Rosary

The Rosary (Latin: rosarium, in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"),
[1]

usually in the form of the Dominican rosary,[2][3] is a form of prayer used especially in

the Catholic Church named for the string of prayer beads used to count the component
prayers. When used of the form of prayer, the word is usually capitalized ("the Rosary"), as
is customary for other names of prayers, such as "the Lord's Prayer", "the Hail Mary",
"the Magnificat". When referring to the beads, it is normally written with a lower-case initial
("a rosary").
The prayers that essentially compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys with
each set preceded by one Lord's Prayer and followed by one Glory Be. During recitation of
each set, known as a decade, thought is given to one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which
recall events in the lives of Jesusand Mary. Normally, five decades are recited in a session.
Other prayers are sometimes added after each decade (in particular, the Ftima Prayer)
and before (in particular, the Apostles' Creed), and after (in particular, the Hail, Holy Queen)
the five decades taken as a whole. The rosary as a material object is an aid towards saying
these prayers in the proper sequence.
A standard fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, based on the long-standing custom, was
established by Pope Pius V in the 16th century, grouping the mysteries in three sets: the
Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. In 2002 Pope John
Paul II suggested a new optional set of five, called the Luminous Mysteries, bringing the
total number of mysteries to twenty.
For over four centuries, the rosary has been promoted by several popes as part of
the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholicism.[4] The rosary also represents the Roman
Catholic emphasis on "participation in the life of Mary, whose focus was Christ", and
the Mariological theme "to Christ through Mary", taught by Saint Louis de Montfort.[5]

The rosary is part of Catholic veneration of Mary, which has been promoted by numerous
popes. In the 16th century, Pope Pius V associated the rosary with theGeneral Roman
Calendar by instituting the Feast of Our Lady of Victory (later changed to Our Lady of the
Rosary), which is celebrated on 7 October.
Pope Leo XIII, known as "The Rosary Pope", issued twelve encyclicals and fiveapostolic
letters on the rosary and added the invocation Queen of the most Holy Rosary to the Litany
of Loreto. Pope Pius XII and his successors actively promoted veneration of the Virgin
in Lourdes and Fatima, which is credited with a new resurgence of the rosary within the
Catholic Church.[6] Pope John Paul II (whose pontificate had major Marian themes) issued
the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae[7] which built on the "total Marian devotion".
On 3 May 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated that the Rosary was experiencing a new
springtime: "It is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish
for Jesus and his Mother."[8] To Benedict XVI, the rosary is a meditation on all important
moments of salvation history.
The Congregation for Divine Worship's directory of popular piety and the liturgy emphasizes
the Christian meditation/meditative aspects of the rosary, and states that the Rosary is
essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquility of rhythm or even a mental
lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life." [9] The
Congregation for Divine Worship also emphasizes the importance of the rosary as a
formative component of spiritual life.
The theologian Romano Guardini thus defined the Roman Catholic emphasis on the rosary
as "participation in the life of Mary, whose focus was Christ." [6] This view had been endorsed
by Leo XIII who viewed the rosary as a vital means to participate in the life of Mary and to
find the way to Christ.[10]

Devotions and spirituality

Devotion to the rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality.
[11]

Pope John Paul II placed the rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality and called it

"among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation." [12][13]
Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the
rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the
need for "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" during rosary recitations and
contemplations.[14]
From the sixteenth century onwards, rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that
assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to depict the mysteries of the
rosary. Saints have stressed the importance of meditation and contemplation. Scriptural
meditations on the rosary build on the Christian tradition of Lectio Divina, (literally divine
reading) as a way of using the Gospel to start a conversation between the soul and
Christ. Padre Pio, who was devoted to the rosary, said: "Through the study of books one
seeks God; by meditation one finds him."[15]
References to the rosary have been part of a number of reported Marian
Apparitions spanning two centuries. The reported messages from these apparitions have
influenced the spread of rosary devotions worldwide. [16][17] InQuamquam pluries Pope Leo
XIII related rosary devotions to Saint Joseph and granted indulgences for adding a prayer to
St. Joseph to the Rosary during the month of October.[18]
Praying the rosary may be prescribed by priests as a form of penance after confession.
Penance in this form is not generally intended as a "punishment"; rather, it is meant to
encourage reflection upon and spiritual growth from past sins. [19]

History
According to pious tradition, the concept of the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an
apparition of the Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille. This Marian
apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.[20] In the 15th century it was promoted
by Alanus de Rupe (aka Alain de la Roche or Saint Alan of the Rock), a Dominican priest
and theologian, who established the "fifteen rosary promises" and started many rosary
confraternities.
According to Herbert Thurston, it is certain that in the course of the twelfth century and
before the birth of St. Dominic, the practice of reciting 50 or 150 Ave Marias had become
generally familiar. Despite the popularity of Blessed Alanus's story about the origins of the
rosary, there has never been found any historical evidence positively linking St. Dominic to
the rosary. The story of St. Dominic's devotion to the rosary and supposed apparition of Our
Lady of the Rosary does not appear in any documents of the Church or Dominican Order
prior to the writings of Blessed Alanus, some 250 years after Dominic. [21][21]Leonard Foley
noted that although Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the
development of this prayer form owes much to the Order of Preachers. [22]
The practice of meditation during the praying of the Hail Marys is attributed to Dominic of
Prussia (13821460), a Carthusian monk, who called it "Life of Jesus Rosary". [6] The
German monk from Trier added a sentence to each of the 50 Hail Marys, using quotes from
scriptures.[23] In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices by the
Dominican Pope Pius V officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic
Church.[24]
From the 16th to the early 20th century, the structure of the rosary remained essentially
unchanged.[21] There were 15 mysteries, one for each of the 15 decades. In the 20th century
the addition of the Fatima Prayer to the end of each decade became more common. There
were no other changes until 2002 when John Paul II instituted five optional new Luminous
Mysteries.

Devotional growth
The rosary has been featured in the writings of Roman Catholic figures
from saints to popes and continues to be mentioned in reported Marian apparitions, with a
number of promises attributed to the power of the rosary.
According to Alan de la Roche, the Virgin Mary is reputed to have made 15 specific
promises to Christians who pray the rosary.[25] The Fifteen rosary promises range from
protection from misfortune to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven. [26]
In the 18th century, the French priest, Louis de Montfort elaborated on the importance of the
rosary and its power in his bookSecret of the Rosary. He emphasized the power of the
rosary and provided specific instructions on how it should be prayed, e.g.
with attention, devotion and modesty (reverence), with reflective pauses[27] between the
beads and smaller pauses between phrases of the prayers. [28]
One of the forces that drove the spread of the rosary during the 19th century among Roman
Catholics was the influence of the Rosary Pope, a title given to Leo XIII (18781903)
because he issued a record twelve encyclicals and five Apostolic Letters on the rosary,
instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October and, in
1883, added the invocation Queen of the most Holy Rosary to the Litany of Loreto.[29]
Leo XIII explained the importance of the rosary as the one road to God from the faithful, to
the mother and from her to Christ and through Christ to the Father, and that the rosary was
a vital means to participate in the life of Mary and to find the way to Christ. [10] This emphasis
on the path through Mary to Christ has since been a key direction in Roman Catholic
Mariology, with Mariology being viewed as inherent in Christology.[30][31][32]
Rosary as a family prayer was supported by Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Ingruentium
malorum: "The custom of the family praying of the Holy Rosary is a most efficacious
means."[33]

Structure of prayers[edit]
The structure of the Catholic rosary devotion is as follows: [34]
The praying of the rosary is started on the short strand, with the sign of the cross on the
Crucifix followed by reciting:

The Apostles' Creed,

The Lord's Prayer at the first large bead (for the intentions of the pope),

Three Hail Mary on the next three beads (for faith, hope and charity),

The Glory Be to the Father on the next large bead.

The praying of the decades then follows.

Repeat the following cycle for each mystery:

Announce the mystery

The Our Father on the large bead

The Hail Mary on each of the adjacent ten small beads;

The Glory Be to the Father;

(The Fatima Prayer is commonly added here, as a pious addition: "O My

Jesus, Forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven.
Especially those most in need of thy mercy.")

In conclusion, the Hail Holy Queen prayer, the prayer "O God, whose only begotten
Son...", and the sign of the cross

Variations and common pious additions

Common pious additions to the Rosary occur after each decade and after recitation of
the Hail Holy Queen. Some Catholics recite the Fatima Decade Prayerat the end of each
decade following the Glory Be. Some add the Miraculous Medal prayer "O Mary, conceived
without sin..." or the Fatima Ave refrain ("Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!").
Others add a praying of a pious Eucharistic prayer "O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament
Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine" at the end of each decade in
honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In the practice of the Brothers of the Christian
Schools, there is an additional decade for the intentions of the students or the Virgin Mary.

A single decade Irish penal rosary

After the Hail, Holy Queen many Catholics add the prayer "O God, by Your Only Begotten
Son...", the prayer to Saint Michael, and a prayer for the intentions of the Pope. In some
cases, the Litany of Loreto may be recited at the end.
In the practice of the Dominican Order, the opening prayers of the rosary mirror the opening
of the Divine Office:[35]
1. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.
3. Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus.
4. O Lord, open my lips.
5. And my mouth will proclaim Your praise.
6. Incline Your aid to me, O God.
7. O Lord, make haste to help me.

8. 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. [36]

Group recitation of the Rosary[edit]

When a group recites the Rosary, it is customary that the prayers that constitute the
decades are divided into two parts. A leader may recite the first half of the prayer while the
other participants recite the rest.

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Mysteries of the Rosary[edit]

The Mysteries of the Rosary are meditations on episodes in the life and death of Jesus from
the Annunciation to the Ascension and beyond, known as the Joyful (or Joyous) Mysteries,
the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. Each of these Mysteries contemplates
five different stages of Christ's life.[34] Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Rosarium
Virginis Mariae (October 2002), recommended an additional set called the Luminous
Mysteries (or the "Mysteries of Light").[37]
Joyful Mysteries
1. The Annunciation. Fruit of the Mystery: Humility
2. The Visitation. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbors
3. The Nativity. Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty (poor in spirit), Detachment from the things
of the world, Contempt of Riches, Love of the Poor
4. The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: Purity, Obedience
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: True Wisdom and True
Conversion, Piety, Joy of Finding Jesus
Luminous Mysteries
1. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy
Spirit, the Healer.
2. The Wedding at Cana. Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary. The
understanding of the ability to manifest-through faith.
3. Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Fruit of the Mystery: Trust in God (Call
of Conversion to Messiah)
4. The Transfiguration. Fruit of the Mystery: Desire for Holiness.
5. The Institution of the Eucharist. Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration

Sorrowful Mysteries
1. The Agony in the Garden. Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin, Uniformity with the
will of God
2. The Scourging at the Pillar. Fruit of the Mystery: Mortification, Purity
3. The Crowning with Thorns. Fruit of the Mystery: Contempt of the world, Courage
4. The Carrying of the Cross. Fruit of the Mystery: Patience
5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord. Fruit of the Mystery: Salvation, Forgiveness
Glorious Mysteries
1. The Resurrection. Fruit of the Mystery: Faith
2. The Ascension. Fruit of the Mystery: Hope and desire for ascension to Heaven
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Fruit of the Mystery: Holy Wisdom to know the truth
and share with everyone, Divine Charity, Worship of the Holy Spirit
4. The Assumption of Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Grace of a Happy Death and True
Devotion towards Mary
5. The Coronation of the Virgin. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance and Crown of Glory,
Trust in Mary's Intercession