WHAT IS A ROSARY


HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

The Prayers of the Rosary

The prayers of the rosary are meant to bring peace to each soul, offering us the words to reach deeper into mysteries of God's love for us, magnifying this love in our lives, exponentially. See life back then as well as your own life today through Jesus' eyes, his Mother's eyes, and your own eyes.

The Rosary Prayer Beads Chain

The traditional rosary, the chain of prayer beads in which Ghirelli specializes, is composed of 59 beads, a joiner medal, and a crucifix, with specific prayers prayed on each of these components (the prayers are included below). Rosaries can be blessed, and bring grace into our lives if we pray them with faith.

The rosary is a soothing, rhythmic prayer taken from passages of the bible. Traditionally, the rosary consists of:

1) Introductory Prayers 

Begin with a set of 5 introductory prayers: 1 Apostles' Creed, 1 Our Father prayer, 3 Hail Mary prayers, and 1 Glory Be prayer

2) Decades

60 rosary prayers laid out in sets of 10 ("decades") with 1 beginning and 2 ending prayers: 1 Our Father prayer, 10 Hail Mary prayers, 1 Glory Be prayer and 1 Fatima prayer. These prayers are repeated for 5 consecutive times, while praying over specific events of Jesus' life from the bible

3) Closing Prayers

A set of 2 closing prayers: 1 Hail, Holy Queen, 1 Rosary Prayer

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1) Introductory Prayers

The introductory prayers are a preparation for the rest of the rosary. They help enter into prayer with openness, as you begin to pray the decades.

Either before or after the introductory prayers, bring to mind any needs or struggles in your life and bring them to Mary. She cares for you like a loving mother, and wants to take your needs to Jesus. If you are praying with a group, you can say your intentions out loud so the rest of the group can pray for them as well.

Step 1

While holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles’ Creed.

Step 2

On the first large bead, pray the Our Father, for the intentions of the pope.

Step 3

On the next three small beads, pray the Hail Mary. These Hail Marys are prayed for an increase in faith, hope, and love.

Step 4

On the fourth introductory bead, pray the Glory Be.

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2) The Decades

There are five decades, or groups of 10 Hail Mary beads, that make up the main portion of the rosary. Between each decade is one bead by itself, upon which the Our Father and Glory Be will be prayed.

On each decade, a gospel mystery is prayed, a reflection on an event from the life of Jesus and Mary. See these below.

The prayers for each decade are repeated many times, giving time to reflect either on the words being repeated, or the particular Mystery of that decade.

Step 5

On the large bead, pray the Our Father (if this is the first decade, pray the Our Father on the medal).

Step 6

On each small bead in the decade, pray the Hail Mary.

Step 7

On the large bead, pray the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer.

Repeat steps 5–7 for the remaining four decades. Pray an Our Father on the large bead and a Hail Mary on each of the 10 small beads, followed by the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer.

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3) Closing Prayers

The closing prayers are prayed on the medal, and they end the rosary. 

Step 8

Pray the Hail, Holy Queen and the Rosary Prayer.

Step 9

While holding the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross.

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"If you are new to the rosary, take some time to familiarize yourself with the beads themselves. Practice holding the rosary in your hand and feeding the beads between your fingers. See if you can remember which prayers are prayed at each point in the rosary." Matthew Kelly, Dynamic Catholic

If you don’t know the prayers listed above, scroll down, where you can find them listed just below The Mysteries of the Rosary.

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Go to Rosaries

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY

THE ROSARY PRAYERS