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.
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
The crucifix
Make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles' Creed, holding the crucifix in your hand.
- 2
- 3
The three small beads
Pray three Hail Marys — traditionally for an increase of faith, hope and charity.
- 4
- 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.
- 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
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
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.
- 9
Back at the medal
Pray the Hail, Holy Queen, add your own intentions, and close with the Sign of the Cross.
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 Annunciation
Scripture: Luke 1:26–38·Fruit of the mystery: Humility
- 2
The Visitation
Scripture: Luke 1:39–56·Fruit of the mystery: Love of neighbour
- 3
The Nativity of Our Lord
Scripture: Luke 2:1–20·Fruit of the mystery: Poverty of spirit
- 4
The Presentation in the Temple
Scripture: Luke 2:22–38·Fruit of the mystery: Obedience
- 5
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
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
The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
Scripture: Matthew 3:13–17·Fruit of the mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit
Read this wonder → - 2
The Wedding at Cana
Scripture: John 2:1–11·Fruit of the mystery: Trust in Mary's intercession
Read this wonder → - 3
The Proclamation of the Kingdom
Scripture: Mark 1:14–15·Fruit of the mystery: Conversion
Read this wonder → - 4
The Transfiguration
Scripture: Matthew 17:1–8·Fruit of the mystery: Desire for holiness
Read this wonder → - 5
The Institution of the Eucharist
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
The Agony in the Garden
Scripture: Luke 22:39–46·Fruit of the mystery: Sorrow for sin
Read this wonder → - 2
The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture: John 19:1·Fruit of the mystery: Purity
- 3
The Crowning with Thorns
Scripture: Matthew 27:27–31·Fruit of the mystery: Courage
- 4
The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture: Luke 23:26–32·Fruit of the mystery: Patience
- 5
The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord
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
- 2
The Ascension
Scripture: Acts 1:6–11·Fruit of the mystery: Hope
- 3
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Scripture: Acts 2:1–13·Fruit of the mystery: Love of God
Read this wonder → - 4
The Assumption of Our Lady
Scripture: Revelation 12:1·Fruit of the mystery: Grace of a happy death
- 5
The Coronation of Our Lady
Scripture: Revelation 12:1·Fruit of the mystery: Trust in Mary
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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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