Since May is dedicated to our heavenly Mother, Mary, I’ve been recalling that I was one of the students in our parochial school who would walk across the driveway to the church and begin each school day afternoon in May by praying the rosary. I remember saying the Mission Rosary sometimes; the beads in each decade are a different color, symbolic of praying for a different part of the world. We prayed for Africa (green), the Americas (red), Europe (white), the Pacific Islands (blue), and Asia and the Middle East (yellow).

In this second year of the Coronavirus pandemic, I thought we might ask Mary’s help as we pray the “Recovery Rosary.” For each of the five decades, no matter which traditional mysteries we use for the day, we could have a special preface prayer and special intention related to health—a topic of concern every day.