Anyone who knows six easy prayers can pray a Rosary. You will also need to learn twenty Bible scenes to meditate upon as you pray. You do not have to be a Catholic. 2. The Order of PrayersThe Rosary begins with the Apostles Creed, followed by one Our Father, three Hail Marys (traditionally offered for an increase in faith, hope, and charity for those praying the Rosary), then the Glory Be. Next come the five decades, each consisting of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, a Glory Be, and the brief Fatima Prayer. Conclude with the Hail Holy Queen followed by a prayer for the Pope (traditionally, at least one Hail Mary). Note: Full versions of all the prayers are provided at the end of this guide. 3. Rosary BeadsIf you do not have Rosary beads, it is perfectly okay to count with your fingers. Counting beads frees your mind to help you meditate. 4. Meditating on the MysteriesMediation means bringing to mind, as you pray the Our Father and Hail Marys during each decade, the various scenes from the life Jesus and his mother from Gospel accounts. Meditating on all twenty mysteries is akin to contemplating the entire life of Jesus, from his conception and birth, through his childhood, into his public ministry, his teachings, his establishment of the sacraments, and then his suffering, death, resurrection, and triumphant return to heaven. It sometimes takes months or years for this form of mental prayer to become habitual, so be patient. Begin by placing yourself "into" the scene of the particular mystery as you pray, imagining the sights, smells, sounds, and emotions that Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and other participants experienced during the actual events.It is also okay to meditate on the meaning of the words of the prayers as you pray them. Some people focus on a single word (for example, try contemplating the meaning of the word now in the Hail Mary). It is okay to bring to mind the people for whom you are offering the Rosary and your desire for God to help them. 5. The Mysteries of the RosaryThe Joyful Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Glorious Mysteries
6. Mysteries for Each WeekdayThe traditional approach is to offer the Joyful Mysteries on Monday, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday, the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesday, and start again with the Joyful Mysteries on Thursday, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Friday. The Glorious Mysteries are then prayed on Saturday and Sunday. Now that the Luminous Mysteries have been promulgated by Saint John Paul II, one has the option to follow a new schedule: Monday - Joyful Tuesday - Sorrowful Wednesday - Glorious Thursday - Luminous Friday - Sorrowful Saturday - Joyful Sunday - Glorious 7. How to "Offer Intentions"Practically everyone who prays the Rosary "offers" it to God and Our Lady for an intention (also known as a "petition"). This means one can ask God to grant a favor, heal a sick person, or convert a sinner—for any worthy need. Some people offer a different intention for each decade. Others offer the same intention every day (sometimes for years on end) especially when asking the Father for the conversion of a particular person. Intentions are as varied as the people who pray. Ask for big and small gifts. Be bold! In this sense, the Rosary is an exchange of gifts between friends. It is widely known that Our Lady answers seemingly impossible intentions to those who are first beginning to pray the Rosary. This is her way of drawing you closer to Her and to Jesus. If you are praying your first Rosary, or returning to the Rosary after years of not talking to Our Lady, ask for something big, spectacular, "impossible." She'll often surprise you. 8. Plenary IndulgencesThe Catholic Church, exercising its authority to "bind and loose on heaven and earth," and in perfect accord with God's Mercy, has set the following conditions for the granting of a plenary indulgence for those who pray the Rosary:
By fulfilling these simple (but often difficult) conditions, you merit the grace to release one soul from Purgatory. While we are free to ask God to apply this grace to a particular soul, God can do as he pleases, according to His Will and Mercy. You can also ask God to apply this special grace to your own soul. A plenary indulgence will relieve the temporal punishment due to sin (it will not absolve the sin or cause the sin to be forgiven). 9. The Full RosaryIn common terminology, when Catholics refer to praying a "Rosary," they usually mean they are praying just five decades of one set of Mysteries. This is a single Rosary. A "full Rosary," however, consists of offering all fifteen decades (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries) in one day. One can also offer all twenty decades in one day by including the newly promulgated Luminous mysteries. (To avoid confusion, we will consider only the traditional three sets of fifteen Mysteries as a "full Rosary" from this point forward.) You can pray a full Rosary in one day in two ways. The most common method is offering three separate "single" five-mystery Rosaries in the morning, midday, and evening. The second method consists of praying all fifteen Mysteries consecutively at one time. With either approach, when you pray a full Rosary it is not necessary to repeat the opening prayers or concluding between the second and third sets of Mysteries. In other words, begin with the opening prayers (Apostles Creed, Our Father, three Hail Marys, Glory Be) before the first Joyful Mystery, as you would with a "single" Rosary. After the final Glorious mystery, conclude with Hail Holy Queen and prayer for the pope. 10. The Family RosaryThe Family Rosary is usually prayed out loud after dinner or before going to bed, although it can be prayed at any time of day. Family members can take turns "leading" the decades (with one person praying the beginning of the prayers, and all the others praying the endings). Some families announce intentions before they begin the Rosary; others take turns announcing special intentions before they begin the Rosary; others take turns announcing special intentions before the beginning of each decade. Many families add favorite prayers at the end of the Rosary, or call upon favorite saints and angels to pray for them at the very end. 11. Rosary NovenasCatholics have an ancient religious tradition known as "making a novena." This is when the same prayer is offered nine consecutive times. (Novena is the Latin word for the number nine.) There are many Catholic novenas, and several involve the Rosary. The most common is to pray the Rosary for nine straight days. One can also pray a Rosary for nine consecutive Saturdays, or, for nine consecutive hours in one day. If you foster the habit of praying the Rosary every day, as the saints and popes have encouraged (and practiced themselves), your opportunities to make novenas will become plentiful, along with the chance to offer the following and particularly powerful novena a handful of times a year... The 54 Day Rosary NovenaPerhaps the most powerful novena is the 54 Day Rosary Novena, which is a series of six consecutive nine-day novenas. The first three novenas are offered for the intention or favor, while the last three are offered in gratitude to God in anticipation of granting the favor. 12. The Prayers of the RosaryFor praying in groups, responses are in italics. Sign of the CrossIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.The Apostle's CreedI 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 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. Amen. Our FatherOur 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. Hail MaryHail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. Glory BeGlory 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 Fatima PrayerO 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 QueenHail, 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 valley 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! (Leader:) Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen. Traditional Closing Prayer (Optional)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. Suggested: For the Pope's Intentions Leader: Upon this Rock He will build His Church... Leader: O Mother of the Redeemer... Response: ...and Living Tabernacle of the Eucharist, with humble confidence we ask you to grant the Holy Father's worthy intentions while bestowing upon him all the graces and blessings reserved for him by the Holy Trinity from all eternity. Amen. Leader: Help his friends... Response: ...and convert his enemies. Leader: Saint Joseph... All: Pray for us. Amen.
Read the 15 Promises of the Rosary Common Catholic DevotionsOur supporters have distributed tens of millions of life-changing Catholic gifts since 1991, making us America's largest producer of high-quality, super-affordable tools for evangelization. Join our work today! See All Our Catholic Materials Purple Scapular = Family Protection Meet Bud Macfarlane, Our Founder Donate to Help Us Reach Millions Pray with Us to Save America |