What is the Rosary?
The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ's life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and––added by Saint John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous. (USCCB, 2023)
How to pray the rosary
You will need
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a rosary or a method to count the prayers you say
1) Make the Sign of the Cross and say "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2) Say the Apostles' Creed.
3) Say one Our Father, three Hail Marys and one Glory Be.
4) Announce the first Mystery. If possible, make a short meditation on the subject of the mystery. Then, pray an Our Father, ten Hail Marys', and the Glory Be. While it is not a formal part of the Rosary, it has become a tradition to say the Fatima prayer after the Glory be,
5) This pattern is then repeated on the decades for each of the subsequent mysteries of the Rosary.
6) OPTIONAL : After you have completed all the decades, it is usual to say the Hail, Holy Queen, and other prayers according to custom, though these are not formally part of the Rosary, nor obligatory.
7) Make the Sign of the Cross and say, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Glossary of prayers
There are several prayers that are said when one says the rosary. Here are the ones you will need to know!
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 rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth 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.
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.
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.
Hail Mary
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.
Fátima Prayer
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.
