Rosary
How to Pray the Holy Rosary
How to pray the Rosary · 8 steps
Step by step through the Rosary on an ordinary five-decade rosary: the opening prayers, the five mysteries with their decades, and the closing prayers.
8 steps · About 20 minutes
The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer of the Latin Church. Though clearly Marian in character, it is at heart a Christocentric prayer: while the lips repeat the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, the mind rests on twenty mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus, seen through the eyes of his Mother. The gentle repetition is not the point; it is the quiet that lets the mystery sink in. It can be prayed alone or with others, in twenty minutes or a single decade.
What you need
- A rosary (a crucifix, an opening set of five beads, and five decades of ten beads)
- Today's set of mysteries — see the Mysteries section below this guide
- About twenty unhurried minutes
- Optionally a Bible, to read a short passage before each mystery
When to pray it
Any time of day; many Catholics pray it daily. The mysteries traditionally follow the day of the week: Joyful on Monday and Saturday, Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday, Luminous on Thursday. In Advent the Joyful and in Lent the Sorrowful Mysteries may replace the Glorious on Sundays.
Steps
Step 1: Make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles' Creed
Take the rosary in your hand and make the . Holding the crucifix, pray the , which sums up the mysteries of faith you are about to contemplate.
Step 2: Pray the opening prayers on the first beads
On the first large bead pray the . On each of the next three small beads pray a ; these are traditionally offered for an increase of faith, hope and charity. On the chain or space before the medal, pray the .
Step 3: Announce the first mystery and pray the Our Father
Choose today's set of mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious or Luminous) and announce the first one aloud or in your heart, for example: "The first Joyful Mystery: the Annunciation." You may read a short Scripture passage. Then pray the on the large bead.
Step 4: Pray ten Hail Marys while meditating on the mystery
On each of the ten small beads pray one . Keep the mystery before your mind as you pray: picture the scene, listen to its words, and let it speak to your own life. The words of the prayer carry you; the mystery is what you are looking at.
Step 5: Close the decade with the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer
After the tenth pray the . Many then add the prayer Our Lady asked for at Fatima, commonly called the : ", forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."
Step 6: Repeat for the remaining four mysteries
Announce the second mystery on the next large bead and pray the , ten , the and the as before. Continue in the same way through the third, fourth and fifth mysteries until you return to the medal.
Step 7: Pray the Hail, Holy Queen and the closing prayer
Pray the Hail, Holy Queen (). Then: V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: 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 by 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.
Step 8: Conclude with the Sign of the Cross
Many add the , and a prayer to Saint Joseph may also follow, as the USCCB notes. Conclude the Rosary with the , and carry the mystery you prayed into the rest of your day.
Tips
- Short on time? Pray a single decade well rather than five in a rush. The Church has never required all five at one sitting.
- Use the Mysteries section below to choose today's set and to read the Scripture and 'fruit' for each mystery before you announce it.
- Distractions are normal. When you notice one, simply return to the mystery; do not start the decade over.
- A brief pause after announcing each mystery, and a phrase of Scripture, turns repetition into contemplation, as Saint John Paul II recommends in Rosarium Virginis Mariae.