The Rosary is a way of thinking about the life of Christ while your hands are busy. The repeated prayers are not the point in themselves; they are the rhythm underneath, the way a drumbeat is underneath a song. What you are actually doing is turning over twenty scenes from the lives of Christ and his Mother, five at a time.
It takes about twenty minutes. You need nothing but a set of beads, and not even that.
The order of prayers
- The Sign of the Cross — holding the crucifix. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
- The Apostles’ Creed — still on the crucifix.
- An Our Father — on the first single bead.
- Three Hail Marys — on the next three beads, traditionally for faith, hope, and charity.
- A Glory Be — then announce the first mystery.
- Each decade: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be. Announce the next mystery and repeat, five times in all.
- The Hail Holy Queen — Salve Regina — to finish, then the Sign of the Cross.
Many add the Fatima prayer after each Glory Be: 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. It is a common custom rather than an obligation.
All of the Latin texts — Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Gloria Patri, Credo, Salve Regina — are given with translations on the Latin prayers page.
The mysteries
Each decade carries one scene. You do not need to think hard about it; simply hold it in mind while the words go on, the way one keeps a picture in view.
The Joyful Mysteries
Mondays & Saturdays
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Nativity of Our Lord
- The Presentation in the Temple
- The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
The Sorrowful Mysteries
Tuesdays & Fridays
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord
The Glorious Mysteries
Wednesdays & Sundays
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption of Our Lady
- The Coronation of Our Lady
The Luminous Mysteries
Thursdays
- The Baptism in the Jordan
- The Wedding at Cana
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Eucharist
The Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries are centuries old. The Luminous mysteries — the five scenes of Christ’s public ministry — were proposed by St John Paul II in 2002, to fill the gap between the childhood and the Passion.
When your mind wanders
It will. This is a common reason people give up on the Rosary, and it rests on a misunderstanding. The beads exist precisely because attention fails: they hold your place while your mind goes off, so that you can come back without having lost anything. A Rosary prayed badly, with the mind returning twenty times, is not a failed Rosary. It is what the prayer is for.
Say it slowly. Say it aloud if you are alone, or under your breath. Say it walking. The rhythm is doing part of the work, which is why the prayer survives among people who are tired, ill, or grieving, when nothing more elaborate is possible.
If you are starting today
Do not begin with all four sets. Take today’s mysteries, say the five decades, and stop. Tomorrow do it again. Within a week the words will come without effort and you will find you are free to think about the scenes, which is the whole design.
If you would like to hear the prayer that closes it, the Salve Regina is one of the most beautiful chants the Church possesses.
Last reviewed for accuracy on , against the Douay-Rheims Bible and the Church's own documents.