(LifeSiteNews) — Celebrity influencer Russell Brand is continuing to delve deeper into the spiritual aspects of the Catholic faith.
In a video released Monday, Brand, a former Buddhist, announced that he prays the Rosary every morning.
“I have to live a disciplined life,” he said. “I pray the Rosary every single day.”
The Catholic Church teaches that the Rosary was given by Mary, the Mother of Christ, to St. Dominic in 1214 during an apparition.
The Rosary consists of praying fives “decades” of 10 Hail Marys separated by five Our Fathers and five Glory Bes. Those who pray the Rosary meditate on different events in the life of Christ during each decade. Those events are categorized as the Glorious Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Joyful Mysteries of Christ.
Pope John Paul II added five Luminous Mysteries in 2002.
The Church points to James 5:16 (“Pray one for another that you may be saved”) and to the example of Mary successfully asking Jesus to perform a miracle at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11) as proof of Her intercessory power with Christ. It also recalls that in the Book of the Apocalypse 4:8 angels are described as continually praising God “night and day,” which the Rosary’s structure reflects.
Monday’s video is not the first time Brand has informed his audience he engages in Catholic practices. On February 28 and March 1, he released two videos announcing he has given up sugar and complaining for Lent.
Gave up sugar for Lent, GUESS what else I've given up pic.twitter.com/vYvL11ZIyd
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) March 1, 2024
Lent is a 40-day long period in the Church’s liturgical life modeled on the time Christ fasted on bread and water in the desert. This year’s Lenten season began on February 14 and ends March 31.
In one of his videos, Brand, who is 48 and lives in England, says that “we have no choice but Christ” and that “this cannot anymore be a left versus right thing” but a “right versus wrong thing.”
Brand made headlines in January when he announced that he wears a crucifix and is seeking a “personal relationship” with God. Similar to podcaster Joe Rogan, he fights against political correctness, media bias, and wokeism, among other topics, earning him many conservative and Christian supporters. His hit podcast Stay Free with Russell Brand has 1.81 million subscribers on Rumble, making it one of the most watched shows on the platform. He currently has 11.8 million followers on X.
In yet another video released on February 27, Brand said he went to a Catholic church recently and was given a book by the priest.
“It’s fascinating,” Brand said in the video. “When I read this story … I started to feel the reality of Christ, and the reality of Christ’s love.”
Many miracles have been attributed to Rosary. The Church has long affirmed that the naval victory that Catholic nations had during the Battle of Lepanto in 1517 against its Muslim opponent was a result of fervent praying of the Rosary.
Countless Catholics also attest that their illnesses have been cured and that family members who fell away from the faith or who prayed the Rosary during their life were helped by Mary in times of great need, especially during the end of their lives.
READ: Tammy Peterson discusses the Rosary’s role in healing her illness: ‘Never allowed myself to worry’
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) compares Mary to the moon in that She reflects the glory of Christ, Who is like the sun, in order to help souls in their journey through the “dark night” of life to heaven. He also calls Her the neck of the Mystical Body of Christ, in that She is our mediator with Christ.