Introduction to Praying the Rosary
One of the most familiar symbols of Catholicism
is the circle of small beads called rosary
beads. Although rosary beads
come in many varieties and can be very decorative, their function is to count
prayers.
In Catholicism, the prayers that are counted on rosary beads
are collectively known as the rosary.
A rosary normally consists of five
decades of set prayers. A decade
consists of one Our Father,
ten Hail Marys and
one Glory Be. The
development of the practice of praying the rosary and the method for doing so
are outlined below.
History of the Rosary
Various means of counting prayers have been used in
Christianity since the early church. A
fourth-century hermit named Paul is recorded as having tossed a pebble into a
pile for each of his 300 daily Our Fathers. Later
monks kept track of prayers on knotted cords, and in the 11th century the
cords were replaced by beads of wood or clay. The
English Lady Godiva had a string of jewels that she used to count prayers. In
the 12th and 13th centuries some people began adding or substituting Hail
Marys.
Today, the rosary is not the only set of prayer beads used in
Catholicism. There are over 60
different approved circlets of beads used to guide prayers in the Catholic
Church. Each is used for a
particular type of prayer: prayer to the Holy
Spirit, meditation on the Seven
Sorrows, the Sacred
Heart, or the Holy
Face, prayer to various saints,
and prayer to Mary under her many different titles. These
prayers, and the beads used to count them, are called chaplets.
The rosary, however, far surpasses all the chaplets in
popularity. According to Catholic
tradition, the rosary was instituted by the Blessed
Virgin Mary herself. In the 13th
century, she is said to have appeared to St.
Dominic (founder of the Dominicans), given him a rosary, and asked that
Christians pray the Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory
Be prayers. The original
rosary of St. Dominic had 15 decades.
The Prayers of the Rosary
Although a variety of prayers might be used in saying the
rosary, a selection of standard prayers is most commonly used. They are: Hail
Mary, Our Father (the Lord's Prayer), Glory Be, and Apostles'
Creed.
The Apostles' Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and
earth;
I believe in
Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was
buried.
He descended to death; and on the third day He rose again.
He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
The Our Father:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
The Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen.
The Glory Be:
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as
it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Prayer of Fatima:
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of
hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Amen.
Hail
Holy Queen:
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy; our life, our
sweetness, and our hope.
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this
valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward
us.
And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of
your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy
of the
promises of Christ. Amen.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
To help prevent praying the rosary from becoming a mindless
repetition, the practice developed of meditating on events in the lives of
Jesus and Mary, which are called "mysteries." They are classified as the
Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Each consists of five
events, which correspond to the five decades of the rosary.
The Joyful Mysteries are prayed on Mondays and
Saturdays. The events are related to Jesus’ birth and growing up.
-
The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-28)
-
The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56)
-
The Nativity (Luke 2:1-21)
-
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple(Luke 2:22-38)
-
Finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
The Luminous Mysteries (or Mysteries of Light)
are prayed on Thursdays.
The events are related to Jesus’ preaching and the
miracles He performed. These Mysteries were instituted by Pope John Paul II in
2002.
-
Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-16)
-
The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11)
-
The Preaching of the Coming of the Kingdom of God (Mark
1:14-15)
-
The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8)
-
The Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26)
The Sorrowful Mysteries relate to Jesus' suffering and
death. They are prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays.
-
The Agony of Jesus in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-56)
-
The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26)
-
The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
-
The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:32)
-
The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56)
The Glorious Mysteries reminds of Jesus' resurrection
and the glories of heaven. They are prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays.
-
The Resurrection (John 20:1-29)
-
The Ascension (Luke 24:36-53)
-
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-41)
-
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
-
The Coronation of Mary
How to Pray the Rosary
Steps for praying the rosary with rosary beads:
-
(Sign of the cross) In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
-
On the crucifix, say the Apostles' Creed.
-
On the next large bead, pray the Our Father.
-
On the next three small beads, pray three Hail Marys.
-
On the chain, pray the Glory Be.
-
Announce the first mystery (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or
Glorious).
-
On the large bead, pray the Our Father.
-
On the next ten beads, pray ten Hail Marys.
-
On the chain, pray the Glory Be.
-
Optional: Add the Fatima Prayer here.
-
Repeat Steps 6 through 10 for the next four decades.
-
Say the concluding prayer Hail Holy Queen.
-
(Sign of the cross) In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.