Introduction to the Rosary

What is the Rosary?

The Rosary is a pious and most excellent form of prayer, so much esteemed by the most learned and holy servants of God as to be styled by one among the rest, "an abridgment of the Gospel, a history of the life, sufferings, and triumphant victory of Jesus Christ, and an exposition of all our Redeemer did in the flesh, which He assumed for our salvation." It was introduced by St. Dominic about the beginning of the Thirteenth Century.

It consists of fifteen Our Fathers, one hundred and fifty Hail Marys, and fifteen Glorias, to commemorate the fifteen principal mysteries of our Redeemer's sacred life, and also to honor his Blessed Mother, who had so great a share in all that concerned her dear Son. Besides, in saying the Rosary, we always begin with the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, three Hail Marys, and Glory be to the Father.

It is a most sublime form of prayer, because it is composed of the most holy and excellent prayers that were ever conceived or pronounced; and it is also most profitable, because these prayers, from their divine origin, are more pleasing and acceptable to God than all other prayers put together.

What are the prayers of the Rosary?

The first is the Lord's Prayer, that heavenly form of prayer left us by our Redeemer, drawn up not by Angels or Saints, but by Jesus Christ Himself, in which He deigned to teach us how we ought to pray. In this one prayer, which is so short and so easy, is contained not only all that we should ask for, but also all the sublime acts of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, love, and confidence, comprised in all other books of devotion which were ever written, all other prayers being only a paraphrase or explanation of the Lord's Prayer.

The second is the Hail Mary, the first part of which was composed in heaven, dictated by the Holy Ghost, and delivered to the faithful by the Angel Gabriel; the second part was composed by St. Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Ghost; and the third part was added by our Holy Mother the Church at the General Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431).

The third is the Glory be to the Father, a sacred verse which contains an act of supreme adoration to the ever-blessed Trinity, and presents to the Majesty of God, not the glory which proceeds from the weak praises of His creatures, nor even the glory that results to God from all the labors and great actions of the Saints, but that eternal glory which the Almighty, as God, possesses in and by Himself, which He has enjoyed from the beginning, and will enjoy for eternity, and which depends so little on His creatures that it would not be diminished if all mankind were destroyed.

Why do we recite the Rosary?

When we reflect on the sublime excellence of the prayers of the Rosary, which are the first we learn, and sometimes the last we understand, we perceive not only the sanctity of the Rosary, which is composed of such prayers, but also the respect, humility, confidence, and devotion with which it should be said.

The Rosary is a most powerful means to obtain favors from God, when said with proper dispositions. What motives can incline Him more to mercy than those drawn from the great mysteries of our redemption by Jesus Christ, in whom, and for whose sake alone, we can receive any favor from God? How many public favors, attested by the Church in her public offices, have been obtained by this means! How many private graces are recorded to have been received from the same source! St. Francis of Sales, in attestation of its efficacy, says: "The Beads are a most profitable way of praying, if you know how to say them properly." And we find it daily practiced, highly praised, and recommended by the most eminent Saints in the Church of Christ. It has been strongly recommended to the faithful by many Popes, who, to encourage us to practice it, have granted great indulgences to those who do so.

How do we distribute the prayers of the Rosary?

The Rosary is divided into fifteen decades, or tens, corresponding with the fifteen mysteries of our Redemption. Each decade consists of the Lord's Prayer, ten Hail Marys, and Glory be to the Father. These fifteen are divided into three parts, viz., the Five Joyful, the Five Sorrowful, and the Five Glorious Mysteries, as follow :

The Five Joyful Mysteries, viz.,

• The Annunciation,
• The Visitation,
• The Nativity,
• The Presentation,
• The Finding in the Temple,

are to be said on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year; and daily from the first Sunday in Advent until the Feast of the Purification.

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries, viz.,

• The Bloody Sweat,
• The Scourging at the Pillar,
• The Crowning with Thorns,
• The Carriage of the Cross,
• The Crucifixion,

are to be said on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the year; and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.

The Five Glorious Mysteries, viz.,

• The Resurrection,
• The Ascension,
• The Descent of the Holy Ghost,
• The Assumption of Our Blessed Lady,
• The Coronation of Our Blessed Lady,

are to be said on the ordinary Sundays, and the Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the year; and daily from Easter Sunday until Trinity Sunday.