Meditation and proxy confirmation and the rosary

While in Nauvoo, I sat through roughly 200 iterations of the proxy confirmation prayer: "(Name), in the name of Jesus Christ we lay our hands upon your head for and in behalf of (other name), who is dead, and confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost. Amen." Listening to this repetition of a set prayer reminded me of the rosary.

As one prays the rosary, a series of repeated prayers including the Hail Mary and the Lord's Prayer, one is to contemplate the prescribed mystery: perhaps the virgin birth, or the resurrection. I always thought that wouldn't be particularly conducive to meditation. Perhaps I was wrong. 200 confirmation prayers repeated did assist in keeping my mind on the subject of the Holy Ghost and confirmation. They also assisted Jorgen in falling asleep. Perhaps if I had been vocalizing the prayers it would have been different, but I'm not sure whether that would have aided or hindered my meditation.

I also found it interesting that even though we Mormons often rail against the "vain repetitions" of Catholic prayer, we did what could be interpreted in the same way while barreling through names to be confirmed.