…An ancient practice that is possibly more important today than centuries ago, saying the Rosary regularly might be the most powerful weapon against the world of distractions that we encounter today. The Rosary is a cyclical, calming, nurturing practice that, once you start saying it, you will want to say more and more.
The Rosary might best be looked at up as a sort of “speed correction” of our mind and soul. By saying the Rosary we slowly turn off our mind that is in constant “high gear” with the modern world. Souls do not move at this pace. They move at a deliberate, contemplative, patient speed, and saying the Rosary gets us in tune with that.
It starts with a physical object that we see and touch and interact with as we pray. The Rosary starts and ends in a circle, ending where we started. The pace and rhythm of saying the Rosary is paramount to its effectiveness. It is meant to be said at a calming, steady speed, allowing time for maximum contemplation.
The origins of the Rosary are not well known, with evidence of counting prayers on beads existing from the earliest days of the Church, but the first mentions of this practice similar to the Rosary starting in around the 12th century.
From the 12th and 15th centuries, the rosary’s design gradually changed. Eventually, 50 Hail Marys were recited, each followed by a Psalm verse or other phrase that referenced the lives of Jesus and Mary. This prayer form was thereafter referred to as the rosarium (Latin for “rose garden”), which is actually a phrase used to describe a collection of related works, such as anthologies of stories with the same topic or subject. The three sets of mysteries-based, five-decade rosary structure predominated in the sixteenth century.
How To Say the Rosary
The Rosary consists of a series of smaller prayers, along with contemplation of a set of “Mysteries” for that particular day of the week (with changes during parts of the Liturgical Year). The Mysteries for that day will be divided into five parts called “decades”. So, let’s begin:
Before you start, you will need an actual Rosary, and also you should either get a small book that describes each decade of each Mystery or find a good YouTube channel by a priest, Bishop, nun, etc., that has all of the Rosary Mysteries as videos describing each decade of the Mysteries in detail.
Once you are ready, let’s first determine which one of the sets of Mysteries is used for that particular day. These are as follows:
Joyful Mysteries (Mondays, Saturdays, and during Advent on Sundays)
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Nativity
- The Presentation in the Temple
- The Finding in the Temple
Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays, Fridays, and during Lent on Sundays)
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion and Death
Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday, and outside of Advent on Lent on Sundays)
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption
- The Coronation of Mary
Luminous Mysteries (Thursdays)
- The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
- The Wedding Feast at Cana
- Jesus’ Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Eucharist
Hold the rosary and make the sign of the cross.
Holding the crucifix of the rosary, pray 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.
Now move to the first bead above the crucifix and pray the 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.
Next, you will pray the Hail Mary on each of the next three beads. You may also add a concentration on an increase in faith, hope, and charity (love), for each of these beads while saying the 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.
On the next large bead, you will first pray the 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.
Now, you will start to go around the Rosary, and will be saying the “decades”. This starts with the announcement of the name of that decade for that particular Mystery. Each decade proceeds as follows:
- Announcement of the name of the decade for that Mystery
- Reflection on that decade. You might just be following along with a video, reading from a book, or saying it to yourself and contemplating for a short moment before moving on.
- On the first large bead before the 10 smaller beads you say the Our Father.
- On the next 10 successive beads, you say a Hail Mary for each.
- After the Hail Mary you say the Glory Be.
- You finish by saying the Fatima Prayer:
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.
You repeat this through the five decades of the Rosary.
Now, you pray 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.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
You then say the concluding prayer:
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.
You finish the Rosary with the sign of the cross.
How Often Should You Pray the Rosary?
Ideally, you should pray the Rosary every day. However, that is probably not how you should start. You will find that once you start any sort of regular practice of praying the Rosary, you will want to pray it more.
Start alone so you can memorize the prayers. This can take a few weeks. The final two prayers are the tough ones as the others most people know already, with only the Fatima prayer possibly being new, and that is quite short.
A good way to start expanding on saying the Rosary is to simply get to Mass early and say the Rosary then. Most Churches will start this about 30 minutes before Mass starts. The Church will be a little less crowded and it is a wonderful experience to pray the Rosary with others.
Next, find the best time of day to say the Rosary at home. Many people find it is the best way to end the day, but everyone is different. People take all sorts of different approaches to saying it, with doing a walking Rosary as one of the most common. Whatever your practice, you will almost certainly find that once you start saying it, you will want to say it more.
Next up… the Creed comes in two forms, both are quite unusual in terms of prayers- they are not prayers that “ask” or “thanks”, but rather are prayers that firmly state the belief of the Catholic faith.
Next Topic >> The Creed
Synopsis
If you want to start a practice that will ground you against the distractions of the modern world, nothing can match the regular saying of the Rosary. While misunderstood by many, the Rosary is actually Christ-centric, and the circular aspect of it calms our minds, eliminates stress, and puts our hearts in “right praise”.
Suggested Reading
For established Catholics:
“The Secret Of The Rosary” by St. Louis De Monfort
For newer Catholics, or Catholics new to the Rosary:
“The Rosary: Keeping Company With Jesus and Mary” by Karen Edmisten
Top Image
The venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary known as Our Lady of Confidence, La Madonna della Fiducia, and Our Lady of Trust is housed in the Lateran Basilica. Christians observe the feast of Our Lady of Confidence every year on the sabbath preceding Ash Wednesday.
Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi was given permission by Pope Gregory XVI to grant the person a canonical coronation on October 14, 1838, at the request of the Roman seminarians. Moreover, Pope Pius X was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary in this capacity.
The original was painted by Carlo Maratta and given to Chiara Isabella Fornari, a young aristocrat who later rose to become the abbess of the Poor Clares Monastery in Todi, Italy.