How to Pray the Rosary

(on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary)

The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary and Our Lady of the Rosary
(Click image to enlarge)

Today, October 7th, is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

In honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, here are some instructions for anyone interested in learning how to pray the rosary.
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You don’t have to be Catholic to pray it, and you don’t have to have a rosary in your hand to do it, although it sure helps with the counting.  (You can use fingers, too!)
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The Holy Rosary is an extremely powerful prayer, to which many favors have been attributed.
It’s a spiritual mini-marathon treasured by Catholics, and often prayed daily.
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The rosary involves meditation on the Life of Christ, while praying a sequence of prayers which include the Our Father and the Hail Mary. There used to be 15 mysteries for mediation, until Pope John Paul the Great added another 5 to make 20.

 History of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary from Universalis:

The feast of the Holy Rosary was instituted by Pope Pius V to celebrate the anniversary of the defeat of the Turkish fleet at the battle of Lepanto on the first Sunday in October 1571, which ended the threat of Muslim domination of the Mediterranean and was ascribed in part to the prayers and processions of the Rosary confraternity in Rome.

Praying the Rosary

The  rosary is pictured above, and is prayed daily by many Catholics.  Your rosary should be blessed by a Catholic priest, and should be treated with love and respect.
When it gets old, it should be discarded with respect also; either bury it in the ground, or burn it.
Many fervent Catholics carry their rosary in their pockets wherever they go. A rosary can be prayed anywhere; in the car, in waiting rooms, or going for a walk.

Starting the Rosary

You start by making the Sign of the Cross.
Then, holding the crucifix in your fingers, pray the Apostle’s Creed.
Many kiss the crucifix before starting, or make the sign of the cross with the crucifix.

Move to the first bead, and pray the Our Father.
On the next three beads, pray three Hail Marys, followed by a Glory Be (on the chain) before the next bead.  The three Hail Marys often represent prayers for Faith, for Hope and for Charity.

The last bead (on the straight part of the rosary before the center piece) begins the first decade with an Our Father.  Then you move to the ten beads on the right of the center piece, on which you pray ten Hail Marys. During the first decade, you meditate on the first mystery.  The mysteries are listed below.

The rosary contains five decades, and as you pray each decade, you announce and meditate on one of the five mysteries for that day (see photo of rosary above).

Concluding the Rosary, and Variations

There are many variations and prayers added to the rosary, and customs vary from place to place.

Most people pray the Hail Holy Queen at the conclusion of the rosary, when you have returned to the center piece:

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!

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Frequently the following prayer is also added:

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 meditating upon 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.

Often, at the end of each decade (after the Glory Be) the Fatima Prayer is prayed:

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.

The Mysteries

The mysteries are prayed as follows:

• The 5 Joyful mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays (and all Sundays of the Christmas Season)
• The 5 Sorrowful mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays (and on all Sundays of Lent)
• The 5 Glorious mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays (except the Sundays of Lent and the Christmas Season)
• The 5 Luminous mysteries on Thursdays
  Mysteries listed individually below.

The Prayers

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; the third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and 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 life everlasting. Amen.

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 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, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, Amen. 

Mysteries of the Rosary:

MYSTERY
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES (Monday & Saturday,  also Sundays of Christmas Season)
......1.THE ANNUNCIATION Luke 1:35
......2.THE VISITATION Luke 1:39-56
...…3.THE NATIVITY Luke 2:1-20
......4.THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE Luke 2:22-39
......5.THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE Luke 2:41-50
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES (Tuesday & Friday, also Sundays of Lent)
. . . 1.THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN Matthew 26:36-46 Mark 14:32-42 Luke 22:39-46
. . . 2.THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR Matthew 27:26 Mark 15:15 Luke 23:14-16 John 19:1
. . . 3.THE CROWNING WITH THORNS Matthew 27:27-30 Mark 14:16-19 John 19:2-3
. . . 4.THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS Matthew 27:31-33 Mark 15:20-22 Luke 23:26-32 John 19:16-17
. . . 5.THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD JESUS Matthew 27:34-56 Mark 15:23-41 Luke 23:33-49 John 19:18-30
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES Wednesday & Sunday (except Sundays of Lent and Christmas Season)
. . . 1. THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS FROM THE DEAD Matthew 28:1-15 Mark 16:1-13 Luke 24:1-12 John 20:1-18
. . . 2. THE ASCENSION OF JESUS INTO HEAVEN Mark 16:19020 Luke 24:50-53 Acts 1:9-11
. . . 3. THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Acts 2:1-41
. . .. 4. THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY INTO HEAVEN (a Catholic belief since apostolic times; see EWTN library)
. . .. 5. THE CORONATION OF MARY Revelation 12:1; (doctrine explained at NCRegister)
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
. . . 1. THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD Matthew 3:13-17 Mark 1:9-11 Luke 3:21-22 John 1:32-34
. . . 2. THE WEDDING AT CANA John 2:1-12
. .3. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM Matthew 4:12-25;46 Mark 1:14 – 13:37 Luke 4:14 – 21:38 John 3:13 – 12:50
. . . 4. THE TRANSFIGURATION Matthew 17:1-8 Mark 9:1-12 Luke 9:28-36
. .5. THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST Matthew 26:26-29 Mark 14:22-25 Luke 22:14-20