Encyclopaedia of the Holy Spirit

How to pray the Rosary

It is a rope with knots in it, and it has emptied more hell than any argument ever made.

Do not be intimidated by it. The Rosary is four prayers you already know, said in a certain order, while you think about twenty moments in the life of Jesus and His Mother. The beads exist so that your fingers can keep count while your mind is free to look.

You will get distracted. Everyone does. Come back to the bead you are on and keep going — the distraction is not the failure; stopping is.

Pray it now

These are the beads in your hand. Tap the one you are on — or press Begin, and go bead by bead. Each decade opens with its mystery, painted, so that you have something to look at while you pray. That is all meditation is.

Mysteries
Pray it now

Bead 1 of 72

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The opening

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Apostles' 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; on the third day He rose 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 life everlasting. Amen.

The twenty mysteries

Twenty scenes, in four sets of five. Each set has its days; you pray one set — five mysteries — in an ordinary Rosary. Announce the mystery, then pray the decade while looking at it.

The Joyful Mysteries

Prayed on: Monday · Saturday

The coming of God into a poor house — from the angel's greeting to a boy lost for three days in Jerusalem.

  1. The angel Gabriel kneels with a lily before Mary in blue, as a dove descends on rays of light.
    1

    The Annunciation

    Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you have said.

    Scripture: Luke 1:26–38·Fruit of the mystery: Humility

  2. Mary and her older cousin Elizabeth embrace at a doorway in the hill country, watched by Zechariah.
    2

    The Visitation

    Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you are carrying.

    Scripture: Luke 1:39–56·Fruit of the mystery: Love of neighbour

  3. Mary kneels beside the newborn Christ lying on straw, with Joseph, an ox, a donkey and shepherds.
    3

    The Nativity of Our Lord

    She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them.

    Scripture: Luke 2:1–20·Fruit of the mystery: Poverty of spirit

  4. The aged Simeon holds the infant Christ above the temple altar while Mary, Joseph and the prophetess Anna look on.
    4

    The Presentation in the Temple

    Now let your servant go in peace. My own eyes have seen your salvation.

    Scripture: Luke 2:22–38·Fruit of the mystery: Obedience

  5. The boy Jesus sits teaching among seated temple elders as Mary and Joseph arrive at the doorway.
    5

    The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

    Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?

    Scripture: Luke 2:41–52·Fruit of the mystery: Joy in finding Jesus

The Luminous Mysteries

Prayed on: Thursday

The public life — the five moments in which the Kingdom became visible. Given to the Church by St John Paul II in 2002.

  1. John pours water over Christ standing in the Jordan while a dove descends and angels wait with garments.
    1

    The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan

    This is my Son, the Beloved. My favour rests on him.

    Scripture: Matthew 3:13–17·Fruit of the mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit

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  2. At a wedding feast Mary speaks to Christ while servants fill six great stone jars with water.
    2

    The Wedding at Cana

    Do whatever he tells you.

    Scripture: John 2:1–11·Fruit of the mystery: Trust in Mary's intercession

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  3. Christ stands on a hillside above the lake, hand raised, teaching a seated crowd of listeners.
    3

    The Proclamation of the Kingdom

    The time has come. The kingdom of God is close. Turn around, and trust the good news.

    Scripture: Mark 1:14–15·Fruit of the mystery: Conversion

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  4. Christ shines in white on a mountain between Moses and Elijah as three apostles fall down below.
    4

    The Transfiguration

    This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.

    Scripture: Matthew 17:1–8·Fruit of the mystery: Desire for holiness

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  5. Christ breaks bread at the supper table with a chalice before him and twelve apostles around.
    5

    The Institution of the Eucharist

    This is my body, given for you. Do this in memory of me.

    Scripture: Matthew 26:26–28·Fruit of the mystery: Adoration

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The Sorrowful Mysteries

Prayed on: Tuesday · Friday

From the garden to the Cross — the night and the day on which everything was paid.

  1. Jesus kneels praying in the garden as an angel offers a golden chalice; three apostles sleep nearby in the dark.
    1

    The Agony in the Garden

    Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.

    Scripture: Luke 22:39–46·Fruit of the mystery: Sorrow for sin

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  2. Jesus stands bound at a low stone column in an empty courtyard, head bowed, soldiers waiting motionless in the shadows.
    2

    The Scourging at the Pillar

    Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

    Scripture: John 19:1·Fruit of the mystery: Purity

  3. Jesus sits crowned with thorns holding a reed, a red cloak on his shoulders, while two soldiers kneel mocking him.
    3

    The Crowning with Thorns

    They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and knelt in front of him to mock him.

    Scripture: Matthew 27:27–31·Fruit of the mystery: Courage

  4. Jesus carries the cross uphill outside the city walls; Simon of Cyrene lifts the beam behind while weeping women watch.
    4

    The Carrying of the Cross

    They seized a man coming in from the fields, Simon of Cyrene, and laid the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

    Scripture: Luke 23:26–32·Fruit of the mystery: Patience

  5. Jesus on the cross under a darkened sky, with Mary standing on one side and the apostle John on the other.
    5

    The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord

    It is finished. And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

    Scripture: John 19:17–30·Fruit of the mystery: Perseverance

The Glorious Mysteries

Prayed on: Sunday · Wednesday

What happened after the tomb — including the morning this encyclopaedia is named for.

  1. Risen Christ in white stands above the opened tomb at dawn; an angel sits on the stone, two women kneel.
    1

    The Resurrection

    He is not here. He has been raised, as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

    Scripture: Matthew 28:1–10·Fruit of the mystery: Faith

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  2. Christ rises in light above the Mount of Olives while Mary and the eleven apostles look upward from the hillside.
    2

    The Ascension

    Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up at the sky?

    Scripture: Acts 1:6–11·Fruit of the mystery: Hope

  3. Mary sits at the centre of the Upper Room with the apostles, small flames above their heads and a descending dove.
    3

    The Descent of the Holy Spirit

    There appeared to them tongues as of fire, which came to rest on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

    Scripture: Acts 2:1–13·Fruit of the mystery: Love of God

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  4. Mary rises to heaven borne by angels while the apostles below look up from her empty tomb filled with lilies.
    4

    The Assumption of Our Lady

    A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet.

    Scripture: Revelation 12:1·Fruit of the mystery: Grace of a happy death

  5. Christ places a golden crown on the kneeling Virgin Mary's head, a dove above them and angels kneeling below.
    5

    The Coronation of Our Lady

    On her head was a crown of twelve stars.

    Scripture: Revelation 12:1·Fruit of the mystery: Trust in Mary

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The Rosary, bead by beadM123456789

Fifty-five beads on the wheel — five large, fifty small — and five on the pendant beneath the crucifix. The numbers follow the order in which they are prayed.

The nine steps

  1. 1

    The crucifix

    Make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles' Creed, holding the crucifix in your hand.

    The Sign of the CrossThe Apostles' Creed

  2. 2

    The first large bead

    Pray one Our Father.

    The Our Father

  3. 3

    The three small beads

    Pray three Hail Marys — traditionally for an increase of faith, hope and charity.

    The Hail Mary

  4. 4

    The next large bead

    Pray one Glory Be. Some add the Fátima prayer here.

    The Glory BeThe Fátima Prayer

  5. 5

    The medal

    Announce the first mystery of the day — say its name aloud, and pause a moment to picture it. Then pray one Our Father.

    The Our Father

  6. 6

    The large bead of each decade

    Each decade opens on a large bead with the Our Father, after the mystery has been announced.

  7. 7

    The ten small beads

    Pray ten Hail Marys, holding the mystery in your mind. Do not try to think hard; just look at the scene, as you would look at a painting.

  8. 8

    The end of the decade

    Pray the Glory Be, then the Fátima prayer: *O my Jesus, forgive us our sins…* Then announce the next mystery and begin again. Five times in all.

    The Glory BeThe Fátima Prayer

  9. 9

    Back at the medal

    Pray the Hail, Holy Queen, add your own intentions, and close with the Sign of the Cross.

    Hail, Holy QueenThe Sign of the Cross

If five decades are too many

Pray one. A single decade, on the way to work, is a real Rosary said in part — and it is infinitely more than the one you meant to say tonight and did not. The Rosary is not an examination. It is a Mother holding your hand while you count.

Where the beads come from

The counting of prayers on knots is older than the Rosary itself — the desert monks used pebbles. The form you hold took shape between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries and is traditionally associated with St Dominic; the Dominicans spread it, Lepanto made it famous, and Our Lady asked for it by name at Lourdes and at Fátima.

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The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Seven minutes on the same beads, and only two sentences to learn. Prayed at three in the afternoon, and beside the dying.

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