PDF: The Rosary
Videos: The Rosary Playlist
About The Rosary
Pebbles, knotted strings, beads, and other devices have been used for thousands of years by many religions to help people keep track of their prayers.
Jesus said we are to pray constantly. As early as the 3rd century, monks would pray all 150 Psalms every day. The common person would recite 150 Our Fathers using pebbles or a knotted string.
Over the centuries, the format and prayers of this spiritual practice has evolved into The Rosary. The rhythm and repetition of Rosary prayers helps us calm our mind so we can meditate on the life of Jesus.
While there are variations around the world, the following is a common Rosary format. Instructions on how to pray The Rosary are at the bottom of this page and on the PDF above.
Video: Why Pray The Rosary with Bishop Barron
Video: How to Pray The Rosary with Bishop Barron
Video: The Easy Way to Pray The Rosary with Fr. Mike
About the Mysteries
The events in the life of Jesus are called Mysteries. There are 4 sets of Mysteries. While you can pray and meditate on any set on any day, some pray as follows:
Joyful – Monday and Saturday
Luminous – Thursday
Sorrowful – Tuesday and Friday
Glorious – Wednesday and Sunday
Pray The Rosary
When praying in a group, the leader will read what is in black (V). Everyone will say what is in red (All or R).
Sign of the Cross
All. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
V. 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,
and on the third day
he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God,
the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
R. 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.
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (3x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The First Mystery
Joyful – The Annunciation
Luminous – The Baptism of Jesus
Sorrowful – The Agony in the Garden
Glorious – The Resurrection
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (10x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O My Jesus
V. O my Jesus,
R. forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
The Second Mystery
Joyful – The Visitation
Luminous – The Wedding at Cana
Sorrowful – The Crowning of Thorns
Glorious – The Ascension
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (10x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O My Jesus
V. O my Jesus,
R. forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
The Third Mystery
Joyful – The Birth of Jesus
Luminous – The Proclamation of the Kingdom
Sorrowful – The Scourging at the Pillar
Glorious – The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (10x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O My Jesus
V. O my Jesus,
R. forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
The Forth Mystery
Joyful – The Presentation
Luminous – The Transfiguration
Sorrowful – The Carrying of the Cross
Glorious – The Assumption
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (10x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O My Jesus
V. O my Jesus,
R. forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
The Fifth Mystery
Joyful – The Finding in the Temple
Luminous – The Institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful – The Crucifixion
Glorious – The Coronation
Our Father
V. Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
R. 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.
Hail Mary (10x)
V. Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory Be
V. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O My Jesus
V. O my Jesus,
R. forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
Hail Holy Queen
V. Hail,
R. 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.
V. Pray for us O holy Mother of God,
R. that we may be worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Rosary Closing Prayer
Let Us Pray:
All. 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 while meditating on 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.
Sign of the Cross
All. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
A Simple Rosary for Children
- Make and say the Sign of the Cross.
- Say the Our Father.
- Say the Hail Mary 10 times.
They can use their fingers to keep track, pebbles or other objects, or have them make a string with 10 beads. - Make and say the Sign of the Cross.
A Personal Rosary
A variation of the Rosary that we like to pray is where we focus on a different person, group, or cause, for each Hail Mary prayer, instead of focusing on a Mystery. For example:
For my mom,
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,
and pray for my mom,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
About Mary
When the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary he said “Hail, full of grace.” She was filled with the presence of God, chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Pregnancy out of wedlock meant punishment by death, however, Mary trusted in the Lord and said, “let it be done to me according to your word.”
Mary devoted her life to Jesus. She held him as a baby in the stable, and she held his body at the foot of the Cross. The Bible says Mary is the mother of our Lord and blessed among women for all generations. It is fitting for us to honor Mary.
Over the centuries Mary has appeared to people all over the world where she encouraged various forms of prayer and devotion to her Son, including the Rosary. Through these apparitions, millions of people have come to know Jesus.
How to Pray the Rosary
1. Make and say the Sign of the Cross.
2. Say the Apostles’ Creed holding the Crucifix.
3. Say the Our Father on the first bead.
4. Say the Hail Mary on the next three beads.
5. Say the Glory Be, no bead.
Next are the five decades. These decades focus on a set of events, mysteries, of the life of Jesus. Choose any set of mysteries, or follow the pattern outlined.
6. Announce the first mystery then say the Our Father on the next bead, before the medallion.
Next, skip over the medallion to the first set of 10 beads.
7. While saying 10 Hail Mary prayers, one on each bead, meditate on the first mystery.
8. Say the Glory Be and the O My Jesus, no bead.
9. thru 12. Repeat 6, 7, and 8 for the next four mysteries.
13. Say the Hail Holy Queen and the Rosary Closing Prayer on the medallion.
14. Make and say the Sign of the Cross.
Our Family Prayers 