of neighborliness has increased, parish associations have a new lease on life. Such a successful movement really deserves the attention of everyone, especially priests, and we pray that it may develop all over the world, especially in mission countries, to the great advantage of the evangelization of non-Christians and the dechristianized right here in North America.

       The Block Rosary is more than the recitation of the Rosary in private. The Block Rosary is comprised of a group of families, living in the same district. They agree to come and pray round the statue of the Blessed Virgin in or in front of the house of one of them. Every evening after the prayer meeting, which lasts for half an hour, the statue is carried to the next house by candlelight procession and to the accompaniment of singing. People are very keen to have the statue "sleeping at their house"! Thus they have the whole day to invite the neighbors to come in the evening to pray with them. In this way, "family prayer" becomes "neighborhood prayer".

       The Living Rosary ceremony. The participants take up their places in the shape of a Rosary in the street or in a square; each bead of the Rosary is an adult representing his family. When his turn comes to speak over the microphone, each one receives the light of his neighbor, so that at the end of the prayer all the candles, all the torches are burning. In the center of the living rosary, the mysteries are represented by children or other members of the families.

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