Today · Tuesday, October 6
Take Jesus Home
Marian Prayer

The Holy Rosary

A way of looking at the life of Christ with Mary, one mystery at a time.

Marian prayerAbout 20 minutes

The Rosary can look like repetition, and it is. But the repetition has a purpose. While the lips say familiar words, the mind rests on a scene from the Gospel: an angel’s greeting, a wedding feast, a garden at night, an empty tomb. The Rosary is a prayer about Jesus, prayed in the company of his mother.

The Church keeps the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, and the whole month of October is traditionally dedicated to this prayer.

How to pray it

  • Make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles’ Creed.
  • Pray one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
  • Announce the first mystery and pray one Our Father.
  • Pray ten Hail Marys while keeping the mystery in mind, then one Glory Be. This is one decade.
  • Repeat for the second, third, fourth, and fifth mysteries.
  • Close with the Hail, Holy Queen and the Sign of the Cross.

The Joyful Mysteries

Traditionally prayed on Mondays and Saturdays.

  • The Annunciation
  • The Visitation
  • The Nativity of the Lord
  • The Presentation in the Temple
  • The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Luminous Mysteries

Prayed on Thursdays. Saint John Paul II proposed these mysteries of Christ’s public life in 2002.

  • The Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan
  • The Wedding at Cana
  • The Proclamation of the Kingdom
  • The Transfiguration
  • The Institution of the Eucharist

The Sorrowful Mysteries

Prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays.

  • The Agony in the Garden
  • The Scourging at the Pillar
  • The Crowning with Thorns
  • The Carrying of the Cross
  • The Crucifixion

The Glorious Mysteries

Prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

  • The Resurrection
  • The Ascension
  • The Descent of the Holy Spirit
  • The Assumption of Mary
  • The Coronation of Mary

If twenty minutes is too much

Begin with one decade. Choose a single mystery, pray it slowly, and let that be enough for today. A decade prayed with attention on the way to work is a real prayer, and the habit tends to grow on its own.

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.

Traditional text.

Further reading: Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Saint John Paul II (Vatican).