Lay evangelist Gabriel Castillo is known for his YouTube channel, Gabe After Hours, and his great devotion to Our Lady.
Recently, he released a book called "The Power of the Rosary," in which he explains the history of this devotion, its benefits, and offers suggestions and ideas to those who want to incorporate this practice in their daily lives.
Speaking to ChurchPOP at the SEEK Conference 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas, Castillo encouraged people to pray the Rosary because "it's one of the greatest changes" one can make to improve their lives, especially those looking for a "spiritual breakthrough".
He also mentioned that, according to many saints, doctors of the Church, and popes, the Rosary is the most important prayer after the Holy Mass.
"When prayed properly," Castillo explains, "the Rosary is the greatest prayer for disposing your soul to receive more graces in the sacraments, it's the greatest prayer for discerning God's holy will and then having the strength and the courage to do it, and the greatest prayer for overcoming vice."
Whether you want to start praying the Rosary (or want to pray more mysteries each day), Castillo points out five practical tips to make this goal a reality.
1) Always carry a Rosary with you.
"It serves as a physical reminder," he says, "that I have a say in the outcome of human events, that I have the ability to pray and make changes and supply graces for difficult situations. And it's a reminder of the presence of Our Lady."
Castillo says he always carries his Rosary in his hands, "but everybody should try to carry a Rosary with them everywhere they go, whether that's in their pocket, in their purse, or in a handbag."
2) Have a good intention.
"Anytime you're starting a new habit, you really need to have your why before your eyes," states Castillo. So, he encourages you to have a strong intention not to lose focus.
He also suggests adding a time limit and explains why.
"Say, 'I'm going to pray for this intention; the Rosary every day for nine days or 54 days.' Not because you're going to stop praying at that point, but that you see this as a finish line, where I will continue to run the race afterwards, but that's my goal, just little chunks at a time."
3) Don't be scrupulous.
"You have to understand that the Rosary, although it is a bouquet of roses to Our Lady, it is a weapon in the hand of the Christian, and so when you begin praying the Rosary, the devil will launch a full-on assault to do anything necessary to get you to stop. You will hear a voice in your head say, 'Pray later, you're not good at this, you're wasting your time,' that is from the enemy."
Castillo adds that the two main temptations are distraction and discouragement.
"Be satisfied with praying the Rosary poorly, just get it done at the end of the day, because the only bad Rosary is the Rosary that you didn't pray. And prayer is like a muscle, as you pray, you will get better."
He assures that more important than what you're feeling is the constancy, which is a "sign of spiritual maturity." So, the key is perseverance.
4) There's no need to "star over" after the first Rosary.
If your goal is to pray more than five mysteries a day, you don't have to pray the introductory prayers each time you start a new set.
"The Rosary, as it was originally intended, was meant to be all of the mysteries broken up throughout the day, so the introduction to that really long prayer can be done in the morning and avoided for the rest of the Rosaries."
The same goes to "Hail Holy Queen" and other additional prayers you ordinarily do at the end of the Rosary, just as there is also freedom within the order of the mysteries you pray.
"Although I encourage people if they're going to pray multiple, to pray them in sequential order so that you get the entire life of Christ throughout the day. If you're going to pray just two or three, I recommend praying the same mystery multiple times a day, just because the mystery is fresh on your mind and it's easy to go back to that holy spring of inspiration."
5) Make a plan!
This is for people from all walks of life and serves in so many areas.
"If you're going to be successful at anything, but most especially in the spiritual life, you need to have a rule of life."
Castillo recommends setting aside a time to pray, preferably in the morning, so you can maintain a presence of God throughout your day and activities.
"We don't know what's going to happen during the day, we don't know where Jesus is going to call us and where we're going to see his face in somebody who's suffering, in need, but by praying in the morning, you have grace already at your back."
Even if you don't have the time in the morning to finish your whole Rosary, at least start with a decade, then pray another on the way, another at lunchtime, etc.
"It doesn't necessarily need to take up other time out of your day," he adds.
Bonus tip: Visualize
Inspired by Saint Francis de Sales, Castillo recommends people to "visualize the mystery as if it's happening in the very place that you are."
He explains:
"If you're on a walk and you're praying the fifth sorrowful mystery, and you see a tree, pause for a moment and visualize Jesus hanging on that tree. With your eyes open, if you're driving your car, visualize Jesus with a crown of thorns and his hands bound, sitting next to you in the passenger seat."
"This is a way to really enter into the mystery, and then the Our Fathers and Hail Marys are secondary - important, but we want to try and live in that mystery - and the Hail Marys will pass by us like a song and like a little timer telling us when to stop and go on to the next meditation."
"When you pray the Rosary in this way, it's radically transformational," he concludes.