The Rosary

What is the Rosary

After the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary is probably the most important prayer in the Catholic Church (at least in the Latin rite). It is a meditation on the major events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, at many of which he was accompanied, or at least in the presence of, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To say the Rosary, one medidates or thinks about or ponders (pick a verb) on a set of logically grouped events in the life of Jesus, which we call "mysteries". The mysteries follow a linear cycle (mostly—you'll find a chart below) from his conception through his ascension and then some. In between are a list of the mysteries and some scriptural references for them.

May your meditations on the life of Our Lord in the company of his mother bear much fruit...

The Mysteries of the Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation. The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is about to be with child. (Luke 1:26-38)
2. The Visitation. The unmarried pregnant girl Mary goes to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth in another town. Sounds familiar if a little old fashioned. (Luke 1:39-56)
3. The Nativity. God in the flesh, creator and king of the cosmos is born in a stable. His mother, now royalty by virtue of being the king's mother, can't get a decent room. (Luke 2:1-21)
4. The Presentation. Jesus is presented in the Temple and sacrifices are offered, but he isn't ransomed (see Exodus on the priesthood for more) so is never bought back from God. Being an unransomed firstborn, he remains a priest. Though not from the line of Aaron, Moses's brother. Instead he belongs to the priestly order of Melchizedek. (Luke 2:22-35)
5. The Boy in the Temple. The fact that he is a priest might have some explanatory value on why the pre-teen Jesus left his family on the road and went back to Jerusalem to be in the Temple. The fact that he is a pre-teen may also have had something to do with it. (Luke 2:41-52)

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden. Jesus is about to be betrayed by his friend and handed over to the authorities, and he knows it. (Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46)
2. The Scourging. Jesus is scourged by Roman soldiers, each lash the equivalent of the pain of third-degree burns. By his stripes we are healed. (Matthew 27:24-26)
3. The Crowning with Thorns. The king is arrayed in scarlet, given his staff, and crowned with headdress that stabbed his scalp and forehead. (Matthew 27:27-31)
4. The Carrying of the Cross. Our Lord, king of the universe, is led to his death and must carry his own instrument of torture. (Luke 23:26-31)
5. The Crucifixion. Nails in hands and feet. Hanging stark naked from a Roman cross. Drowning in your own fluids as your blood and water separate. All for a bunch of lousy humans who still, for the most part, don't get it. (John 19:17-37)

The Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection. Death? Eh. (John 20)
2. The Ascension. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. (Mark 16:14-20)
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit. A mighty wind and tongues of fire. And a lot of funny talk. (Acts 2)
4. The Assumption. At the end of her earthly life Mary, the mother of the king, is taken body and soul into heaven by her Son. (Good luck with this one for scriptures--think about oh, say Genesis where Enoch was taken up by God and "was no more", but it doesn't say he died. Elijah is another good example. It is the historical witness of both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches that Mary was taken to heaven. The next one sort of adds some credence.)
5. The Coronation. Mary, the mother of the king, is crowned Queen of Heaven. She is, after all, royalty. (Revelation 11:19-12:5)

The Luminous Mysteries

This set of mysteries was suggested by Pope St. John Paul II in the early 2000s in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (beginning at paragraph 21). They bridge the wide gap between the Joyful and Sorrowful mysteries, that is between Jesus's infancy and his death. And well, you know, they also are important events in his ministry. Worthy of meditation.

1. The Baptism in the Jordan. Water, the Dove, the Voice. "To fulfill all righteousness," he tells the Baptist. (Mark 1:1-11)
2. The Wedding at Cana. The first of the Signs. (Not to downplay the miracle's importance, but since the water had already been created through him, Jesus turning it into wine surely wasn't that big a deal.) (John 2:1-11)
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to conversion and offers the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 4:16-21)
4. The Transfiguration. Jesus's face and clothes are radiant with his divinity on display. And Peter still doesn't get it. (Matthew 17:1-13)
5. The Institution of the Eucharist. This is my body which is given for you. Whoever eats my flesh will have life in him, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:48-59)

How to Say the Rosary

There are several ways to begin and end the Rosary. In the middle, there are always 5 sets of Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Be's. But depending on... well, just depending... the beginning and end might be different. The Vatican suggests starting with "O God, come to my assistance" and ending with the Litany of Loreto. The Dominicans treat it more like the Liturgy of the Hours, but show us the typical American variation also.

My rosary methodology is mixed. I usually start traditionally, but because much of my rosary praying is done by the decade in the space of what used to be smoke breaks at the office, I go with a shortened Dominican and Vatican beginning, and a truncated ending.

The little crossy things ✠ mean make the sign of the cross as you're saying whatever text the crossy thing ✠ appears in. Latin is given in addition to English because, well, Latin seems to be in style these days...

For the longer traditional introduction, at the crucifix say:
	In the name of the Father, and of the Son ✠, and of the Holy Spirit Amen.	In nomine Patris, et Filii ✠, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
	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 from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence he shall come again 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.	Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotenten, creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum. Qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sanctu, natus ex Maria Virginae, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus. Descendit ad infernos. Tertia die, resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctam, sanctam ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionis, et vitam aeternam. Amen.
Beginning with the big "Our Father" bead above the crucifix, say:
1	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.	Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum 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.
On the smaller beads after the crucifix and Our Father, say:
3	Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. One each for the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love/Charity.	Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. Sancta Maria, mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Then...
1	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.	Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
For the short, smoke break version, skip all that stuff above, hold the beads anywhere you like, and say:
	O God, ✠ come to my assistance. — O Lord, make haste to help me.	Deus, ✠ in adiutorium meum intende. — Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina.
	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.	Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Then keep going as normal.
At each of the big, "Our Father" beads going around the circle (exclude the one just above the crucifix), announce each mystery...
	The [first, second, third, fourth, fifth] [Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous] mystery: N (all the mystery names are above).	[Primum, Secundum, Tertium, Quartum, Quintum] mysterium [Gaudiosum, Dolorosum, Gloriosum, Luminosum]: N (omnia nomina mysteriorum supra sunt).
Then pray...
1	While still on the big bead... 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.	Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum 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.
10	On each of the ten smaller beads... Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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	Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. Sancta Maria, mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
1	After the ten... 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.	Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Rinse and repeat for all five mysteries, and finally...
(The smoke break version usually ends here with the Gloria at the end of the decade because I'm going back in the office at the end of what would have been a smoke break. (I really miss tobacco.) But if I'm saying more than one mystery at a time...)
	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 towards us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.	Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte; Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix, ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
	In the name of the Father, and of the Son ✠, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.	In nomine Patris, et Filii ✠, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Variations on the Cycle of Mysteries

Day	Traditional	John Paul II
Sundays in Advent & Christmas	Joyful	Joyful
Sundays in Lent	Sorrowful	Sorrowful
Sundays from Easter to Advent	Glorious	Glorious
Monday	Joyful	Joyful
Tuesday	Sorrowful	Sorrowful
Wednesday	Glorious	Glorious
Thursday	Joyful	Luminous
Friday	Sorrowful	Sorrowful
Saturday	Glorious	Joyful