The Rosary

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What is the Rosary?

The Rosary has been treasured in the Church for many centuries. In a profound sense, it is a summary of the Catholic Faith in language and prayers inspired by the Bible. Pope Pius X wrote that, among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been favored by so many miracles as the devotion to the Most Holy Rosary. The Rosary traditionally is said to have originated with St. Dominic, a Spanish friar of the Thirteenth Century, who was the founder of the Order of Preachers (more commonly known as the Dominicans) and a mighty missionary against heresy. One night, as he was deep in prayer, Our Lady appeared to him, holding the Rosary in Her hand and said: Be of good cheer, Dominic, the remedy for the evils which you lament will be meditation on the life, death and glory of My Son, uniting all with the recitation of the angelic salutation (Hail Mary) by which the mystery of redemption was announced to the world. This devotion, which you are to inculcate by your preaching, is a practice most dear to My Son and Me. The faithful will obtain by it innumerable advantages and shall always find Me ready to aid them in their wants. This is the precious gift which I leave to you and to your spiritual children. Over the centuries, inspired by the teachings of St. Dominic and his followers, especially Blessed Alain de la Roche and St. Louis de Montfort, the Holy Rosary has become the most beloved and popular of all Catholic devotions. It has long been associated with innumerable miracles of faith and healing. Speaking of Our Ladys appearances at Fatima (where She identified Herself as the Lady of the Rosary), Frre Michel de la Sainte Trinit has written in The Whole Truth About Fatima (Volume I: Science and the Facts) that if She willed to appear at the Cova da Iria holding (the Rosary) in Her hand... it was to show us that it is the surest means, because it is the easiest and the humblest, of winning Her Heart and obtaining Her graces.

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How to Pray the Rosary

The Sign of the Cross In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Latin: In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. 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 Ghost, 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, sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Latin: Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae; et in Jesum Christum, Filium Ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum; qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus; descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, Sanctorum Communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, et vitam aeternam. Amen. 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. Latin: Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur Nomen Tuum, adveniat regnum Tuum, fiat voluntas Tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris, et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

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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. Latin: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus Tecum; benedicta Tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris Tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. The Glory Be Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Latin: Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. The Fatima Decade Prayer O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.* Latin: O mi Jesu, dimitte nobis peccata nostra; libera nos ab ignibus inferni; perduc omnes animas in caelum, praesertim maxime indigentes.
* In Her third apparition at Fatima (July 13, 1917), Our Lady taught the three shepherd children to add this short prayer after each decade of the Rosary.

Hail, Holy Queen Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail 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 vale 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. V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Latin: Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae; vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Ad Te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae. Ad Te suspiramus, gementes et flentes, in hac lacrymarum valle. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, Illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris
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Tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.

R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi. 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 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. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Oremus Latin: Deus, cujus Unignitus per vitam, mortem et resurrectinem suam nobis saltis aetrnae praemia comparvit: concde, quaesumus; ut, haec mystria sanctssimo betae Marae Vrginis Rosrio recolntes, et imitmur quod cntinent, et quod promttunt, assequmur. Per emdem Christum Dminum nostrum. Amen.

Joyful Mysteries Mondays and Thursdays (also Sundays from beginning of Advent until Lent) First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple Sorrowful Mysteries Tuesdays and Fridays (also Sundays during Lent) First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ Glorious Mysteries Wednesdays and Saturdays (also Sundays from Easter until Advent) First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead Second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
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Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the Holy Ghost Fourth Glorious Mystery: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

The 54-Day Rosary Novena

On March 3, 1884, Our Lady of Pompeii appeared before the gravely ill daughter of an Italian military officer and through her, gave the world a new devotion of tremendous power. For over a year, Fortuna Agrelli had been in great distress and even near death. Indeed, her case had been given up as hopeless by the most celebrated physicians. In desperation, on February 16, the afflicted girl and her family began a novena of Rosaries. Two weeks later, the Queen of the Holy Rosary appeared before Fortuna one evening. Sitting upon a high throne, surrounded by luminous figures, Our Lady was holding the Divine Child on Her lap and a Rosary in Her hand. Both were arrayed in golden garments and were accompanied by Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena. Child, your faith has pleased Me. Our Lady said to Fortuna, Whoever desires to obtain favors from Me should make three novenas in petition of the prayers of the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving. Obedient to Our Ladys command, Fortuna and her family completed the six novenas whereupon the young girl was restored to perfect health and her family showered with many blessings. How to Pray the 54-Day Rosary Novena The Novena consists of five decades of the Rosary each day for twentyseven days in petition; then immediately five decades each day for an additional twenty-seven days in thanksgiving, whether or not the request has been granted yet or not. The meditations vary from day to day. On the first day meditate on the Joyful Mysteries; on the second day the Sorrowful Mysteries; on the third day the Glorious Mysteries; on the fourth day meditate again on the Joyful Mysteries; and so on throughout the fifty-four days. In the diagram below, the following notations are used:

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1 = the first day of the 54-day novena. J = the Joyful Mysteries are recited on this day. S = the Sorrowful Mysteries are recited on this day. G = the Glorious Mysteries are recited on this day.

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What You Can Do

The Family Rosary Give me one million families praying the Rosary and the world is saved. Blessed Pope Pius IX We have all heard that the family that prays together stays together. It seems that in our difficult times, in which the family is continuously assaulted from almost every direction, the family needs the weapon of prayer more than ever. But how should the family pray? St. Francis de Sales said that the greatest method of praying is the Rosary. When the family comes together to pray the Rosary, they are complying with a request made by Our Lady of Fatima in each of Her apparitions. Blessed Jacinta of Fatima, the youngest member of her family, was the one who convinced her family to pray the family Rosary together. We also should try to establish this most efficacious custom in our families. Prayer Groups In his book The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort lists the following benefits to the practice of public group prayer, especially the Rosary: 1. Normally, our minds are far more alert during public prayer than when we pray alone. 2. When we pray in common, the prayer of each one belongs to all. We make one great prayer together, so that if one person is not praying well, someone else in the same gathering who prays better may make up for his deficiency. In this way, those who are strong uphold the weak. Those who are fervent inspire the lukewarm. 3. One who prays his Rosary alone only gains the merit of that one Rosary. But if he prays it together with others, he gains the merit of each Rosary. This is the law of public prayer. 4. Public prayer is far more powerful than private prayer, to appease the anger of God, and to call down His mercy. Holy Mother Church, guided
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by the Holy Ghost, has always advocated public prayer in times of public tragedy and suffering. 5. If the faithful pray five decades of the Rosary in company with others, whether in public or private, they may gain an indulgence of ten years, once a day. A plenary indulgence can be gained on the last Sunday of the month with the addition of detachment from venial sin, Confession, Communion, a visit to a church and prayers for the intentions of the Pope if they perform such recitation at least three times in any of the preceding weeks. The Block Rosary The Block Rosary consists of groups of people living within close proximity of each other praying the Rosary for the Church, their families, their communities and their country, once a week. It is suggested that they especially pray for the Pope and bishops, so that they do their part to bring peace to the world by consecrating Russia in the form requested by Our Lady at Fatima. The group meets at a different participants home each week at the same day and time. They should not serve refreshments or have discussions or long conversations on these occasions, as it is not a social event. The group should not let the Block Rosary in its area lose its spiritual purpose little by little by letting it turn into a social event. Therefore prayer groups, and especially the Block Rosary, are ways in which we can truly come together to draw down grace and mercy from God through the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we pray in groups, we as members of the Church Militant strike a powerful blow against Gods enemies. Let us therefore gather together to pray, and commit to reciting the Rosary together once a week, and thus doing our part to convert sinners and bring about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Universal Living Rosary The Living Rosary is a special way to join your prayers with those of others, through the powerful prayer of Our Ladys Rosary. The Living Rosary Association was founded in 1826 by Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot. Being a member of the Living Rosary consists in enrolling with the Association, and upon being assigned one decade of the Rosary, reciting it faithfully every day for the rest of ones life. One is not bound to fulfill this
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condition under pain of sin, but one must intend to remain faithful. Ones decade may be prayed any time during the day. The indulgences granted to this devotion include all those of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Fourteen other members decades will constitute the remainder of the fifteen-decade Rosary. Thus the individual unites his prayers with those of fourteen others, who together pray an entire fifteen-decade Rosary every day. Pauline Jaricots idea was to form a prayer group consisting of the good, the mediocre and those individuals who had only good will 15 coals: one being well lighted, three or four partially so and the others not at all. Bring them together and you have a furnace! For further reading: 15 Promises for Praying the Most Holy Rosary Sister Lucy of Fatima Speaks on the Rosary Rosary of Our Lady, Hope of the World Arm of Peace The Mysteries of the Rosary Rosary Mystery Intentions Pray along with the Rosary online Universal Living Rosary Special Rosary Crusader

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