7 common myths and facts about the rosary

October is designated by the Catholic Church as the month of the rosary, and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Here are seven common myths and facts about this popular devotion and prayer:

1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary. False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion . Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.

2. Praying the rosary is idolatry. False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive.

Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry.

The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.”

When we pray the Hail Mary, we are not adoring Mary; we are asking for her intercession — just as we might ask a friend or family member…