ROSARY PRAYERS
The Rosary is essentially the decades and their associated mysteries, and only these must be prayed to “pray the rosary”, either in satisfaction of Our Lady’s requests, or, to gain the indulgences attached to praying the rosary.
The traditional Rosary is divided into three parts, each having five mysteries: Glorious, Joyful and Sorrowful. In his apostolic letter “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary”, Pope John Paul II proposed a new set of mysteries, which he called the Luminous, and which concern the period of the public life of Our Lord. For those who wish to say all 20 decades at once during the course of a day, they may be said in the following order: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious.
For those who wish to say only 5 decades per day, the Holy Father proposed the following schedule:
Monday: Joyful
Tuesday: Sorrowful
Wednesday: Glorious
Thursday: Luminous
Friday: Sorrowful
Saturday: Joyful
Sunday: Glorious
For those who prefer to follow the traditional order of the days it is:
Monday: Joyful
Tuesday: Sorrowful
Wednesday: Glorious
Thursday: Joyful
Friday: Sorrowful
Saturday: Glorious
Sunday: Glorious
While meditating on the Mysteries, recite:
One Our Father (large beads), 10 Hail Marys (small beads) and 1 Glory Be(before the next large bead) to make a complete decade of the rosary.
After each decade the Fátima Prayer may also be said (Pope Pius XII).
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
PREPARATION
Start by making the sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then recite the Apostle’s 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; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and 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 Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
Then say 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys (for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity) and then 1 Glory Be:
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.
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.
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.
FOR THE INTENTION OF THE HOLY FATHER
Catholics who say the rosary in a group, or, individually before the Blessed Sacrament, may gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions, which includes prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.
For the intentions of the Holy Father.
Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYERS
After the completion of five mysteries (5 decades), or 15 or 20, the following is customarily said:
Hail Holy Queen (or Salve Regina may be sung)
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 us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
(Verse) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
(Response) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Rosary Prayer
(Verse) Let us pray,
(Response) O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description." While the rosary and the indulgences attached to it by the Church essentially concerns the decades and the meditation upon the mysteries only, the following is a customary way of preparing for the rosary and concluding it.
News from the Asia Pacific
How Our Lady of La Vang Unites Vietnamese Catholics Worldwide
On August 13, a single Marian hymn rose from two places at once, more than 12,000 kilometers apart. At Vietnam’s
48 Years of Unshakable Faith: Vietnamese Catholics Gather in Missouri
Every August, a town of roughly 15,600 people in southwestern Missouri transforms almost overnight. Carthage’s quiet streets fill with campers,
How Seoul’s Catholic Fair Geared Up for WYD 2027
Sometimes the best rehearsal for a major event is an unplanned one. When temperatures in Seoul climbed to a record
DIOCESE OF CALAPAN: The Mission Continues
Article by: Kat Galdo Diaz CALAPAN CITY, ORIENTAL MINDORO — In a historic religious event on August 7, 2026, the
One Resilient Response: India’s Catholic Church Rallies to Help Assam’s Flood Victims
Assam is enduring its worst flooding in nearly six decades, and the numbers behind the disaster are staggering: at least
100 Pilgrims, One Powerful Life-Changing Mission: Australian Catholics Rally for Myanmar
A small, simple idea, one hundred Australian Catholics each committing a modest annual gift, has quietly grown into a six-year
6 Languages, 1 Voice: Seoul’s Vibrant New Anthem Unites the World Ahead of WYD 2027
Exactly one year before hundreds of thousands of young Catholics gather in Seoul, the sound of what many will soon
10,000 Warnings: Jakarta’s Courageous Nuns Take a Stand Against Online Scam Trafficking
Ahead of the United Nations’ World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Catholic sisters took their message directly
7.1 Magnitude, 1 Resilient Church: How Japan’s Catholics Are Bringing Hope to Kumamoto
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake tore through Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on July 28, flattening homes, damaging
120 Bishops, 1 Bold Test: Why Asia’s Bridges Must Also Protect the Vulnerable
More than 120 cardinals and bishops representing 22 episcopal conferences spent a week in Jakarta discussing dialogue, synodality, and reconciliation