Prayer

How to Pray the Rosary, Step by Step

The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles’ Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel’s words announcing Christ’s birth and Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary, and St. Pius V officially added the second part. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and the Luminous, added by Saint John Paul II in 2002. (Adapted from the U.S. Catholic bishops’ How to Pray the Rosary page.)

Three rosaries are described below: AveMaria Talking Rosary in Six Languages, with a recorded voice to pray alongside; the Swarovski & Mother of Pearl Rosary, with Swarovski crystal and mother of pearl; and the St. Joseph Wood Bead Rosary, crafted from etched wood, which comes with a prayer card featuring the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary.

AveMaria Talking Rosary in Six Languages

Talking Rosary

The AveMaria Talking Rosary in Six Languages speaks the prayers in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Cantonese, and Mandarin, with full-color images along the way. A Follow Me mode and a soft vibration help keep focus in prayer. It offers three ways to pray.

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Swarovski & Mother of Pearl Rosary

Pink and Ivory Rosary

The Swarovski & Mother of Pearl Rosary is made in Italy exclusively for The Catholic Company. In a pink, ivory, and clear color scheme, milky-white mother of pearl beads alternate with iridescent pink and clear bohemian glass, and each Our Father bead is a Swarovski crystal, set with a silver Miraculous Medal centerpiece and crucifix. The rosary is 20 inches long; the crucifix is 1.5 inches long and 1 inch wide.

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St. Joseph Wood Bead Rosary

Olive Wood Rosary

The St. Joseph Wood Bead Rosary is designed and handmade exclusively at The Catholic Company, with intricately etched 10mm olive wood Our Father beads and 8mm brown wood decade beads. Because the wood is natural, bead colors may vary slightly. It is very lightweight and easy to travel with, and it includes a St. Joseph centerpiece, a 2-inch crucifix made in Italy, and a prayer card featuring the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary and which days to pray them. The rosary is about 15¾ inches long, and the centerpiece is 1 inch high.

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Having a Rosary Blessed

Once a rosary has been chosen, the next step is having it blessed. A priest or deacon can bless it, often right after Mass or by request at the parish office, and there is no charge for the blessing.

How to Pray the Rosary, Step by Step

The steps follow the pattern the U.S. Catholic bishops share on their How to Pray the Rosary page:

Make the Sign of the Cross.
Holding the Crucifix, say the Apostles’ Creed.
On the first bead, say an Our Father.
Say one Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.
Say the Glory Be.
For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father.
While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, next say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery. Then say a Glory Be. (After finishing each decade, some say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: 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.)
After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Queen, followed by this dialogue 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, by his life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on 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.

(A prayer to St. Joseph may also follow.) Conclude the Rosary with the Sign of the Cross.

The Prayers

These prayer texts follow the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on vatican.va. The Hail Holy Queen is the United States version given there.

The Sign of the Cross

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

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 rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and 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.

The Our Father

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.

The Hail Mary

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

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

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

Which Mysteries to Pray Each Day

The U.S. Catholic bishops give this traditional pattern on the same How to Pray the Rosary page:

The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Mondays, Saturdays, and, during the season of Advent, on Sundays: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation in the Temple, The Finding in the Temple
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and, during the season of Lent, on Sundays: The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion and Death
The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Wednesdays and, outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, on Sundays: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption, The Coronation of Mary
The Five Luminous Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Thursdays: The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, The Wedding Feast at Cana, Jesus’ Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God, The Transfiguration, The Institution of the Eucharist

One decade at the end of the day is enough to begin. Lost a place? Simply begin again with the next bead. The St. Joseph Wood Bead Rosary prayer card lists all 20 Mysteries and which days to pray them.

Prices and availability are set by each retailer and may change. More from Horizon Faith: An Advent and Christmas Gift Guide · Shop rosaries