Dear Paul:

You understanding is correct. While the Rosary may be said silently, it is really a vocal prayer. The word "recite" means to "To repeat or utter aloud..." Thus, to "recite" the Rosary is to say it out loud.

In order to receive an indulgence the Rosary must be recited (out loud). Here are the pertinent sections from the "Handbook of Indulgences:"

48. Recitation of the Marian Rosary

A plenary indulgence is granted when the rosary is recited in a church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. A partial indulgence is granted for its recitation and all other circumstances...

1. The recitation of a third of the rosary is sufficient for obtaining the plenary indulgence, but these five decades must be recited without interruption.

2. Develop meditation on the mysteries of the added to the vocal prayer. [which means we are to meditate on the mysteries, not race through the rosary like a race horse]

3. In its public recitation the mysteries must be announced in accord with approved local custom, but in its private recitation it is sufficient for the Christian faithful simply to join meditation on the mysteries to the vocal prayer.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary