The prominent former Conservative politician Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has released a video on the history of the Feast of the Holy Rosary in which he guides viewers on how to pray the popular Catholic devotion and even extolls its health benefits.
Released on 7 October, in the video Sir Jacob reminds viewers that October is the “Month of the Rosary” and explains the origins of the feast surrounding its role at the miraculous military victory at Lepanto. He also prays the Apostles’ Creed in Latin and informs viewers that “England is [Our Lady’s] Dowry”.
Sir Jacob was the Conservative Member of Parliament for North-West Somerset until 2024 and previously occupied prominent roles in the government cabinet – including Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.
Sir Jacob, known for his eccentricities alongside his self-acknowledged sophisticated and antiquated persona, remains a household name in the UK, both admired and mocked for his traditional values. In addition to being frequently in the public eye, in 2024 Discovery+ aired Meet the Rees-Moggs, a TV mini series offering a window into the countryside-based family life of one of the nation’s most distinguished and at times controversial public figures.
In the 12-minute video, posted to his YouTube channel of 60,000 subscribers on the Feast of the Holy Rosary on 7 October, Sir Jacob offers a traditional exposition of the devotion’s history and meaning. Holding up two rosaries – one made by his brother and another “more professionally made” – he notes that “it [a rosary] doesn’t need to be elaborate; it can be homemade and still be an object that you use for devotion”.
Reading from the 1962 Missal, he traces the Rosary’s origins to St Dominic, “who propagated this form of prayer in obedience to a revelation received from the Blessed Virgin … to stem the flood of Albigensian heresy."
He explains that the feast itself was instituted after the “decisive defeat of the Turks at the famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571”, and later extended to the universal Church following another victory at Belgrade in 1716.
Describing the Rosary as “a way of formulating your prayers … that helps with meditation and contemplation, helping to expel secular thoughts”, Sir Jacob guides viewers through the traditional three sets of mysteries – Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious – admitting with self-deprecation, “I’m rather old-fashioned … I haven’t yet changed to the four mysteries introduced by St John Paul II.”
He also explains the structure of the devotion, from the Apostles’ Creed and opening prayers to each decade’s rhythm of Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be.
Interspersing historical and scriptural insights, he reflects on moments such as the Annunciation, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, describing the Rosary as “a mantra … used when prayers need to be at their strongest and most focused”.
Concluding with the Apostles’ Creed in Latin, he encourages viewers to persevere in prayer and invokes England’s ancient title: “As we ask Our Lady, as always, to help us, remember that England is her Dowry.”
The 2024 Discovery+ series on the Rees-Mogg family was met with polarised, mixed reviews. Sir Jacob’s political career was similar, with his stances drawing criticism from the Left for being unprogressive and market-oriented, while towards the end of his career he lost support from large sections of the Right for a liberal stance on multiculturalism and demographic change.
Throughout all that, though, Sir Jacob has confessed his Catholic Faith in his public life. Towards the end of Teresa May’s leadership, Sir Jacob was regarded as a possible favourite to replace her as party leader and as the nation’s prime minister until he revealed his alignment with unpopular Church teachings.
Invited onto a national breakfast television talk show, he was interrogated on his stances on same-sex marriage and abortion. After defending the teaching of the Catholic Church and stating that “marriage is a sacrament” and he was “completely opposed to abortion” as “life begins at conception”, his political ascent halted.
This occurred despite the fact he acknowledged that he could not, and therefore would not, change the policies related to both in UK law – explaining they were highly unlikely to gain enough support in Parliament.
In 2023, Sir Jacob referenced the Catholic Herald on national television, using scientific evidence to advocate for the Rosary. Citing a Herald article by Philip Campbell whilst live on air with GB News, he relayed the story of an academic study which had discovered that praying the Rosary out loud in Latin has “miraculous health benefits” and automatically adjusted the user’s breathing patterns to endogenous circulatory rhythms.
“It slows the breathing down to six breaths per minute,” he told viewers. “This is known to have a calming effect on the mind and the body. If there weren’t already a plethora of spiritual benefits enticing you to recite the most powerful Marian intercession on regular basis, this should convince you.”
“Look after yourself,” Sir Jacob concluded. “Say the Rosary out loud in Latin and it will make you healthier. And you’ll get eternal life into the bargain.”
Photo: Jacob Rees-Mogg attends the premiere screening of 'Meet the Rees-Moggs', London, England, 25 November 2024. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Discovery+.)