The Rosary
Prayerfulness is deeply a part of you: in body, mind and spirit.
October is the month of the Holy Rosary.
Pray the Rosary or maybe discover this is a special devotion in your prayer life.
THE ROSARY – Prayer and Meditation
The Rosary is a meditation on the life and works of Jesus. Moments from Jesus’ life are grouped into five ‘Mysteries’ – and there are four groups: The Joyful Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries.
The mediation is aided by repeating sets of prayers, while holding Rosary beads and using these to count the prayers one by one. Each set of prayers, or Decade, is one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s, and one Glory Be.
There are other prayers that can be added – used in the customary way of praying the Rosary:
– The Apostles Creed, The Fatima Prayer, The Hail, Holy Queen, and the Concluding Prayer.
The Rosary then is a prayerful way to help us keep before our minds the life and works of Jesus, and how our salvation was brought.
The Rosary is a Catholic devotion, but not exclusive to the catholic community. The spirituality of the Rosary is profound and is a deep expression of love and devotion to the Lord. The Rosary is a way also to pray with Jesus’ mother, Mary – given to us by Jesus on the cross to be our Mother. (John 19:25-27). We join our prayers with her prayers.
The Rosary can also be a mantra. The prayers can be said many times, at any time through the day. This mantra can help focus the mind on the love, worship and presence of God.
The Rosary: a meditation on the life and works of Jesus
Here are the Mysteries of the Rosary and the prayers, and a brief explanation of how to pray the Rosary.
- The link at the end will take you to a full text for praying the Rosary alone or with a prayer group.
| The Mysteries of the Rosary | |
| The Joyful Mysteries – prayed on Mondays, Saturdays, and, during the season of Advent, on Sundays. | |
| The Annunciation The Visitation The Nativity The Presentation in the Temple The Finding in the Temple | Luke 1:26-27 Luke 1:39-42 Luke 2:1-7 Luke 2:21-24 Luke 2:41-47 |
| The Luminous Mysteries – prayed on Thursdays. | |
| The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan The Wedding Feast at Cana Jesus’ Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God The Transfiguration The Institution of the Eucharist | Matthew 3:16-17 John 2:1-5 Mark 1:15 Matthew 17:1-2 Matthew 26:26 |
| The Sorrowful Mysteries – prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and, during the season of Lent, on Sundays. | |
| The Agony in the Garden The Scourging at the Pillar The Crowning with Thorns The Carrying of the Cross The Crucifixion and Death | Matthew 26:36-39 Matthew 27:26 Matthew 27:27-29 Mark 15:21-22 Luke 23:33-46 |
| The Glorious Mysteries – prayed on Wednesdays and, outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, on Sundays. | |
| The Resurrection The Ascension The Descent of the Holy Spirit The Assumption The Coronation of Mary | Luke 24:1-5 Mark 16:19 Acts 2:1-4 Luke 1:48-49 Revelation 12:1 |
| The Prayers | |
| 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. (Luke 11.1-4; see also Matthew 6:7-13). For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed us the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. (Luke 1:26-27, 28, 42) Glory be to the Father, and 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 Apostle’s Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell, on the third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He will come 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 the life everlasting. Amen. |
While saying each set of prayers – call to mind a moment from Jesus’ life.
Pray each set of Mysteries this way: (having the Rosary beads is a great help, but the prayer can be said without having the beads).
- Holding the Cross say: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- Then holding the first chain of five beads you may wish to say the Apostle’s Creed, one Our Father, three Hail Marys and the Glory Be….
- Moving to the first set of ten beads: Name the set of Mysteries
- Name the first mystery; call to mind the moment from Jesus’ life – if you wish read the passage from scripture.
- before the first set of ten beads pray: Our Father…..
- hold the first bead of the ten beads – pray the ten Hail Marys, keeping in mind this moment from Jesus’ life – move to the next bead for each Hail Mary
- move to the single bead and complete the decade by praying the Glory Be….
- The Fatima Prayer can be said if you wish.
- still holding the single bead start the next mystery, and repeat these steps: name the second mystery etc.
- after praying the five decades pray The Hail Holy Queen…
- to complete the Rosary the Concluding Prayer can be said.
| The Fatima Prayer – can be said after each Decade |
| 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. |
After praying the five decades, say:
| Hail, Holy Queen |
| Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope, to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears; turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy 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. |
And you may wish to add:
| Closing Prayer |
| Let us pray O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ, Our Lord. Amen. |
