Instruction for Praying the Rosary
- To pray the rosary is to make a statement of faith while asking the Virgin Mary's intercession. The rosary helps you to consider the Mysteries of our faith (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious). (See References 2) When you begin to pray the rosary you begin, as with all prayers, with the sign of the cross; then you say the Apostle's Creed as you meditate on the Catholic faith. (See References 1)
Above the cross are three beads reserved for the Hail Mary. The Hail Mary prayer is also a prayer of meditation and, as you say the Hail Mary on these three beads, you are contemplating the virtues of faith, hope, and love. (See References 1) - Each Mystery is reserved for a different day of the week, Monday through Sunday. The Mysteries you pray on the rosary depend on the specific time of the Church year. For instance, on Sundays in Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, you pray the Joyful Mysteries; during Lent and Septuagesima, you pray the Sorrowful Mysteries; during Eastertide and after Pentecost, you pray the Glorious Mysteries. On Mondays and Thursdays, you pray the Joyful Mysteries; Tuesdays and Fridays are reserved for the Sorrowful Mysteries; Wednesdays and Saturdays are reserved for the Glorious Mysteries.
The Joyful Mysteries are: the Annunciation, the Visitation of Mary, the Nativity, the Presentation of the Infant Jesus, and Finding Jesus in the Temple. The Sorrowful Mysteries are: the Agony in the Garden (Gethsemane), the Scourging of Jesus, the Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries are the Resurrection of Jesus, His Ascension, Pentecost, the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, and the Crowning of Mary. (See References 2)
On the rosary itself, the next bead is a single bead. You announce the first Mystery and begin with the Our Father. You have arrived at the first set of 10 beads (first decade). You will pray 10 Hail Marys while contemplating the first Mystery. - After praying the first decade, you will have arrived at the second single bead. Now you say the Glory Be to the Father and the O My Jesus prayers on the same bead. Without moving to the next bead, you'll announce the second Mystery, and on this same bead you will say the Our Father.
- You have arrived at the second set of 10 beads, or second decade. Pray 10 Hail Marys and contemplate the second Mystery. (Depending on the day of the week or time of the Church year, you will be praying and contemplating either the Joyful, Sorrowful, or Glorious Mysteries. Within these Mysteries you will move from Annunciation to Visitation (Joyful), the Agony in the Garden to the Scourging (Sorrowful), or the Resurrection to the Ascension (Glorious).
- One chaplet is one set of five Mysteries. If you intend to pray only one chaplet, you will end up at the joiner where the two sides of the rosary join to the lower part. When you arrive at this part of the rosary, say the Glory Be to the Father, O My Jesus, and the Our Father, and end your recitation of the rosary with the Hail Holy Queen. You make the sign of the cross and your meditation with your rosary has come to an end.