The Rosary

The rosary is a form of prayer in devotion to The Virgin Mary as a reflection on the lives of Jesus and His mother. The entire rosary consists of fifteen Mysteries. Some people pray the entire fifteen Mysteries daily; many pray five per day. The mysteries are grouped into the five Joyful Mysteries, the five Sorrowful Mysteries, and five Glorious Mysteries.

Most people use rosary beads to count their prayers, although it is not necessary. Each bead represents a prayer, and you touch that bead as the prayer is recited. Typically rosary beads consist of five sets of ten beads; each set is one decade. One decade (set of ten beads) is prayed for each mystery. After you finish all five decades, you have completed five Mysteries. Three times all the way around the rosary beads would be the entire rosary of fifteen decades.

Usually on Mondays and Thursdays, the Joyful Mysteries are prayed; on Tuesday and Friday, the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed; and the Glorious Mysteries are prayed on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. (Sundays during Christmas season, pray the joyful mysteries and Sundays during Lent, pray the sorrowful mysteries.)

Each of the following pages contains the separate Mysteries along with the prayers and a complete guide on how to pray the rosary:

Home Prayers Mother Teresa Rosary Links

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