How to Pray the Rosary

* If you do not know the prayers of the Rosary, you will find them below the Rosary Diagram.

1. Holding the crucifix of the Rosary with your right hand, make the Sign of the Cross and then kiss the crucifix.
2. It is good to begin your Rosary by offering it for some intention. Example: “I offer this Rosary for all my spiritual needs and those of my family, for the conversion of sinners, in reparation for my sins and those of all sinners, for world peace and the triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart.”
3. On the crucifix, pray the Apostles’ Creed.
4. On the first single bead after the crucifix, pray an Our Father.
5. On each of the next three beads, which are grouped together, pray a Hail Mary.
6. After the three Hail Marys, pray the Glory be. This is where the “decades” begin.
7. On the next single bead, announce the decade and then pray an Our Father. (Example: “The First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation. Our Father, Who art...”)
8. On each of the ten beads that follow, pray a Hail Mary while meditating upon the mystery assigned (see list of mysteries below). Looking at a picture depicting the mystery may make it easier to meditate.
9. After the ten Hail Marys, pray the “Glory be” and “O my Jesus...”
10. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have prayed all 5 decades.
11. Many Catholics also pray the “Hail Holy Queen,” the Prayer to St. Michael, and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin at the end of the Rosary.

It is best to use a Rosary that has been blessed by a priest, but this is not absolutely necessary, although there are extra indulgences attached to praying on a blessed Rosary. In times of persecution, for example, Catholics have been known to use stones or pebbles, or even their fingers or toes to count the Hail Marys.

Things to Keep in Mind When Praying the Holy Rosary

The diagram above shows a five-decade Rosary such as those most commonly used by Catholics. The purpose of the beads is to keep track of the prayers, especially the sets of 10 Hail Marys. As seen in the chart, the single beads are the Our Fathers, while the group of three beads and the five groups of ten beads are the Hail Marys. As we pass each bead through our fingers, we pray the appropriate prayer, and then move to the next one. By doing this, we simply work our way around the Rosary, beginning at the Crucifix and ending at the centerpiece. The Rosary should be prayed in a reverent position of the body. For example, we are encouraged to kneel before an image of our Blessed Mother or the Crucifix, or in a church or chapel before the Blessed Sacrament while praying the Rosary, but this is not mandatory. Kneeling is a sign of reverence and it also helps the mind stay alert and free from distraction during prayer. Some people, however, are not physically able to kneel, at least for the entire Rosary, and it is certainly acceptable to sit in a reverent, alert position. The Rosary may also be prayed while walking, whether in procession or on a simple walk alone or with others. The sick may pray it while lying in bed, and many Catholics pray extra decades until they fall asleep in bed at night. A very important point is that the heart of the Rosary is not the repetition of these prayers, but our meditation upon the mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary during each decade. As we pray each set of Hail Marys, we should meditate upon the event in the lives of Jesus and Mary assigned to that decade, and on the grace or virtue manifested in that mystery, praying humbly for the grace to imitate Their example in our lives.

Benefits of the Holy Rosary

According to St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the Rosary recited with the meditation of the mysteries brings about the following marvellous results:

1. it gradually brings us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;
2. it purifies our souls from sin;
3. it gives us victory over all our enemies;
4. it makes the practice of virtue easy;
5. it sets us on fire with the love of our Lord;
6. it enriches us with graces and merits;
7. it supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow-men;
8. and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces from God.