Prayer of the Holy Rosary
Prayers of the Holy Rosary
The Rosary prayers are the Apostles Creed, Our Father, Hail Marys, Glory Be, and, if desired, the Fatima Prayer. Next come five mysteries. Rosary prayers conclude with the Hail Holy Queen.
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 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 Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, He will 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.
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 do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
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.
The Glory be
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.
The Fatima prayer
“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 Your Mercy”.
(Our Lady at Fatima, 13th July 1917)
The Hail Holy Queen
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, 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.
Additional Rosary prayers
“O God whose only begotten Son by His Life has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, Grant that we beseech Thee while meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord Amen.”Fatima prayer #2
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I beg pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.”
(The Angel to three children of Fatima, spring 1916)
Mysteries of the Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
1st Annunciation
The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary, announcing she is to be the Mother of God.
2nd Visitation
Elizabeth greets Mary: “Blessed art Thou amoung women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”
3rd Nativity
The Virgin Mary gives birth to the Redeemer of the World. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
4th Presentation at the Temple
The Blessed Mother presents the Child Jesus in the Temple
5th Finding in the Temple
The Blessed Mother finds Jesus in the Temple.
Sorrowful Mysteries
1st Agony of Jesus in the Garden
At Gethsemane, Jesus prays as He contemplates the sins of the world.
2nd Scourging of Jesus at Pillar
Jesus is cruelly scourged until His mortified body could bear no more
3rd Crowning with Thorns
A crown of thorns is placed on the head of Jesus.
4th Carrying the Cross
Jesus carries the heavy cross upon His shoulders to Calvary.
5th Crucifixion
Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies after hours of agony
Glorious Mysteries
1st Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus rises glorious and immortal, three days after His death.
2nd Ascension of Jesus
Jesus ascends into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection
3rd Descent of Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit descends upon Mary and the Apostles.
4th Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Mary is united with her Divine Son in Heaven.
5th Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary is gloriously crowned Queen of Heaven and earth.
Light Mysteries
1st Baptism of Jesus
The heavens open wide and the voice of the Father declares Jesus the beloved Son
2nd Wedding of Cana
The first of the signs, Christ changes water into wine thanks to the intervention of Mary
3rd The proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God.
4th The Transfiguration
The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father.
5th The institution of the Eucharist
Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and wine.
History of the Holy Rosary:
The history of the Holy Rosary is deeply rooted in the tradition of Christian prayer, which developed over the centuries through the encounter of monastic tradition, popular piety, and various ecclesiastical influences.
1. Origins and monastic roots (before the 12th century):
● Psalms and the “Our Father”: In the first centuries of Christianity, monks in monasteries regularly sang or recited all 150 psalms from the Book of Psalms.
Since lay people who could not read Latin and wanted to imitate this monastic prayer, they began to say 150 Our Father prayers instead of 150 Psalms.
● Small pebbles, knots on rope, or strings with beads (the so-called Pater Noster) were used to count these prayers.
2. The emergence of the Marian Psalter and the assignment of the Salutations (12th – 13th century):
● In the 12th century, veneration of the Virgin Mary spread widely in Europe.
● The 150 Our Father prayers were gradually divided into three parts of 50, reminiscent of the division of the Psalms. To these prayers began to be added the first part of the Hail Mary prayer (which at that time consisted only of words from Scripture: the greeting of the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth).
3. The role of Saint Dominic (13th century):
● According to tradition, the Virgin Mary gave the rosary to Saint Dominic of Guzmán in a vision in 1214, as a powerful weapon against the heresies of the time and for the spread of the Gospel.
● Although historical scholars point out that the present-day form of the rosary was directly given by Dominic
did not stop, his Dominican order played a key role in approving and spreading this way of prayer throughout Europe.
4. Creation of the form and introduction of the mysteries (15th century)
● The current form of the prayer and its division into decades (each decade is preceded by the Our Father and concluded by the Glory Be) were definitively formed by the Dominican monk Alan de la Roche (Alanus de Rupe) in the years 1460–1470.
● He also introduced the concept of meditating on the main mysteries from the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary during prayer.
5. Papal approval and the Battle of Lepanto (16th century)
● In 1569, Pope Pius V (a member of the Dominican Order) officially approved the form of the Holy Rosary as we know it today by papal document.
● The rosary played a huge role in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, where the Christian fleet faced seemingly insurmountable odds against the superior forces of the Ottoman Empire. The Pope called on the faithful to pray the rosary for victory. When the Christians unexpectedly won, Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory (later Our Lady of the Rosary), which we celebrate on October 7th.
6. Modern modifications and expansion (20th century)
● In the 16th century, a second part was added to the Hail Mary prayer: "Holy Mary, Mother of God...".
● The apparitions in Fatima, Portugal in 1917, where the Virgin Mary encouraged daily prayer of the rosary for peace in the world, also contributed to its great popularization.
● In 2002, Pope John Paul II added a completely new section to the Rosary – the Luminous Mysteries, which cover the public life of Jesus Christ (from the Baptism in the Jordan to the institution of the Eucharist). Since then, the Rosary has a total of 20 decades.