481 THE ROSARY PRAYER

YOUCAT Lesson 481

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

481  How do you pray the Rosary?

1.       Beginning with the crucifix make the Sign of the Cross while thoughtfully saying: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”;

2.       then recite the Apostles’ Creed which begins, “I believe in God the Father almighty, etc…;

3.       then on the first bead say the “Our Father who art in heaven, etc…;

4.       then “Hail Mary full of grace, etc…” on each of the next three beads.

5.       On the fifth bead recite the doxology: “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.”

6.       Continuing around the circle of beads pray the five decades, each decade beginning  with one Our Father, then ten Hail Marys, and finally the “Glory Be to the Father”.

The complete Rosary consists of Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries.

This is a very simple rosary.  The “beads” are appropriately grouped knots tied along the length of a single cord. The crucifix and medallion are of plastic.  Volunteer lay people craft these simple rosaries in a variety of colors to help support the National Champion Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion, Wisconsin.  The rosary seen here has been blessed by a priest after being purchased at the Shrine by myself for $2. …..481

The five Joyful mysteries (recited on Monday and Saturday) are:

The Annunciation

The Visitation

The Birth of Jesus

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The five Luminous Mysteries (Thursday) are:

The Baptism  of Jesus in the Jordan River

The Wedding Feast at Cana

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and Repentance for Sin

The Transfiguration

The Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion)

The five Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday) are:

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion

The five Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday and Sunday) are:

The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven

Pope St. John Paul II said, “The Rosary is my favorite pray.  A marvelous prayer!  Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth…Against the background of the words “Hail Mary” the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before the eyes of the soul…At the same time our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind: our personal concerns and those of our neighbor, especially those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us.  Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.”  (spoken  October 29, 1978)

“Rosary” is the name of a set of prayer beads and the name of a devotional prayer that originated in the twelfth century, particularly among the Cistercian and Carthusian monks, whose lay brothers did not participate in the Liturgy of the Hours and had in the Rosary their own form of prayer (the “Marian Psalter” ).  Later the Rosary was promoted by other religious orders, especially by the Dominicans.  The Popes have recommended this prayer again and again, and for many people it is a beloved devotion.