Pray The Rosary

How to Pray the Rosary - A Catholic Perspective

The purpose of the Rosary is to help keep in memory certain principal events or mysteries in the history of our salvation, and to thank and praise God for them. There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES, the five JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, and the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES.

You may wish to pray the rosary online, with others, or by yourself. As suggested by Pope St. John Paul the Great, the Glorious mysteries are said on Wednesday and Sunday, the Joyful mysteries are said on Monday and Saturday, the Luminous mysteries are said on Thursday, and the Sorrowful mysteries are said on Tuesday and Friday (with thess exceptions: on Sundays of the Christmas season – the Joyful mysteries are said; on Sundays of Lent – the Sorrowful mysteries are said).

How to Pray the Rosary

• Make the Sign of the Cross and say the “Apostles’ Creed.”

• Say the “Our Father.”

• Say three “Hail Marys.”

• Say the “Glory be to the Father.”

• Announce the First Mystery; then say the “Our Father.”

• Say ten “Hail Marys,” while meditating on the Mystery.

• Say the “Glory be to the Father.”

• Announce the Second Mystery; then say the “Our Father.”

• Repeat 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.

After each decade say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: “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.”

Prayers for After the Rosary

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.

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.