How To Pray the Rosary:
While the rosary and the indulgences attached to it by the Church essentially concerns the decades and the meditation upon the mysteries only, the following is a customary way of preparing for the rosary and concluding it.
1. Preparation
Start by making the sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then recite the Apostle's Creed:
Then say 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys (for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity) and then 1 Glory Be:
2. The Rosary Proper
The Rosary is essentially the decades and their associated mysteries, and only these must be prayed to "pray the rosary", either in satisfaction of Our Lady's requests, or, to gain the indulgences attached to praying the rosary.
The traditional Rosary is divided into three parts, each having five mysteries: Glorious, Joyful and Sorrowful. In his apostolic letter The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II proposed a new set of mysteries, which he called the Luminous, and which concern the period of the public life of Our Lord. For those who wish to say all 20 decades at once during the course of a day, they may be said in the following order: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious.
For those who wish to say only 5 decades per day, the Holy Father proposed the following schedule:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
Joyful | Sorrowful |
|
Luminous | Sorrowful | Glorious |
For those who prefer to follow the traditional order of the days it is:
While meditating on the Mysteries, recite:
One Our Father (large beads), 10 Hail Marys (small beads) and 1 Glory Be (before the next large bead) to make a complete decade of the rosary.
After each decade the Fátima Prayer may also be said (Pope Pius XII).
3. Concluding Prayers
After the completion of five mysteries (5 decades), or 15 or 20, the following is customarily said:
Hail Holy Queen (or Salve Regina may be sung)
(Verse) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
(Response) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Rosary Prayer
4. For the Intentions of the Holy Father
Catholics who say the rosary in a group, or, individually before the Blessed Sacrament,
may gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions, which includes prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.
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