Holy Catholic Prayers
Goodness, Comfort, and Wisdom Revealed
A little bit of background – The Rosary is a private devotion that is prayed with variations in the Catholic and Orthodox Eastern Churches. It is not a requirement and there is no particular method that is prescribed by the Church.
The traditional theory of the origin of the Rosary is attributed to St. Dominic in the 13th century. Story has it that St. Dominic earnestly besought the help of Our Lady during a time when the Albigensian heresy was devastating the country of Toulouse. Our Lady instructed Dominic to preach the Rosary to everyone as an antidote, so to speak, to heresy and sin.
The Rosary is essentially comprised of the decades and their associated mysteries, and only these must be prayed in order to be considered as having “prayed the rosary.”
When prayed in the following order – Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious – the Mysteries walk through the highlights of the life of Christ from His Conception (“The Annunciation in the Joyful Mysteries”) to the Crowning of His Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth (“The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”)
How to pray the Rosary – Please note that all of the prayers listed below can be found in full as links on the “The Good” link off the Home page of yourforeverfamily.org.
Determine which set of Mysteries you wish to contemplate as you pray. There are generally associated days coordinated with each set of Mysteries.
Start by praying and making the Sign of the Cross.
On the crucifix, pray the Apostles’ Creed. On on the first bead, pray the Our Father. On the three small beads, pray the Hail Mary and then pray the Glory Be.
For each decade, meditate on its significance and then pray the Our Father on the larger bead followed by the Hail Mary on the ten smaller beads, concluding the decade with the Glory Be. After the Glory Be at the end of each decade, pray the following prayer, known as the Fátima Prayer (from Pope Pius XII):
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Bring all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
Different regions add various prayers as part of their conclusion. Herewith are the most common prayers:
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 us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
V. Let us pray,
R. O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
For the intentions of the Holy Father: Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Your Forever Family 