For more than 5 ½ years, Ann Marie Cubberly has opened up her Columbus home once a month to anyone who wants to come and pray the rosary as a group.
She never really knows for sure who will be there. There are nine faithful women who consistently attend, but oftentimes men, other women and children randomly show up.
“At first, I was picturing it being a group of people my age,” said Cubberly, who was in her mid-20s when she began the group. “But people kept cancelling and the ones who came were not who I expected.”
Uncertain about whether to continue the group, Cubberly consulted her mom, Kay, who had once hosted a regular rosary group of her own.
“My mom was like, ‘Ann Marie, you need to think about why you’re doing this,’” Cubberly said. ‘“Is this about you or is this about bringing people to the Blessed Mother?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, wow. You’re right.’”
Cubberly, who teaches second grade in Upper Arlington, decided to continue hosting the rosary and not worry about who should attend.
“I just pray now, ‘(God), make it whoever you want to come,’ so then the pressure’s off,” she said.
The prayer warriors gathered again to pray during the month of October, which is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast day is celebrated on Oct. 7.
Although the group meets on the second Tuesday of the month and the sorrowful mysteries are typically prayed on Tuesdays, Cubberly and her guests decide together whether they want to use a different set of mysteries.
“Usually, we request which mysteries people want to pray so that we aren’t saying the sorrowful every single time,” Cubberly said.
Sabrina Wenzke, a fourth grader at Columbus St. Andrew School, attends with her mom and older brother and occasionally leads decades of the rosary.
“Sabrina will lead a decade and everyone just eats her up,” Cubberly said.
Reflecting on her experience, Sabrina said, “I think this group is special because you learn how to pray the rosary and you get closer to God. You meet new people and learn what they’re going through.”
As hostess to between 15 and 30 people for each session, Cubberly provides snacks as the attendees begin the evening by catching up with one another about what’s happening in their lives.
“Then we all gather in my living room and we go around and share prayer intentions,” Cubberly said. “Sometimes, if someone was praying for something the month before, we all ask follow-up questions about that. Then we pray the rosary.”
In order to get the word out about the rosary, Cubberly, who has a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, speaks freely about the group wherever she sees an opportunity.
“I recruit wherever I can,” she said. “The dentist office, volleyball, the grocery store — I always just tell the Blessed Mother to bring whoever is meant to come. I also always tell the group that they can always invite anyone they think may want to come. Some people bring kids, friends, co-workers.”
Cubberly, a cradle Catholic who attended Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare School, was not enthusiastic about her faith until she witnessed a talk by Leah Darrow, a former supermodel turned Catholic motivational speaker.
“Growing up, a lot of the people I knew were practicing Catholics, but I didn’t see myself in them,” Cubberly said. “When I saw Leah Darrow, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I could see myself in her.’”
Since Cubberly chose freely to embrace the faith once she found it attractive, she is now thoughtful and respectful with how she presents the rosary group to others.
“I do feel very strongly … that it should always be the person’s choice,” she said. “I never want anyone to feel pressure to come. I am always OK with the fact that it may not be everyone’s thing (or) within their comfort zone.”
As for the future of the rosary group, Cubberly believes the Lord will continue to form it as He sees fit.
“My goal is always that it is a place where people feel closer to the Blessed Mother, as we know she is always pointing us to Jesus,” she said. “I also want it to be a place where all feel welcome and cared about. Hopefully, they leave with a peace they don’t even understand, which we know is one of the fruits of praying the rosary – ‘where two or more are gathered!’”