A Message from

Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee

As I meet our teachers in Catholic schools, our catechists

in our programs of religious education, and our parents,

I learned about some of the challenges facing them these

days.

Archbishop, we really need to teach our children to

pray . . .

Our kids do not even know the life, events, and

teaching of Jesus . . .  

Do you know of any new methods, or books, or programs

to help us . . . ? 

Well, no . . . I don’t know of any new methods. I do know of one

thousands of years old that might help . . . 

The Rosary.

Yep, the rosary. Think about it: if our children learn the rosary, they 
would know by heart the Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory 
Be, the basic prayers of our faith. They would learn that prayer is simple, 
scriptural, in union with Mary, leading to an absorption into the mysteries 
of our salvation. So, we could teach them to pray. 

If our children knew the rosary, they would know the basics of the life, 
teaching, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus as they learn the 
twenty mysteries of the rosary. 

I know it’s not the answer to all our catechetical challenges; I realize it 
has difficulties of its own; I admit it does not appeal to everybody. 

But I still propose to you that the rosary is not only an effective, 
beautiful prayer, but a remarkably effective catechetical tool. 

After all, St. Dominic utilized it in successfully preaching against a 
popular belief of his day, called Albigensianism, that denied the reality of 
the Incarnation. 

So, let’s give it a try again today . . . 
 

The above Message is from “Some Seeds Fell on Good Ground” which was 
Archbishop Dolan’s personal communication to those with whom he shared 
ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. For this reason, it is not to be 
printed in bulletins or newsletters without the prior permission of the 
Department for Communication.