Michael Brooks
The Rosary is a meditative and Scripture-based Catholic prayer that involves reciting specific lines from the Bible. The prayer begins with the Apostles' Creed, a summary of the Catholic faith, and includes the Our Father prayer from the Gospels. The Hail Mary, addressed to Mary, is considered the heart of the Rosary, with 10 Hail Marys making up each of the five decades, totalling 50 Hail Marys at the end of the devotion. The Mysteries of the Rosary centre on the events of Christ's life, with four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous. Reciting the Rosary can be a private or group activity, and it is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To help keep in memory certain principal events in the history of salvation |
| Number of Mysteries | 20 |
| Types of Mysteries | Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous |
| Days for Joyful Mysteries | Monday, Saturday, and Sundays during Advent |
| Days for Luminous Mysteries | Thursday |
| Days for Sorrowful Mysteries | Tuesday, Friday, Sundays during Lent |
| Days for Glorious Mysteries | Wednesday, Sunday |
| Number of Decades | 5 |
| Number of Beads in Each Decade | 10 |
| Prayer to Begin With | The Sign of the Cross |
| First Prayer | The Apostles' Creed |
| Second Prayer | The Our Father |
| Third Prayer | The Hail Mary |
| Fourth Prayer | The Hail, Holy Queen |
| Conclusion | The Sign of the Cross |
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What You'll Learn
The Rosary's purpose and history
The Rosary is a meditative and Scripture-based prayer used primarily in the Catholic Church. It is also the name given to the physical set of prayer beads used to count the component prayers. The Rosary can be said privately or with a group.
The Rosary is said to have developed slowly over the centuries, with roots in several early Christian prayer traditions. The earliest Christian devices for counting prayers date back to the Desert Fathers, who started Christian monasticism in the 3rd century. These early Christians would pray 150 psalms a day, keeping track of the count using pebbles in a bowl or bag. Various forms of repetitive prayers, such as "the Jesus Prayer", also became popular during this time.
In the 13th century, prayer beads were referred to as Pater Noster cords, suggesting a continued link between the Our Father prayer and the beads. By the early 1100s, St. Alvery would recite 150 Hail Mary prayers every day, genuflecting for 100 of them and lying prostrate for the last 50. In 1214, St. Dominic is said to have had a vision of Mary, who told him about the Rosary and showed him a pair of rosary beads. Dominic then made it his mission to spread the Rosary, encouraging lay Catholics to gather in small groups to pray together.
In the mid-to-late 1400s, Alan de Rupe of Brittany discovered the Rosary and helped to increase its popularity throughout Europe. He established Rosary confraternities, where members pledged to pray fifteen decades of the Rosary each week and pray for each other. Dominic of Prussia, a Carthusian monk, is credited with developing the Joyful, Glorious, and Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, as well as the practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys.
In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices established the devotion to the Rosary in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius V standardised 15 Mysteries of the Rosary in the 16th century, grouping them into three sets: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced a fourth set, the Luminous Mysteries, bringing the total number of mysteries to 20.
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How to begin the prayer
To begin the Rosary, a Scripture-based prayer, start with the Sign of the Cross: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Next, holding the crucifix, pray the Apostles' 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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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.
The Rosary can be said privately or with a group. It is a meditative prayer that helps one grow closer to Jesus by contemplating His life, death, and Resurrection. Pope Saint John Paul II suggested that the Rosary be recited as follows: the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays.
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The Apostles' Creed
The Rosary is a Christ-centred prayer, rooted in Sacred Scripture, that helps followers meditate on the lives of Jesus and Mary. The Rosary is a Catholic devotion in which followers ask for the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, to draw them closer to her divine Son, Jesus.
The Rosary begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarises the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. While holding the cross on your rosary, begin the Apostles' 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; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall 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 life everlasting. Amen.
After the Apostles' Creed, move to the first bead and pray the Our Father.
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The four sets of Mysteries
The Rosary is a meditative and Scripture-based prayer that centres on the events of Christ's life. It involves contemplating His life, death, and resurrection. There are twenty mysteries of the Rosary, divided into four categories: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries. Each category is traditionally prayed on specific days of the week and focuses on different aspects of the lives of Jesus and Mary.
The Joyful Mysteries, prayed on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays during Advent, encompass the greatest moments of joy in the Gospel. They begin with the Annunciation, where we learn about Mary's surrender to God's will, followed by the Visitation, where Mary exemplifies service by attending to her cousin Elizabeth. The Third Joyful Mystery is the Birth of Jesus, highlighting His humility in being born in a stable. The Fourth Joyful Mystery is the Presentation, where Mary submits her child to the Law of Moses.
The Sorrowful Mysteries, traditionally prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays during Lent, follow the darkest moments of the Passion story. They begin with Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane, where He experiences sorrow and distress, and continue with His crucifixion and scourging.
The Glorious Mysteries include the Assumption of Mary and her Coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
The Luminous Mysteries, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 2002, highlight moments when Jesus revealed His divinity. They are traditionally prayed on Thursdays and include Jesus' Baptism in the River Jordan, the Wedding Feast at Cana, and the Proclamation of the Kingdom.
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Concluding the Rosary
The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer that centres on the events of Christ's life. It is divided into five groups of ten beads, called decades, and each decade highlights a unique moment within the Paschal Mystery. The Rosary ends with a powerful prayer, rooted in ancient tradition, which reminds us that Jesus came to us through his Mother Mary.
After saying the five decades, recite the Hail, Holy Queen:
> V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
> R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Then, conclude with the following prayer:
> 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 while 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.
You may also choose to end with a prayer to St. Joseph. Finally, conclude the Rosary with the Sign of the Cross: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
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Frequently asked questions
The Rosary is a meditative, Scripture-based prayer that helps Catholics keep in memory certain principal events in the history of their salvation. It is also a way to seek to grow closer to Jesus by contemplating His life, death, and Resurrection.
First, make the Sign of the Cross and say: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then, holding the crucifix, pray the Apostles' 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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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."
There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous (added by Saint John Paul II in 2002). Each set contains five mysteries, for a total of twenty mysteries. These mysteries are based on incidents in the life of Jesus Christ and His Mother, and they are prayed on different days of the week.
