NAME
Webservice::Rosary::API - Perl API client for the Rosary API at https://therosaryapi.cf.
SYNOPSIS
use v5.10;
use warnings;
my $Rosary = Webservice::Rosary::API->new;
my $mp3File = $Rosary->mp3Link("random");
printf "https://dailyrosary.cf/%s", $mp3File;
DESCRIPTION
This is an API client for https://therosaryapi.cf, which powers https://thedailyrosary.cf*; the API requires no authentication, so the client here simply wraps most of the calls for convient use in Perl programs.
It is meant to faciliate a couple of things. One is the generation of a full URL that may be used to download an audio file of the specified Mystery being said, as an .mp3
file. This means you may do something like what is done at https://dailyrosary.cf.
The second this it is meant to do is to return the text of a full recitation of the Rosary, which is what the provided AveMaria
commandline utility uses to lead the user through the recitation of the specified Mystery.
For more information on the Rosary itself, please see the very end of this documentation.
The Rosary API is profiled at https://www.freepublicapis.com/the-rosary-api.
Contributed as part of the FreePublicPerlAPIs Project described at, https://github.com/oodler577/FreePublicPerlAPIs.
* - the module author is not affiliated with the site
METHODS
new(param1 = $val1, ...)
-
Constructor, accepts any number of parameters and makes them available during execution time; but doesn't do anything internally with them. Instance construction consists of creating a
ua
instance via HTTP::Tiny.my $Rosary = Webservice::Rosary::API->new; ...
mp3Link("today"|"tomorrow"|"yesterday"|"random")
-
Given the string describing when, returns the file name return by the API service. It is not documented, but the base URL for the actual file is, https://thedailyrosary.cf.
my $Rosary = Webservice::Rosary::API->new; my $mp3File = $Rosary->mp3Link("random"); ...
See the
AveMaria
commandline client to see how the full URL is constructed and for an example of using this incombination withcurl
to automatically download the.mp3
file. day("Sunday"|"Monday"|"Tuesday"|...|"Thursday"|"Friday"|"Saturday")
-
Given the day, returns the Mystery of the Rosary traditionally associated with the day of the week. This module does include the Luminous Mysteries (associated with Thursdays*).
This method doesn't accept the name of a particular Mystery because this can be achieved using a look up table that maps each Mystery to a particular day, e.g.:
my $Convert = { luminous => "thursday", sorrowful => "friday", joyful => "saturday", glorious => "sunday", };
Then the day of the week obtained via `$Convert->{$mystery}` can be used used to derive the proper day to be used with this call.
* - although, any Mystery may be said on any day
Rosary API calls that are not currently supported:
THE AveMaria
UTILITY
The AveMaria
commandline Rosary client is installed with this module. The following is essentially verbatim from the client using the help
command.
There are 2 types of commands. One set of commands returns a URL for an MP3, which may then be piped into another program to download it. The other set of commands displays the specified Mystery (by day of the week or actual name of the Mystery), so that the user may be guided through the specified Mystery of the Rosary - from start to finish.
Usage - to print MP3 URL to STDIN:
AveMaria today|yesterday|tomorrow|random
Example 1,
> AveMaria today
> https://dailyrosary.cf/audio-rosary-sorrowful-mysteries.mp3
Example 2,
> curl -O \$(AveMaria random) -w "\\nDownloaded file: %{filename_effective}\\n"
% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
100 31.5M 100 31.5M 0 0 2374k 0 0:00:13 0:00:13 --:--:-- 5043k
Downloaded file: audio-rosary-sorrowful-mysteries.mp3
>
Usage - to Pray the Rosary in the commandline:
AveMaria DAY_OR_MYSTERY [--pray] [-i] [-t] [--fully] [--sleep=0.N]
Valid DAY_OR_MYSTERY values:
Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, Glorious, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday
Optional flags:
--pray : automatically prints prayers, character by character to the screen; default delay is 0.4 seconds.
-i : user must hit <RETURN> after each prayer (and description, if used with "--fully"
-t : user must hit <RETURN> after each description (requires --fully)
--fully : prints the full description of the current Mystery's Decade, including the Fruit of the Mystery
--sleep : affects the delay taken before each new character is printed (when used with --pray). Default is 0.4 seconds.
Example 3,
Used without options, it just prints the name of the Mystery
> AveMaria Monday
> Monday - The Joyful Mysteries
>
> AveMaria Sorrowful
> Friday - The Sorrowful Mysteries
>
Example 4,
> AveMaria Friday --pray -t --fully
> .. clears screen, the plays the specified Mystery (Sorrowful in this case),
while pausing only at the beginning of each Mystery after the description has
been printed.
Example 5,
Run with absolutely no subcommands or flags, runs "--pray" for Today's Mystery,
> AveMaria
> .. clears screen, the plays the specified Mystery for Today ...
ENVIRONMENT
There is no set up other than a working Perl environment and required modules.
BUGS AND SUPPORT
Please report bugs to the Github issue tracker; also report back how to improve this library and the commandline utility:
https://github.com/oodler577/p5-Webservice-Rosary-API/issues
BACKGROUND ON THE ROSARY
The Rosary is a traditional Catholic prayer devotion that involves the repetition of prayers and meditation on key events from the lives of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. The prayer is structured around a set of beads, each representing a specific prayer. These include the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, which are recited while reflecting on the Mysteries-twenty key moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary, grouped into four categories: the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries. The Rosary is both a contemplative prayer and a way to focus on the essential aspects of the Catholic faith, helping the faithful deepen their relationship with God.
The history of the Rosary dates back to the Middle Ages, with its roots often linked to St. Dominic, who is traditionally credited with receiving the Rosary from the Virgin Mary in the 13th century. The Rosary, however, evolved over several centuries. One of its early forms was connected to the Psalter of Our Lady, where the faithful would pray 150 Hail Marys, reflecting the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament. This practice was common among laypeople who could not read the Psalms themselves but still wanted to engage in a structured form of prayer. Over time, the Rosary's prayers and structure were refined, and by the 16th century, it became formally established by the Catholic Church as a central devotion, with the mysteries of the Rosary added to provide a scriptural basis for the prayers.
For Catholics, the Rosary is a deeply meaningful prayer practice that helps them draw closer to God by reflecting on the pivotal moments of salvation history. Its biblical foundations are grounded in scripture, with the Hail Mary drawn from the Angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28 and Elizabeth's words in Luke 1:42. The Our Father comes directly from Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Matthew (6:9-13). By meditating on the Mysteries, Catholics invite the presence of Jesus into their lives, contemplating His birth, death, resurrection, and the role of Mary in His story. The Rosary is seen not just as a personal prayer, but as a communal devotion that fosters a deeper understanding of God's love and a powerful means of seeking His intercession.
The importance of daily prayer of the Rosary was emphasized by Our Lady during the Apparitions at Fatima in 1917, where she specifically urged the children to "pray the Rosary every day" for peace in the world and for the salvation of souls, making it a call for all the faithful to embrace this prayer as a tool for spiritual strength and intercession.
LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT
This module and utility is released under the same terms as Perl/perl.
Feedback is Requested.
I have no idea how this is going to be used, and the way someone says the Rosary tends to be highly personal; so please let me know what kind of "--pray" controls would be helpful.
+Deus Gratias+
Brett Estrade <oodler@cpan.org>