The Holy Rosary

“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.”

Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.”

Saint Louis de Montfort

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.”

Saint Dominic

The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important one.

The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow and the glory of Jesus and Mary. It's a simple prayer, humble so much like Mary. It's a prayer we can all say together with Her, the Mother of God.

With the Hail Mary we invite Her to pray for us. Our Lady always grants our request. She joins Her prayer to ours. Therefore it becomes ever more useful, because what Mary asks She always receives, Jesus can never say no to whatever His Mother asks for.

In every apparition, the heavenly Mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace. With your prayer made together with Your heavenly Mother, you can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer you can drive away from yourselves and from your homeland many dangers and many evils.

The whole Rosary is composed of twenty decades. Each decade is recited in honor of a mystery in Our Lord's Life and that of his Blessed Mother. It is customary to recite five decades at a time while meditating on one set of mysteries. The decades may be separated, if the entire chaplet is completed on the same day. Each Mystery may be meditate "bead by bead" for every Hail Mary of the decade.

Most people only do 5 decades a day, though all is best. If you are only interested in 5 mysteries a day, here is a general weekly pattern:

	Monday	The Joyful Mysteries
	Tuesday	The Sorrowful Mysteries
	Wednesday	The Glorious Mysteries
	Thursday	The Lumines Mysteries
	Friday	The Sorrowful Mysteries (Christ's passion was on a Friday)
	Saturday	The Joyful Mysteries (Saturday's to Mary waiting in expectation)
	Sunday	The Lumines Mysteries (Celebrating the institution of the Eucharist)

The Fifteen Promises of Mary
To Those Who Recite the Rosary

As given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
3. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

The Prayers of the Rosary

While holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross saying:

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then Recite 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; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits 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.

Recite the Our Father on the first large bead:

Our father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by 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.

On each of the three small beads recite a Hail Mary:
(asking for an increase of faith, hope and charity.)

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.

Recite the Glory Be to the Father on the next large bead:

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.

On the same bead recite the Fatima Prayer:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy."

Recall the first Rosary mystery.

Recite the 'Our Father' on the same large bead.

On each of the adjacent ten small beads recite a 'Hail Mary' while reflecting on the mystery.

On the next large bead recite the 'Glory Be to the Father' and the 'Fatima' prayers.

Each succeeding decade is prayed in a similar manner by recalling the appropriate mystery, reciting the 'Our Father', ten 'Hail Marys', the 'Glory Be to the Father' and the'Fatima' prayer while reflecting on the mystery.

When the mysterys are completed the Rosary is customarily concluded with the 'Hail, Holy Queen' prayer (at the end of this page).

The Joyful Mysteries

	The Annunciation And when the angel had come to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women." (Lk. 1:28).
	The Visitation And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!" (Lk. 1:41-42)
	The Birth of Jesus And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Lk. 2:7)
	The Presentation And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (Lk. 2:22)
	The Finding of Jesus in the Temple And it came to pass after three days, that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. (Lk. 2:46)

The Luminous Mysteries

	The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
	The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. (John 2:11)
	The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)
	The Transfiguration of Jesus And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:2)
	The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26)

The Sorrowful Mysteries

	The Agony in the Garden His sweat became as drops of blood running down upon the ground . . . rising from prayer He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping . . . (Lk. 22:44-45)
	The Scourging at the Pillar Pilate then took Jesus and had Him scourged. (Jn. 19:1) From the sold of the foot to the top of the head . . . wounds and bruises and swelling sores . . . (Is. 1:6)
	The Crowning with Thorns And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet cloak; and plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and a reed into his right hand . . . they mocked Him . . . (Mt. 27:28-29)
	The Carrying of the Cross And bearing the cross for Himself, He went forth to the place called the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. (Jn. 19:17)
	The Crucifixion And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." And having said this, He expired. (Lk. 23:46)

The Glorious Mysteries

	The Resurrection Fear not; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. (Matt. 28:5-6)
	The Ascension And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God. (Mk. 16:19)
	The Descent of the Holy Spirit And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, . . . (Acts 2:2,4)
	The Assumption And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rev. 12:1)
	The Coronation Thou art the glory of Jerusalem . . . the honor of our people . . . the hand of the Lord hath strengthened thee, and therefore thou shall be blessed forever . . . (Jdt. 15:10-11)

Closing Prayers

Finish with 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.
R. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
V. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

'Let Us Pray':

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 meditating upon 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.