David N. Calvillo - Real Men Pray the Rosary: A Practical Guide to a Powerful Prayer

This book is a must for every soldier of Christ! The Blessed Mother tells us that the Rosary is a sword that cuts through evil. It is a prayer that carries with it a powerful and mysteriously effective force that should never be taken for granted. Real Men Pray the Rosary is a great help in emphasizing this important truth! We are all on this battlefield together, and each one of us plays a critical role in the world to do what our Lord commissions us to do. Through the Rosary, we are trained and strengthened to do the work that God calls us to do. I encourage all to read and take to heart this great book.

Doug Barry

Cohost of EWTNs Life on the Rock

What could a book written for men tell women? Plenty! I wanted to dash for my Rosary when I finished reading David Calvillos book, Real Men Pray the Rosary a testimony that not only do Real Men pray the Rosary, but so do real women! Packed with stories of men whose lives have been deeply influenced by the power of the Rosary, Calvillos own personal witness, the history of the Rosary, and insightful meditations to aid us in this efficacious prayer, Calvillo has given us a gem of a book.

Johnnette S. Benkovic

Founder of Women of Grace

Host of EWTNs Women of Grace and Women of Grace Live

What David Calvillo has done in his wonderful book, Real Men Pray the Rosary , is give us a full picture of the meaning of the Rosary, its origin and place in the history of the Church, and many of the inspiring statements of popes and saints who have encouraged the Rosary as the most perfect prayer. He reminds us that through the Rosary, we learn to pray in all main forms of prayer: with our lips in the words we recite, with our minds as we meditate on the Mysteries, and with our hearts as love grows within us. To illustrate his words about the Rosary, the author has included many testimonies of men whose lives have been profoundly changed by the Rosary. One very interesting feature is the authors use of his tool box with simple exercises to jump-start praying the Rosary. At Fatima, the only request Our Lady made to the shepherd children in all six of her apparitions was to pray the Rosary daily. She told the young visionaries: The Rosary is powerful enough to stop wars; the Rosary can bring world peace; the Rosary can convert sinners! I highly endorse David Calvillos book, Real Men Pray the Rosary . Read it, and you will discover a treasure!

Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

Author of Fatima for Today

For centuries, the Rosary has invited all people to pray, to ponder the treasury of the Gospel mysteries that infuse its beads, and to find a life of purpose as well as peace. David Calvillo shares his own profound and personal walk within these pages. What we find by its end is the beginning of a treasure to share with the world: real men pray, and they pray the Rosary.

Jason Godin

Columnist at Catholic News Agency

The phrase Real Men Pray the Rosary, the Rosary in fist symbol, and the RMPTR logo, which consists of a fist holding rosary beads framed within concentric circles, are registered trademarks licensed to Real Men Pray the Rosary, Inc.

Song lyrics of My Daddy Prayed reprinted with permission of Michele Galvan.

Nhil Obstat : Reverend Alex Flores, Censor librorum

Imprimatur : Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores

Bishop of Brownsville

January 3, 2013

____________________________________

2013 by Real Men Pray the Rosary, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews, without written permission from Ave Maria Press , Inc., P.O. Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556, 1-800-282-1865.

Founded in 1865, Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the United States Province of Holy Cross.

www.avemariapress.com

Paperback: ISBN-10 1-59471-376-6, ISBN-13 978-1-59471-376-7

E-book: ISBN-10 1-59471-377-4, ISBN-13 978-1-59471-377-4

Cover image Ron Chapple Photography/SuperFusion/SuperStock.

Cover and text design by Andy Wagoner.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Calvillo, David N.

Real men pray the rosary : a practical guide to a powerful prayer / David N. Calvillo.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59471-376-7 (pbk.)

ISBN-10: 1-59471-376-6 (pbk.)

1. Rosary. 2. Men--Prayers and devotions. 3. Catholic Church--Prayers and devotions. I. Title.

BX2163.C395 2013

242.74--dc23

2012048379

This work is dedicated to

my parents, Alicia Vera and Joe Calvillo:

Mom, whose love and unceasing prayers bequeathed to me a love of Our Blessed Mother and of the Rosary, and

Dad, who shows me that a real man prays

and loves his wife

The Rosary provides the Christian with sustenance with which to nourish and strengthen his faith.

Pope Leo XIII

A prayer so easy and yet so rich truly deserves to be rediscovered by the Christian community.

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Contents

Foreword

Ever since I became aware of David Calvillos devotion to the spirituality that is represented by the Rosarya deeply Marian and very action-oriented spirituality that can be especially appealing and useful for menI have thought of this prayerful tradition in a different way than I had for so many years.

Upon learning more about the Rosary and putting aside preconceived notions (and frankly even prejudices) about it, I have come to view the age-old devotional practice through a new lens: the lens of my own life as a man in the twenty-first century. The Rosary, viewed through that lens, breaks through the incessant clutter of information that all of us face every day. In praying the Rosary, I have thus discovered several of its important attributes.

It is attractive . The Rosary draws the attention and devotion of the faithful. Powerfully. Almost irresistibly. The promise of grace and forgiveness of sins draws many to this form of prayer; likewise, the promise of peace, for the individual soul and for the whole world, compels still others to reach for the Rosary with deep passion and longing, hoping to realize these promises in their lives.

It is active . The Rosary is an action as well as a give-and-take relationship. It is not merely an inert pile of beads subject to manual manipulation and gravity. Rather, to pray the Rosary requires an act of will and some physical and mental movement on the part of the person who participates in this prayer. The Rosary represents an act of seeking a closer relationshipa oneness, in factbetween the believer and the Lord.

It is creative . Perhaps this is the most startling component of my new theory. How in the world could an inanimate object such as a Rosary create anything? Thats a silly idea, of course. But the Rosary as a prayer and an instrument of engagement with God, with the participation of the Blessed Motherthe prayer that is believed to be a gift from God to holy people of previous ages and to our owncan indeed generate spiritual bouquets (hows that for an outmoded notion?), spiritual reflections, and more spiritual and unified families.

I suppose that is all quite a mouthful, but I want to look at the Rosaryand encourage you to look at the Rosaryin a different light. I want to hold it up for a close examination and to look beyond the clich that it has become for so many people, particularly men. I can do so thanks to David Calvillos breakthrough, which he describes so eloquently in his personal testimony in the form of this book, Real Men Pray the Rosary.