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The Frances Chesterton Rosary League

The Frances Chesterton Rosary League (FCRL) is a global association of local Rosary groups committed to praying the Scriptural Rosary for the needs and intentions of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, for conversions, and for vocations.

Frances Chesterton was the quiet, shy Victorian lady married to G.K. Chesterton for 35 years. She preferred to keep herself in his shadow. She supported him in his every need, she prayed for him and the work he accomplished. She regularly consulted with Father John O’Connor, the Roman Catholic priest upon whom Chesterton modeled his Father Brown character, in matters of faith, spirituality, prayer, and perseverance.

This Rosary League, named in honor of Frances Chesterton’s support for her husband, offers spiritual support for the Apostolate of Common Sense. In these Rosary prayer groups, united in purpose and focus, we ask the powerful intercession of the Blessed Mother Mary for the work and welfare of both the Apostolate and the benefactors who generously support it.

Can’t find a group near you? Starting your own Frances Chesterton Rosary League group is easy. Resources and instructions are below.

How to Host a Frances Chesterton Rosary Group

Resources

Find 2 or 3 people willing to pray a Scriptural Rosary* for the Intentions of the FCRL according to the format outlined below. Invitees need not be interested in Chesterton, just willing to pray.

* The Scriptural Rosary recommended for use by the Frances Chesterton Rosary League is published and copyrighted by the Christianica Center. [ISBN: 0-911346-16-3]

Hosting is simple, requiring minimal preparation, facilitated by email communication.

Here’s a general format:

  1. Set a regular schedule and start on time. To create a prayerful atmosphere, minimize conversation.
  2. Welcome everyone, announce which Mysteries will be prayed, and appoint volunteers to lead each decade. 
  3. Make the sign of the cross. The host or a designee leads the opening prayers of the Rosary. 
  4. Pray the Scriptural Rosary* incorporating the Intentions of the FCRL into the Scriptural Rosary.
  5. The host or a designee leads the closing prayers of the Rosary, and the prayer for the Intercession of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. 

The goal of the FCRL is to build strong, local prayer communities. Keep your digital group as geographically local as possible. Ideally the streaming option for most FCRL groups is a temporary platform, used in an exceptional time. Streaming meetings will give way to in-person meetings as soon as possible.

For a digital meeting, hosting follows the general format outlined above, with these adaptations:

  1. Open the streaming platform 5-10 minutes before you intend to pray.
  2. Welcome everyone and a select a volunteer to lead each of the Mysteries from amongst the participants with copies of the Scriptural Rosary book.
  3. Make the sign of the Cross. The host or a designee leads the opening prayers of the Rosary. 
  4. Pray the Scriptural Rosary*, incorporating the Intentions of the FCRL. Only the person leading a section of prayer should have their microphone “unmuted”. The group participants remain muted unless it is their turn to pray a designated decade or prayer.
  5. The host or a designee leads the closing prayers of the Rosary, and the prayer for the Intercession of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. 

If you want to gather with others to pray a Scriptural Rosary for the Intentions of the FCRL, look at the map of registered FCRL groups and meet with a group located near you. If you start a FCRL group, make sure to register your rosary group on the Chesterton Society website, so we can put your group on the map, and stay in touch with you throughout the year.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

Simply put, at this time, we all need it. We need purification in our Church. We need peace in our world, in our families, and in our hearts. We need grace so that we can learn to be saints. Now is the time for conversion. It is time for humility, truth, and joy. It is time to pray. That is why, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 2018, the Board of the Apostolate of Common Sense founded the Frances Chesterton Rosary League.
The ACS is a Catholic Apostolate. Love and appreciation for Mary are part of the spiritual terrain in the prayer life of a Catholic. The Rosary is an ancient, authentic, and appropriate form of Christian prayer. It is also efficacious. Remember Lepanto. Both Gilbert and Frances Chesterton held a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Rosary.

When it comes to prayer, there is strength in numbers, and strength in unity. The dictionary defines a league as “an association of groups united by a common interest and goals”. The goal of this league is to form a global network of small Rosary groups primarily meeting in homes. By its unity of purpose and intent, this League of Rosary groups provides spiritual support to every person connected in any way to the Apostolate of Common Sense.

This Rosary League is named in honor of Frances Chesterton because she was Gilbert Chesterton’s spiritual inspiration and chief supporter. When Gilbert met her, she led him to Christ. Throughout the years of their marriage, she was unwaveringly behind the scenes caring for Gilbert, serving others in their community, and faithfully tending to the essential and practical parts of their life. In her quiet, fruitful way of influence, Frances was Marian. In a similar way, the Frances Chesterton Rosary League provides constant, attentive, background support for the ministry of the Apostolate of Common Sense. With gratitude for the example of the Chestertons’ marriage, it is fitting that the prayer initiative of the ACS be named in honor of his most devoted wife.

They are simple, local groups, ranging in size from just two or three people, up to ten or more. They gather either weekly or monthly, for the singular purpose of praying a Scriptural Rosary for the list of Intentions of the Frances Chesterton Rosary League (FCRL).

A Scriptural Rosary is one that attaches a scripture verse to each of the individual prayers of the rosary. This way, the Scriptures help guide those praying to meditate and ponder the Theo-drama that unfolds in the Mysteries of the Rosary. For unity within the FCRL, we ask FCRL groups to use the simple and beautiful Scriptural Rosary book published by the Christianica Center. This little book is available in many catholic bookstores, and on the Internet, usually for under $20. Although regular participants may each like to have their own copies, a Rosary group only needs to have one copy of the book at an in-person meeting, since those leading each decade can pass the book amongst themselves. If a group is praying via streaming-platform, each participant leading a decade will need to have their own copy of the book.

While we think it’s best to be a Catholic if you want to host a Rosary group, anyone willing to pray a Scriptural Rosary for the list of Intentions of the Frances Chesterton Rosary League (FCRL) is welcome to pray with the FCRL. Participants need not be avid readers of Chesterton, attend a local Chesterton Society, or join the ACS. Anyone who wants to pray the Rosary is welcome, no matter their religious persuasion. Households, families, or parish or catholic school based groups can form a FCRL group. Families who already pray the Rosary together can participate by regularly dedicating one of their usual rosaries to the FCRL on a monthly or weekly basis. Some members of local Chesterton Societies gather outside their regular meeting times to pray with the FCRL. Schools in the Chesterton Schools Network can encourage the formation of FCRL groups in their schools.

The best places provide freedom from distraction, as well as a measure of privacy. Homes are ideal, but other places, such as church facilities, are also appropriate. Since the occurrence of Covid, some Rosary groups are meeting on online platforms (such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) until a time when they can meet in person. In addition to geographically based groups, the ACS hosts virtual Rosaries on social media.

Yes! The Frances Chesterton Rosary League hosts live online Rosaries via our social media platforms on a weekly basis. Links to our social media platforms are below.

As we all take our places in the FCRL, our prayers will become like beads on a Chestertonian Rosary that will encircle the globe, to the Glory of God.