|
|
How to Pray the Holy Rosary
“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.”
Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche
“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more
meritorious than any other prayer.”
Saint Louis de Montfort
“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.”
Saint Dominic
The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people
that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that
each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers,
and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important
one.
The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome
story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy,
of sorrow and the glory of Jesus and Mary. It's a simple prayer, humble so much
like Mary. It's a prayer we can all say together with Her, the Mother of God.
With the Hail Mary we invite Her to pray for us. Our Lady always grants our request.
She joins Her prayer to ours. Therefore it becomes ever more useful, because what
Mary asks She always receives, Jesus can never say no to whatever His Mother asks
for.
In every apparition, the heavenly Mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful
weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace. With your prayer made together with
Your heavenly Mother, you can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of
hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer you can drive away from yourselves
and from your homeland many dangers and many evils.
The whole Rosary is composed of twenty decades. Each decade is recited in honor
of a mystery in Our Lord's Life and that of his Blessed Mother. It is customary
to recite five decades at a time while meditating on one set of mysteries. The decades
may be separated, if the entire chaplet is completed on the same day. Each Mystery
may be meditate "bead by bead" for every Hail Mary of the decade.
Most people only do 5 decades a day, though all is best. If you are only interested
in 5 mysteries a day, here is a general weekly pattern:
|
Monday
|
The Joyful Mysteries
|
|
|
Tuesday
|
The Sorrowful Mysteries
|
|
|
Wednesday
|
The Glorious Mysteries
|
|
|
Thursday
|
The Lumines Mysteries
|
|
|
Friday
|
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Christ's passion was on a Friday)
|
|
|
Saturday
|
The Joyful Mysteries (Saturday's to Mary waiting in expectation)
|
|
|
Sunday
|
The Lumines Mysteries (Celebrating the institution of the Eucharist)
|
The Fifteen Promises of Mary
To Those Who Recite the Rosary
As given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan
- Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary shall receive
signal graces.
- I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite
the rosary.
- The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, decrease
sin, and defeat heresies.
- It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant
mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and
its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls
would sanctify themselves by this means.
- The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not
perish.
- Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration
of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise
him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he
shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
- Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments
of the Church.
- Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at
their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of
death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
- I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
- The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
- You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
- All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
- I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have
for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of
death.
- All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.
- Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.
The Prayers of the Rosary
While holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross saying:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then Recite 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; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended
into heaven, sits 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.
Recite the Our Father on the first large bead:
Our father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by 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. Amen.
On each of the three small beads recite a Hail Mary:
(asking for an increase of faith, hope and charity.)
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. Amen.
Recite the Glory Be to the Father on the next large bead:
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. Amen.
On the same bead recite the Fatima Prayer:
"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls
to heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy."
Recall the first Rosary mystery.
Recite the 'Our Father' on the same large bead.
On each of the adjacent ten small beads recite a 'Hail Mary' while
reflecting on the mystery.
On the next large bead recite the 'Glory Be to the Father' and the
'Fatima' prayers.
Each succeeding decade is prayed in a similar manner by recalling the appropriate
mystery, reciting the 'Our Father', ten 'Hail Marys',
the 'Glory Be to the Father' and the 'Fatima' prayer
while reflecting on the mystery.
When the mysterys are completed the Rosary is customarily concluded with the
'Hail, Holy Queen' prayer (at the end of this page).
The Joyful Mysteries
|
The Annunciation
And when the angel had come to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee. Blessed art thou among women." (Lk. 1:28).
|
|
The Visitation
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice,
saying, "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!" (Lk.
1:41-42)
|
|
The Birth of Jesus
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and
laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Lk. 2:7)
|
|
The Presentation
And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses,
they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (Lk. 2:22)
|
|
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
And it came to pass after three days, that they found Him in the temple, sitting
in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
(Lk. 2:46)
|
The Luminous Mysteries
|
The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I
am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
|
|
The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed
his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. (John 2:11)
|
|
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)
|
|
The Transfiguration of Jesus
And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes
became white as light. (Matthew 17:2)
|
|
The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving
it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my
blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness
of sins. (Matthew 26:26)
|
The Sorrowful Mysteries
|
The Agony in the Garden
His sweat became as drops of blood running down upon the ground . . . rising from
prayer He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping . . . (Lk. 22:44-45)
|
|
The Scourging at the Pillar
Pilate then took Jesus and had Him scourged. (Jn. 19:1) From the sold of the foot
to the top of the head . . . wounds and bruises and swelling sores . . . (Is. 1:6)
|
|
The Crowning with Thorns
And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet cloak; and plaiting a crown of thorns,
they put it on his head, and a reed into his right hand . . . they mocked Him .
. . (Mt. 27:28-29)
|
|
The Carrying of the Cross
And bearing the cross for Himself, He went forth to the place called the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha. (Jn. 19:17)
|
|
The Crucifixion
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit." And having said this, He expired. (Lk. 23:46)
|
The Glorious Mysteries
|
The Resurrection
Fear not; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for
He is risen, as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. (Matt.
28:5-6)
|
|
The Ascension
And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sits
on the right hand of God. (Mk. 16:19)
|
|
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming . . . And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, . . . (Acts 2:2,4)
|
|
The Assumption
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rev. 12:1)
|
|
The Coronation
Thou art the glory of Jerusalem . . . the honor of our people . . . the hand of
the Lord hath strengthened thee, and therefore thou shall be blessed forever . .
. (Jdt. 15:10-11)
|
Closing Prayers
Finish with the 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, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
R. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
V. 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.
|
|