Holy Rosary
Sundays before Holy Qurbana
The Rosary comes from the Latin word “Rosarium” which means rose garden and is an important and traditional devotion of the Roman Catholic Church.
The new mysteries (Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light)
The Saint John Paul II on October 16th, 2002 with the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae on the Most Holy Rosary declared that the following year would be the “Year of the Rosary”. For the first time in centuries a change was made in the rosary. He has added 5 new mysteries of the rosary: the “Luminous Mysteries” or “Mysteries of Light”.
Our Lady has revealed that each time we say a Hail Mary we 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 we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow, of glory and of light of Jesus and Mary. It’s a simple prayer, humble so much like Mary.
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 of sinners.
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.
The Mysteries of the Holy Rosary
- JOYFUL (On Mondays and Saturdays)
- SORROWFUL (On Tuesdays and Fridays)
- GLORIOUS (On Wednesdays and Sundays)
- LUMINOUS (On Thursdays)
“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.”
How to pray the holy rosary
- While holding the crucifix make the Sign of the Cross. and then recite the Apostles Creed
- Recite the Our Father on the first large bead.
- Say a Hail Mary for an increase of faith, hope and charity on each of the three small beads.
- Say the Glory Be to the Father on the next large bead.
- Recite the Fatima Prayer “O my Jesus” on the large bead
- Recall the first Rosary Mystery and recite the Our Father on the large bead.
- On each of the adjacent ten small beads (also refered to as a decade) recite a Hail Mary while reflecting on the mystery.
- On the next large bead, recite the Glory Be to the Father, the Fatima prayer.
- Each succeeding decade is prayed in a similar manner by recalling the appropriate mystery, reciting the Our Father, ten Hail Marys while reflecting on the mystery, the Glory Be to the Father, and the Fatima prayer.
- When the fifth mystery is completed, the Rosary is customarily concluded with the Hail Holy Queen, and the Sign of the Cross.
