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.
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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. . . .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
- The Annunciation:
Mary learns from the Angel Gabriel that God
wishes her to be the mother of God, and she
humbly accepts.
- The Visitation:
Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and is
praised by Elizabeth as "blessed among
women."
- The Nativity:
Mary gives birth to Jesus in the stable at
Bethlehem.
- The Presentation:
Mary and Joseph present Jesus to His Heavenly
Father in the Temple of Jerusalem forty days
after His birth.
- 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:
- The Agony in the
Garden: The thought of our sins and His
coming suffering causes the agonizing Savior to
sweat blood.
- The Scourging:
Jesus is stripped and unmercifully scourged until
His body is one mass of bloody wounds.
- 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.
- The Carrying of the
Cross: Jesus shoulders His own cross and
carries it to the place of crucifixion while Mary
follows Him sorrowing.
- The Crucifixion:
Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies after three
hours of agony witnessed by His Mother.
Glorious Mysteries:
- The Resurrection:
Jesus rises from the dead on Easter Sunday.
- The Ascension:
Jesus ascends into Heaven forty days after His
resurrection.
- The Descent of the
Holy Spirit: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit in
the form of fiery tongues on His Apostles and
disciples.
- The Assumption:
Mary, having completed the course of her earthly
life, is assumed body and soul into heavenly
glory.
- 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):
- Jesus' Baptism by John.
- Jesus' self-revelation
at the wedding in Cana, by turning water into
wine.
- Jesus' proclamation of
the Kingdom of God.
- Jesus' transfiguration
before Peter, James, and John, on a mountain top.
- Jesus' institution of
the Eucharist at the Last Supper. ("Take
this and eat; this is My Body.")
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