Praying the Rosary

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It’s important to pray the rosary in remembrance of Mary, the Mother of God who gave St. Dominic de Guzman a rosary and asked that he faithfully pray the Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be. Fifteen decades made up the original Dominican Rosary and that was later abbreviated to today’s rosary of ten decades. A decade refers to ten Hail Mary’s preceded by the Our Father and ending with the Glory Be. Praying the rosary as a family is a great way to strengthen your faith and also spend time with those you love, while assisting in prayer intentions for others.

Below, are the mysteries which meditate to the passage of life of Christ or Mary, his mother.

Joyful Mysteries – to be prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, they remind us of Christ’s birth.

  1. The Annunciation
  2. The Visitation
  3. The Nativity
  4. The Presentation
  5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

Luminous Mysteries– to be prayed on Thursdays to remind us of the light of God.

  1. The Baptism in the River Jordan
  2. The Wedding Feast at Cana
  3. The Preaching of the coming of the Kingdom of God
  4. The Transfiguration
  5. The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

Sorrowful Mysteries – to be prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays to remind us of Jesus’ passion and death.

  1. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden
  2. The Scourging at the Pillar
  3. The Crowning with Thorns
  4. The Carrying of the Cross
  5. The Crucifixion

Glorious Mysteries – to be prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays to remind us of Christ’s Resurrection and the glories of heaven.

  1. The Resurrection
  2. The Ascension
  3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
  4. The Assumption of Mary, the Mother of God, into heaven
  5. The Coronation of Mary in heaven
Praying the Rosary

Begin with the Sign of the Cross and then, on the crucifix by praying the Apostles’ Creed
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 arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven and 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.

On the next large bead, say the Our Father
Our Father –
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, Amen.


On the next three small beads, pray three Hail Mary’s (one for each bead)
Hail Mary – Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art though amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Then, pray the Glory Be
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. Amen.

This then begins the first Mystery, announce it and on the large bead pray an Our Father
After that, pray ten Hail Mary’s, one for each of the ten beads
Next, is the Glory Be again, then repeat each sequence until all 5 mysteries are complete.

After the fifth mystery sequence is complete, pray the Hail Holy Queen to conclude the Rosary.
Hail Holy Queen– Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercer, Hail 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 towards us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus, O clement, 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.

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