How To Pray The
Rosary
Prayers
of the Rosary
Praying the Rosary brings with it
many benefits. It destroys vice and greatly strengthens a person's faith. It is
meant to be said every day and, through regular use, bring the believer to a
state where he or she is ever mindful of prayer or, as some like to put it,
constantly in a state of prayer. Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical, Rosarium
Virginis Mariae: “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at
heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the
depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a
compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for
the work of the redemptive Incarnation, which began in her virginal womb. With
the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to
contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of
his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though
from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.”
It is good to offer up your Rosary
for some intention. Our Lady of Fatima asked us to say a daily Rosary for world
peace and the conversion of sinners. Before you begin praying your Rosary,
offer up your Rosary for any intention that touches your heart, especially the
desires of Our Lady.
Your Rosary has several parts to
it, if you look at it. At the bottom, there is a crucifix, then a short
string of beads and then a large circle of beads. Prayers are said for the
crucifix and on each bead.
Pick a quiet
place to pray. Try to minimize the distractions - take the phone off the hook,
etc. If you want to, light a candle. The Holy Father, John Paul II, has advised
using pictures or artwork to help you focus your thoughts on the Mysteries.
Make yourself comfortable. Sit or kneel quietly, and clear your mind. Think of
your intention, what are you offering this time of prayer for? Holding the
Rosary, with the crucifix in your hand, begin to pray:
Make the sign of
the cross, praying, "In the name of
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen."
Then, still
holding the cross, pray the Apostles
Creed while meditating on the meaning of this creed.
Then, continue
holding the cross with one hand and move up to the first large bead and recite
the Our Father,
also known as The Lord's Prayer.
On the three next
beads, recite a Hail Mary
on each bead.
On the next single
bead, say a Glory Be.
As you start on
the first decade, the first of the 10 beads after the centerpiece on
your Rosary, announce the Sacred Mystery to be meditated on, and recall the
events in Mary’s life, or Jesus' life and the meaning of that event. Say the Mystery out loud.
It is helpful to follow the announcement of the mystery with the proclamation
of the related Biblical passages. No other words can ever match the efficacy of
the inspired word.
Then, pause for a
moment, and think of this event in Christ's life, or Mary's life. Then, holding
the image in your mind, pray an Our Father,
and then recite ten Hail
Mary's, one for each of the next ten beads.
There will be a
space, and then a single bead. Pray one Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer on the next single
bead.
The process is
repeated with a different mystery for each of the following groupings of one
bead and ten beads. After the five decades, and five Mysteries, pray the Hail Holy Queen and
the Prayer After the Rosary.
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. [top]
Hail Mary, full of grace! the
Lord is with thee; blessed are 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. [top]
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. [top]
The "
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell, take all souls to Heaven, and help especially
those most in need of Your mercy. [top]
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, and
is seated 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. [top]
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, O 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. [top]
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. [top]