Prayers and Playdates
by Melanie Sisinni
05/05/2025
May is known among Catholics as the Month of Mary. During May, special devotions to the Blessed Mother are encouraged, including singing Marian hymns, attending May crownings and praying the rosary. Recently, praying the rosary has taken on a new significance for me.
During the National Eucharistic Congress last summer in Indianapolis, Indiana, my husband, Dominick, attended a session from the “Empower” series, where the speaker discussed his idea of bringing young Catholic families together monthly for prayer and friendship. The speaker mentioned how difficult it can be to host young children and suggested that when planning an event with other families, everyone could bring something from their own pantry. Also, no one family should be tasked with hosting every time. Dominick was so taken with the idea that he and another friend began discussing the possibility of making plans together with other families.
Born from these conversations came the idea of hosting gettogethers to pray the rosary. We started small with just a few families, and the details of what we would do were not totally hashed out. We knew we wanted to get together to pray with our friends and the kids — and there would be snacks.
Could the kids (newborn to age eight) sit for a full rosary? I guess we’ll find out. What is everyone going to bring? It turns out everyone loves a good dip. Who is leading the rosary? We’ll figure it out as we go.
We’ve had this get-together four or five times at this printing. We’ve hosted once at our home and the rest at the homes of our friends. Making sure that each family takes a turn has made things manageable. We also plan to get together on the first Friday of every month so no one is ever confused about the date. As far as food goes, we’ve done everything from a full smoked pork dinner at one house to a simple chips-and-dip party at another.
We started with a core group of friends, but opened it up to friends of friends. This has been a great way to meet other young Catholic families. No one feels obligated to come every time, but it gives everyone something to look forward to each month. It’s nice to spend time talking to other grown-ups, not having to find a babysitter and knowing that the kids are all safe and having fun. It’s hard to find new friends as an adult, especially when you have kids and little time for adult interaction. It’s nice that we know at least once a month, we’ll have some time to foster friendships, both old and new.
After an hour of fellowship and food, we all gather in one room. It doesn’t matter if there are enough seats. Families sit together wherever there is room. Kids bring their homemade rosaries or pop-it rosaries to follow along. Yes, it’s not the silent rosary you would expect in a church. It’s a different kind of reverence, where children and their friends witness their parents and other adults in prayer and learn about the mysteries of the rosary in whatever amount of time their attention spans will allow. We allow the Holy Spirit to guide us on who wants to lead each rosary decade. Sometimes, it’s the dads; sometimes, it’s the moms. Other times, it’s whoever feels compelled to do it.
Our “rosary party,” as we affectionately call it, has become more than a monthly gathering. It’s a chance to strengthen our faith, deepen friendships and create lasting memories with our families. What started as a simple idea to bring young families together has blossomed into a beautiful tradition where we experience the joy of community, prayer and love for the Blessed Mother.
As we continue this journey, we look forward to seeing how God will continue to bless our gatherings, and we remain grateful for the opportunity to grow in faith alongside our friends.
-