The faith formation process here at Central Catholic is what a lot of students, parents, and alumni would say sets Central apart from other private schools in the San Antonio region. From the daily masses, to the daily religion classes, to the periodic school wide masses, students at Central Catholic actively strengthen their faith. This past Monday, Central celebrated one of its most unique faith building activities. The “Living Rosary” was celebrated, calling all students and faculty to the message of our Holy Mother. 

The “Living Rosary” is an active celebration of the traditional rosary, where each bead is prayed aloud by a student or faculty member. The students praying the beads are gathered in the center of the gym, replicating the shape of the Rosary. 4 decades of the Rosary are split up and assigned to each grade level (freshmen, sophomores, etc.), and the final decade is prayed by members of our staff. The rest of the student body gathers in the bleachers of the gym, solemnly praying along. The active participation of this Rosary is what makes it so special.

Senior Bryson Hendrix was thrilled when he was asked to represent his senior class and pray a bead of the rosary. He told me, “It’s a great honor getting to pray in such a manner with all of your brothers gathered around you.” Likewise, sophomore Teegan Flinn expressed his gratitude in getting to recite a bead of the rosary. He stated, “When it comes time to prayer, there’s no easier way to show my love for God than literally being surrounded by all of my brothers.” Without the outstanding students and faculty members who imitated Mary and answered “yes” to the call given to them, this holy celebration would not have been possible. 

The Living Rosary celebrations are organized and performed each year through the direction of our campus Ministry department. When talking to Campus Ministry Director Mr. Villalpando, he told me he could not have been more pleased with the outcome of their first celebration. An important point he wanted to emphasis is  that, “The Rosary isn’t just about praying a prayer, it’s literally giving God every single one of ourselves as we recite it, and what better way to convey that than with the Living Rosary.” There’s no doubt that the first Living Rosary celebration of the 2019 school year was a special one. The historic gym, usually a spot filled with the chants and screams of section R, was filled with love and reverence for Mary, all in thanks to this beautiful celebration.