Olga's rosary

How to pray the Rosary

Short version:
It's a devotion consisting of meditation on five sacred Mysteries during recitation of five decades of Hail Marys, each decade beginning with an Our Father and ending with a Glory Be.


Longer version:
The Mysteries are the focal point of praying the Rosary: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries. Therefore, before you begin, select which of the four sets of mysteries you will meditate on. Each set of mysteries has five individual mysteries.

Holding the Crucifix, start with the sign of the cross and the Apostles' Creed.

Then, at the first bead above the cross, say The Lord's Prayer (Our Father).

At each of the next three beads, say the Hail Mary. The three Hail Mary's are to remind you of the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity. Then add the Glory Be.

Holding the 5th bead, meditate on the first mystery in your chosen set of mysteries while saying The Lord's Prayer.

Skip the center medalion; go the the first set of ten beads.

At each of the ten beads in the set, say one Hail Mary. At the 10th bead of the set, also say one Glory Be.

At the next (single) bead, meditate on the second mystery in your chosen set of mysteries while saying The Lord's Prayer.

At the 2nd set of ten beads, at each of the ten beads in the set, say one Hail Mary. At the 10th bead of the set, also say one one Glory Be.

At the next (single) bead, meditate on the third mystery in your chosen set of mysteries while saying The Lord's Prayer.

At the 3rd set of ten beads, at each of the ten beads in the set, say one Hail Mary. At the 10th bead of the set, also say one Glory Be.

At the next (single) bead, meditate on the fourth mystery in your chosen set of mysteries while saying The Lord's Prayer.

At the 4th set of ten beads, at each of the ten beads in the set, say one Hail Mary. At the 10th bead of the set, also say one Glory Be.

At the next (single) bead, meditate on the fifth mystery in your chosen set of mysteries while saying The Lord's Prayer.

At the 5th set of ten beads, at each of the ten nine beads in the set, say one Hail Mary. At the 10th bead of the set, also say one Glory Be.

Repeat for another set of mysteries, or at the end of your praying, holding the centerpiece, pray the Hail Holy Queen and the Let us Pray.


Select from the four sets of Mysteries. Pick up your Rosary, and begin:

CRUCIFIX:

The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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 power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. 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.

FIRST FIVE BEADS (single, set of three, single):

Our Father (The Lord's Prayer)
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.

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.

Our Father
(while meditating on
1st in chosen set of Mysteries:
Annunciation; or Agony in the Garden; or Resurrection; or Jesus' Baptism.)
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. . . .

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.

Glory be to the Father (Gloria Patri)
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.

SINGLE BEAD:

Our Father
(while meditating on
2nd in chosen set of Mysteries:
Visitation; or Scourging; or Ascension; or Jesus' self-revelation.)
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.

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.

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, world without end.

SINGLE BEAD:

Our Father
(while meditating on
3rd in chosen set of Mysteries:
Nativity; or Crowning w/ Thorns; or Descent of Holy Spirit; or Proclamation of  Kingdom of God.)
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.

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.

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, world without end.

SINGLE BEAD:

Our Father
(while meditating on the
4th in the chosen set of Mysteries:
Presentation; or Carrying of Cross; or Assumption; or Jesus' transfiguration. )
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.

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.

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, world without end.

SINGLE BEAD:

Our Father
(while meditating on
5th in chosen set of Mysteries:
Finding Jesus in the Temple; or Crucifixion; or Coronation; or Creation of Eucharist at Last Supper.)
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.

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.

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, world without end.

CENTERPIECE (usually a Mary medallion):

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 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 [meaning "merciful" or "lenient"], 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.

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 in 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.


THE MYSTERIES

A rosary has five decades, and the Mysteries come in groups of five. One group of Mysteries is the usual amount for a day.

Joyful Mysteries:

  1. The Annunciation: Mary learns from the Angel Gabriel that God wishes her to be the mother of God, and she humbly accepts.
  2. The Visitation: Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and is praised by Elizabeth as "blessed among women."
  3. The Nativity: Mary gives birth to Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem.
  4. The Presentation: Mary and Joseph present Jesus to His Heavenly Father in the Temple of Jerusalem forty days after His birth.
  5. The Finding in the Temple: After searching for three days, Mary and Joseph find the twelve-year-old Jesus sitting in the Temple discussing the law with the learned rabbis.

Sorrowful Mysteries:

  1. The Agony in the Garden: The thought of our sins and His coming suffering causes the agonizing Savior to sweat blood.
  2. The Scourging: Jesus is stripped and unmercifully scourged until His body is one mass of bloody wounds.
  3. The Crowning with Thorns: Jesus's claim to kingship is ridiculed by putting a crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand.
  4. The Carrying of the Cross: Jesus shoulders His own cross and carries it to the place of crucifixion while Mary follows Him sorrowing.
  5. The Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies after three hours of agony witnessed by His Mother.

Glorious Mysteries:

  1. The Resurrection: Jesus rises from the dead on Easter Sunday.
  2. The Ascension: Jesus ascends into Heaven forty days after His resurrection.
  3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues on His Apostles and disciples.
  4. The Assumption: Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, is assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
  5. The Coronation: Mary is crowned as Queen of heaven and earth, Queen of angels and saints.

Luminous Mysteries ("mysteries of light," by Pope John Paul II, 2002):

  1. Jesus' Baptism by John.
  2. Jesus' self-revelation at the wedding in Cana, by turning water into wine.
  3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
  4. Jesus' transfiguration before Peter, James, and John, on a mountain top.
  5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. ("Take this and eat; this is My Body.")

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