In an age where mindfulness apps dominate and meditation studios thrive, a new international study suggests that praying the Rosary — a centuries-old Catholic devotion — offers mental health benefits comparable to popular meditation techniques.
Oct 03, 2025
Credit: Sasapin Kanka|Shutterstock
By Thomas Philipp Reiter
In an age where mindfulness apps dominate and meditation studios thrive, a new international study suggests that praying the Rosary — a centuries-old Catholic devotion — offers mental health benefits comparable to popular meditation techniques.
The research, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, surveyed 361 practising Catholics across Italy, Poland, and Spain. Participants who regularly prayed the Rosary reported higher levels of well-being, increased empathy, and significantly lower levels of religious struggle or spiritual anxiety. These effects, the researchers note, rival those attributed to mindfulness and other Eastern practices.
“We were struck by how this traditional practice transcends educational and generational boundaries,” said lead researcher, Fr Lluis Oviedo, OFM, from the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome. The study revealed that 62.2 per cent of respondents held graduate or master’s degrees, challenging stereotypes that traditional Catholic devotions mainly attract the less educated.
The findings varied by country. Poland reported the highest frequency of Rosary practice (3.70), reflecting its strong Catholic heritage. Italy showed moderate engagement but the highest empathy scores (4.31), suggesting that the practice fosters deeper social connection. Spain reported lower Rosary frequency but strong well-being outcomes among those who do pray, highlighting the devotion’s resilience in a more secular context.
Beyond spirituality, the study highlights the Rosary as a potential mental health intervention. Participants cited benefits such as “spiritual peace, calm, and confidence” (26.3 per cent), help with “coping with problems” (10.2 per cent), and even “protection against evil” (8.6 per cent). One participant shared, “Praying the Rosary saved my life. After my husband’s death, I couldn’t cope with the pain and emptiness. Every day, I reached for the rosary and it gave me the strength to survive. Without it, I don’t know how I would have managed.”
The research showed that praying the Rosary correlates with reduced depression, greater optimism, and improved emotional regulation — without the cost of therapy, retreats, or app subscriptions.
Importantly, the study challenges the neglect of Western contemplative traditions in academic research. While PubMed contains over 30,000 entries on mindfulness, there are only 13 on Rosary prayer. “Mindfulness is seen as glamorous and fashionable, while the Rosary is dismissed as outdated,” the researchers observed. Yet the data shows that repetitive prayer functions much like mantra meditation, calming the mind and fostering empathy.
Fr Oviedo believes the Church must bridge the perceived divide between devotion and social engagement. “It is time to overcome this binary model and adopt a style that combines devotion and empathy towards others,” he said. “A divorce between the two makes the Christian message less credible.”
As societies grapple with mental health crises and the limits of pharmaceutical solutions, the Rosary offers an accessible, low-cost path to inner peace and resilience — requiring only beads, time, and an open heart.
“The Rosary is more than a private piety,” Fr Oviedo said. “It is a lived theology, a way believers experience faith, healing, and salvation in action. Recognising its value may help renew both the Church’s pastoral approach and our understanding of human flourishing.” –CNA
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