“Hail Mary, Full of Grace!” (Intergenerational)

Description: A review of an Intergenerational Rosary Activity from Loyola Press: http://www.loyolapress.com/rosary-activity-center.htm. In this activity people of all ages can gather together to make a rosary, which is a “prayer that engages both the hands and the heart” (p. 3 of activity). They can greater learn about the lives of Jesus and Mary through the mysteries of the rosary. Importantly, they can offer their own perspective from their life experience on how the stories told in the mysteries speak to them at their particular age.

Summary of Fowler: Fowler runs through his Stages of Faith Development. There are 6, not including a pre-stage in our infancy. As one quickly understands, they are progressive and built upon on another. As we mature in our faith, we aspire toward each new faith stage…with the ultimate end of at least reaching stage 5. Stage 6, is rare, and usually attributed to those with a fully mature spirituality such as Ghandi….and those who respond to “the call of radical actualization” (p. 44).

I find this Rosary activity very useful, as all ages can bring insight into the mysteries being prayed. As an example, when Mary visits Elizabeth and is pregnant…---a young pregnant woman reading this will probably have different emotions than the teenage girl who hears it…and definitely different from the 60 year old woman who hears it again. Yet, ALL can come to a common shared faith experience of prayer and love through the rosary. All three of those women would likely be in different stages of Fowler’s faith development. And yet, all of them would find a rich and deep individual meaning in this prayerful practice done in community. –So, I today thank Mary for such a gift…and echo again the angelic blessing: “Hail, Mary…Full of Grace!”