October is a Marian Month and the Month of the Rosary. I’m slowly reading and digesting Fr. Calloway’s Champions of the Rosary which I highly recommend as a historical and spiritual overview of the important and heavenly inspired devotion known the rosary. October is the Month of the Rosary. October 7th marks the celebration of the Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary is shrouded in mystery and misconceptions for many people in our modern era (and historically too!) This meditative devotion is pure love and truth of the Gospel and the Life of Christ through the loving arms, insightful eyes, childlike trust, and merciful compassion of Our Lady, the Mother of Our Lord.
The biblical basis for the “Hail Mary” stems from the Gospels- The Annunciation and Visitation. The building blocks of the rosary have existed for centuries beginning as a simple meditation that developed into the Marian Psalter and eventually the rosary as we know today. This is a devotion that connects centuries of saints and sinners. Simple yet profound- a spiritual weapon for our times. Please, join me during the Month of October praying the Rosary as Chronically Catholic Blog’s Monthly Devotion.
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen
How To Pray the Rosary:
***There are a variety of approved variations of the Rosary that allow the faithful to meditate on the Life of Christ and Life of Mary in various manners. For example, there is the Carthusian Rosary, The Franciscan Crown Rosary, etc. I have chosen the most common version of the rosary to explain.***
INTRODUCTORY PRAYERS:
- While holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross & pray the Apostles’ Creed.
- On the first large bead, pray the Our Father (can be prayed for the intentions of the Holy Father.)
- On the subsequent three small beads, pray the Hail Mary (can be prayed for an increase in Faith, Hope, & Charity.)
- On the final bead, pray the Glory Be.
- [Some people pray the Fatima Prayer after the Glory Bead here.]
THE DECADES:
- Announce the 1st Mystery for the Corresponding Day [either Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous.] [after announcing the mystery, you can add a reflection or biblical passage, intention, etc.]
- On the next large bead, pray the Our Father.
- On each small bead, pray the Hail Mary [there are 10 total per mystery.]
- In the space between the final Hail Mary and the Our Father bead, pray the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer [a prayer Mary revealed to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.]
- Repeat steps 1-4, for the next four mysteries of the rosary [2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th mystery.]
CLOSING PRAYERS:
- After the final Glory Be, pray the Hail Holy Queen on the center section, medal, or bead that joins the 3 strands of the Rosary together. You can conclude with the Rosary Prayer.
- While holding the cross or crucifix, conclude with the Sign of the Cross.
OPTIONAL:
- There are variations to the ending of the rosary after the Hail Holy Queen is prayed, Many people conclude with the Rosary Prayer. Others pray other important devotional payers such as the Memorare or St. Michael the Archangel Prayer etc.
- As a Catholic, we are asked to pray for the Holy Father and his Intentions. There are special graces attributed too. My family concludes the Rosary with praying for the Holy Father and his intentions followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, & Glory Be. This is a traditional approach to praying for the Holy Father and his intentions.
- You can also conclude the rosary with intercessions. For example: Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Holy Family, pray for us. etc.
- I do recommend starting [or ending if you forget] specific intentions that you offer your rosary up for [and you should pray for yourself too!]
THE PRAYERS OF THE ROSARY:
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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; 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
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
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
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.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
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.
Pray for us O holy mother of God, * that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Rosary Prayer
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 by 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.
Joyful Mysteries (prayed on Mondays and Saturdays):
- 1st Decade: The Annunciation
- 2nd Decade: The Visitation
- 3rd Decade: The Birth of Jesus
- 4th Decade: The Presentation
- 5th Decade: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Luminous Mysteries (prayed on Thursdays):
- 1st Decade: The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
- 2nd Decade: The Wedding Feast at Cana
- 3rd Decade: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
- 4th Decade: The Transfiguration of Jesus
- 5th Decade: The Institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries (prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays):
- 1st Decade: The Agony in the Garden
- 2nd Decade: The Scourging at the Pillar
- 3rd Decade: The Crowning with Thorns
- 4th Decade: The Carrying of the Cross
- 5th Decade: The Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries (prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays):
- 1st Decade: The Resurrection
- 2nd Decade: The Ascension
- 3rd Decade: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- 4th Decade: The Assumption
- 5th Decade: The Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
For more information, please, check out Dynamic Catholic.
