Rosary Basics

From the Dominican Nuns in Marbury, Alabama

Here we present the basic elements of praying the Rosary to help you get started. Take Our Lady’s hand through the Rosary, and she will lead ever closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.

Who should pray the Rosary?

  • Are you seeking the meaning of life?  Seeking truth, goodness, beauty?  Seeking God?

    The good news is that the infinite, transcendent Being who created you and the entire universe and who directs all things to their destiny, actually became a man, Jesus Christ, at a specific point in human history, in order to reveal to us the heart of God.  He gave Himself up to death for love of us and of God the Father, and rose from the dead in order to send us the Holy Spirit to free us from our wounded condition and enable us to share in His own Divine Life—both initially here on this earth, and in utter fullness with God in the life to come.

    Praying the Rosary transforms our minds and purifies the eyes of our hearts to see more clearly the path forward to living the ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty.

  • If you are caught in the darkness and destructiveness of sin, of lust, of evil, of empty searching in the pleasure, popularity, and power of the secular world, PRAY THE ROSARY!  The Rosary is a very powerful spiritual weapon for freedom, truth, goodness, beauty, everything that is pure, honorable, and worthy of true praise.  Even if you seem very far from the light, even if a good part of you still wants to hold on to the sins that have you in their grasp, PRAY THE ROSARY!  Even if you only pray one Hail Mary, or one decade of the Rosary each day, this will be the first beginning of opening yourself up to the light.  By the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the power of God, your full freedom will come.

    Maybe you are on the road of a deeper conversion, returning to the practice of the Faith, returning to the Sacraments, and struggling to leave behind the mindset of the secular world.  PRAY THE ROSARY!  By persevering in prayer and begging Our Lady to help you, saying the Rosary and meditating on the mysteries of Christ, you will be “transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2) and be more and more freed from the thinking of the world and conformed to Christ.

  • All followers of Christ are among those mentioned in the Book of Revelation: “Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).  In order to stand strong in the spiritual warfare of this world, we must “put on the whole armor of God” and “pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:11, 18).

    The Rosary is a powerful, Scriptural way of prayer and supplication in the Spirit.  The events in the life of Christ are drawn from the Bible and the beliefs of the early Christians, and follow the pattern St. Paul tells us to ponder in Philippians:

    Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men [Joyful Mysteries].  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross [Sorrowful Mysteries].  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father [Glorious Mysteries].  (Phil. 2:5-11)

    The Lord’s Prayer is straight from the Gospel, and the first part of the Hail Mary is composed of the words addressed to the her by the angel Gabriel and by Elizabeth (see Luke 1:28, 42).  (The original form of the Hail Mary was called the Angelic Salutation and contained only these first two parts.  Feel free to pray this shorter form if you wish.)

    Wait, you may be thinking: didn’t Jesus condemn repetitious prayer?  In Matthew 6:7, Jesus instructs his disciples, “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”  He is not condemning rote prayer, however, for in His very next words He teaches the Our Father (the Lord’s Prayer).  You can think of the Rosary as a repeated word of praise, like the constant refrain of Psalm 136, “For His mercy endures forever!”, or like the continual prayer of the four living creatures in the book of Revelation, who sing day and night, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8).

    By praying the Rosary, we imitate Mary, Jesus’ mother, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).  It also fulfills her own prophecy in Scripture: “All generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48).  The Rosary is like a song of love to Christ.  In the words of St. Paul:

    Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:16-17)

  • This goes without saying, right?  If you are practicing your Catholic Faith, attending Mass on Sundays and going to Confession at least once a year, why not pray the Rosary?  Everyone knows the Rosary is Catholic!  Many people, however, are unaware of and have never experienced the riches it can contain.  As one woman said to us recently, a convert of 25 years, “I am praying the Rosary more frequently now, and missing it less, as it becomes more meaningful to me.”

    For hundreds of years, many Popes and saints, not to mention apparitions of Our Lady, have urged Catholics to pray the Rosary for the many spiritual blessings it brings and for its great power of intercession for your own needs and the needs of the world.  (See some inspirational quotes about the Rosary here.)  We encourage you: pray the Rosary!

    Maybe you are living a more devout life: attending Mass during the week, making time for prayer each day, reading the Scriptures, studying the Faith, doing works of mercy.  In this case, consider making your daily Rosary a priority time of prayer, not simply squeezed in, such as while on the road.  Entering more deeply into the Rosary will amply repay your more focused devotion.

  • The family Rosary provides an occasion for a lot of creativity in keeping everyone’s attention on the prayer.  Lighting candles, using holy images, assigning different children to read the meditations or lead the decades, all help in uniting everyone for a time of prayer.  If five decades seem too much to attempt, consider praying one decade, or starting during a special preparatory season such as Advent or Lent.

    It is also a beautiful practice to teach children how to pray the Rosary on their own, even simply a decade at a time.  Our Lord has special graces for the hearts of children, and personal experiences of knowing Him as a child can dispose the heart to continue to turn or return to Him later on as well.  Our Lady’s help and intercession is also very powerful.

Beautiful spread of bead Rosaries made by the Dominican nuns.

How to pray the rosary

Two Different Methods

Over the centuries and in different locales, there have been various ways of praying the Rosary.  In private recitation, there is great freedom in how you recite the Rosary, while in public recitation it is best to join in the custom of the group you are with. 

Here we will present two ways of beginning and ending the Rosary: the standard way typically found in an American parish, and the Dominican way.

  • Holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross (recalling the Blessed Trinity with the words, and the saving death of the Lord Jesus with the gesture): In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

    Pray the Apostles Creed.

    On the first large bead, pray an Our Father.

    On the three small beads, pray three Hail Marys (for an increase in the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity).

    After these, pray a Glory Be.

  • The Rosary originated as the “Psalter of Our Lady,” with 150 Hail Marys to parallel the 150 Psalms prayed by monks and nuns in the Divine Office.  As Dominicans, we begin the Rosary in a way parallel to our liturgical prayer as religious.

    V.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
    R.  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

    V.  O Lord, open my lips. (Marking a cross on our lips with our thumb.)
    R.  And my mouth shall proclaim Your praise.

    V.  O God, come to my assistance.  (Making the Sign of the Cross.)
    R.  O Lord, make haste to help me.

    V.  Glory be to the Father . . .
    R.  As it was . . .

    The decades follow immediately, usually recited choir-to-choir (that is, with one group leading and another responding, then switching for the next decade, rather than with one person leading every decade).

  • The Joyful Mysteries are typically prayed on Monday and Saturday (and optionally Sunday during Advent and Christmas); the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday and Friday (and optionally Sunday during Lent); the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesday and Sunday; and Saint John Paul II’s Luminous Mysteries on Thursday.

    Announce the first mystery, and take a few moments to read or reflect on the mystery, or to offer it for a particular intention.  A book of Rosary meditations with Scripture, reflections, and/or images can be helpful.

    On the large bead, pray an Our Father, followed by ten Hail Marys on the ten smaller beads.  Conclude with a Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer.

    Repeat for the following decades.

  • After the fifth decade, pray the Hail Holy Queen, followed by the following versicle and prayer:

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

    Let us pray.  O God, whose only begotten Son . . .

    Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.

    Various places may have different customs for additional prayers, such as the Litany of Loretto, the Saint Micheal Prayer, or prayers for vocations, at the conclusion of the Rosary.

  • The Rosary closes with the Hail Holy Queen, followed by: 

    V.  Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us,
    R.  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

    Let us pray.  O God, whose only begotten Son . . .

    V.  May the divine assistance remain always with us. 
    R.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.  Amen.

    As you gain the habit of praying the Rosary, we encourage you to join the Rosary Confraternity (below) to unite with us, all confraternity members, and the entire Dominican Order in growing closer to Christ through Mary and interceding for your own needs and those of the world.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

  • The Joyful Mysteries

    1. The Annunciation
    2. The Visitation
    3. The Nativity
    4. The Presentation
    5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

  • The Luminous Mysteries

    1. The Baptism in the Jordan
    2. The Wedding Feast at Cana
    3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion
    4. The Transfiguration
    5. The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

  • The Sorrowful Mysteries

    1. The Agony in the Garden
    2. The Scourging at the Pillar
    3. The Crowning with Thorns
    4. The Carrying of the Cross
    5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord

  • The Glorious Mysteries

    1. The Resurrection
    2. The Ascension
    3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
    4. The Assumption
    5. The Coronation

Prayers of the Rosary

The hands of a Dominican nun holding a Rosary.
  • While making the Sign of the Cross with your hand by touching your forehead, chest, and left and right shoulders:

    In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 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 God the Father almighty;
    from there he will 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Verse: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
    Response: 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.

More Rosary Resources

Return to the main Rosary Resources page: