Rosary and Resilience: The secrets of Trini Catholic Women

By Denise Scott

My maternal grandmother was blind and, as long as I knew her, she was bedridden. She lived until she was 95 years old and, for everyday until her death, the only thing I knew for sure was that she held on to her rosary beads.

As I have grown older, I cannot help but celebrate the resilience of the Catholic Trinibagonian women who carry their rosary beads. It’s a secret that only when you have walked the path can you understand. Let’s face it! As Catholic women in Trinidad and Tobago, we have had a lot to endure. If it is not floods, or hurricanes, is heartbreak, or is some kind of hardship. But the women who hold on to their rosary understand that we were never meant to face these storms alone. And that one of the greatest sisterhoods we can find is sisterhood with Jesus’ mother Mary.

When I was younger, from secondary school to Confirmation, all I knew was that the Rosary was boring.

“A whole five decades?”

“OK God, ah go try to do one and fall asleep”.

I never appreciated it at all. But if you ever get brave enough or mature enough or if you have ever found yourself at the very bottom of a pit and only had the rosary to grasp on to, you would discover that in meditating on the mysteries, we see our own reflection in Mary — a woman who said ‘yes’ even when life was uncertain, who held faith when all seemed lost, and who found joy in surrender.

October, the month of the rosary, is not just about beads and prayers. It is about remembering the quiet strength of women. Women like you and me, who carry the world in our hands and hearts. Trust and believe that in every Our Father and Hail Mary, we, Catholic women can rediscover our divine rhythm—one of courage, grace, and unbreakable faith.

There are women sitting next to you in church or at work or in a taxi that are quietly reciting their rosary without the beads in hand because they are desperate. They are dealing with spiritual warfare at work, fear of losing their child, scared for their health, worried about their marriage and all they can do is pray. And when you think about her, you would ask yourself how was she able to deal with all of that? The answer is that she is quietly praying her rosary.

I have come to recognise that when a Trini woman prays the rosary, the heavens do not merely hear her — they move with her.

“If you ever feel distressed during your day—call upon Our Lady. Just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit—this prayer has never failed me.” ( Mother Theresa)