How To Pray The Rosary
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 JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES, and the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES.
- 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 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 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!
- V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
- R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
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.”
As suggested by the Pope John Paul II the Joyful mysteries are said on Monday and Saturday, the Luminous on Thursday, the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, and the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday (with this exception: Sundays of Christmas season – The Joyful; Sundays of Lent – Sorrowful)
Those who pray the Rosary regularly would do well to be enrolled in the Confraternity to gain extra spiritual benefits for each Rosary they pray. Enroll in the Confraternity
Dominican Manner of Praying the Rosary
Rosaries in Other Languages
- Chinese
- French
- Italian
- Polish
- Spanish
- Croatian
- German
- Japanese
- Portuguese
- Swedish
- Dutch
- Irish-Gaelic
- Latin
- Russian
- Tagalog
- Vietnamese
This page used with permission from The Rosary Confraternity