The Rosary

If you are saying the rosary as a group or family, the prayers below are broken down into parts prayed by the leader (V:) and the group (R:). Otherwise, in private prayer, the prayers are said in their totality.

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Recite the following prayers:

The Apostles Creed

V: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead; on the third he arose again and ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

R: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

V: Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.

R: Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespass, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary is said 3 times:

For the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

V: Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

R: Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Gloria Patri

V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

R: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

3. Name the appropriate mysteries for the day beginning with the first.

Recite 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and 1 Glory Be To The Father while using the rosary beads as an aid to counting.

Conclude each mystery with the Fatima prayer, as follows:

All: O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.

4. Continue with the remaining 4 mysteries as in the one above.

5. Having completed the 5 mysteries, recite the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen

All: Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Hail 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 unto 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 worthy of the promises of Christ.

6. End with the following prayer:

Let us pray:

V: O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, Death and Resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of Eternal Life, grant we beseech thee that by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

V: May the Divine assistance remain always with us.

R: And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries

(Said on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)

First Joyful Mystery – The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
I Desire the Love Of Humility
Think of…The humility of the Blessed Virgin when the Angel Gabriel greeted her with these words: “Hail full of grace”. – Luke 1:26

Second Joyful Mystery – The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
I Desire Charity Toward My Neighbor
Think of…Mary’s charity in visiting her cousin Elizabeth and remaining with her for three months before the birth of John the Baptist. – Luke 1:39

Third Joyful Mystery – The Birth of Jesus
I Desire the Love of God
Think of…The poverty, so lovingly accepted by Mary when she placed the Infant Jesus, our God and Redeemer, in a manger in the stable of Bethlehem. – Luke 2:1

Fourth Joyful Mystery – The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
I Desire a Spirit of Sacrifice
Think of…Mary’s obedience to the law of God in presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple. – Luke 2:22

Fifth Joyful Mystery – Finding Jesus in the Temple
I desire Zeal For The Glory Of God
Think of…The deep sorrow with which Mary sought the Child Jesus for three days, and the joy with which she found Him in the midst of the Teachers of the Temple. – Luke 2:41

The Sorrowful Mysteries

(Said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)

First Sorrowful Mystery – Agony of Jesus in the Garden
I Desire True Repentance for My Sins
Think of… Our Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemani, suffering a bitter agony for our sins. – Matthew 26:36

Second Sorrowful Mystery – Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar
I Desire a Spirit of Mortification
Think of…The cruel scourging at the pillar that our Lord suffered; the heavy blows that tore His flesh. – Matthew 27:26

Third Sorrowful Mystery – Jesus is Crowned With Thorns
I Desire Moral Courage.
Think of…The crown of sharp thorns that was forced upon our Lord’s Head and the patience with which He endured the pain for our sins. – Matthew 27:27

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery – Jesus Carries His Cross
I Desire the Virtue of Patience
Think of…The heavy Cross, so willingly carried by our Lord, and ask Him to help you to carry your crosses without complaint. – Matthew 27:32

Fifth Sorrowful Mystery – The Crucifixion of Jesus
I Desire the Grace of Final Perseverance
Think of…The love which filled Christ’s Sacred Heart during His three hours’ agony on the Cross, and ask Him to be with you at the hour of death. – Matthew 27:33

The Glorious Mysteries

(Said on Wednesdays, and Sundays throughout the year)

First Glorious Mystery – The Resurrection of Jesus
I Desire a Strong Faith
Think of…Christ’s glorious triumph when, on the third day after His death, He arose from the tomb and for forty days appeared to His Blessed Mother and to His disciples. – John 20:1

Second Glorious Mystery – The Ascension of Jesus
I Desire the Virtue of Hope
Think of…The Ascension of Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection, in the presence of Mary and His disciples. – Luke 24:36

Third Glorious Mystery – The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
I Desire Zeal for the Glory of God
Think of…The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, under the form of tongues of fire, in fulfillment of Christ’s promise. – Acts 2:1

Fourth Glorious Mystery – The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
I Desire the Grace of a Holy Death
Think of…The glorious Assumption of Mary into Heaven, when she was united with her Divine Son.

Fifth Glorious Mystery – The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
I Desire a Greater Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary
Think of…The glorious crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven by her Divine Son, to the great joy of all the Saints.

The Luminous Mysteries

(Said on Thursdays throughout the year)

First Luminous Mystery – The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
I Desire to Live My Baptism Promises
Think of…Christ’s Baptism at the hands of John the Baptist when the Father called Him His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Him to invest Him with the mission He was to carry out. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17

The Second Luminous Mystery – The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested
I Desire to Do Whatever Jesus Says
Think of…Christ’s self-manifestation at Cana when He changed water into wine and opened the hearts of the disciples to faith, thanks to the intervention of Mary. Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. – John 2:11

The Third Luminous Mystery – the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
I Desire God’s Forgiveness
Think of…Christ’s preaching of the Kingdom of God with its call to forgiveness, as He inaugurated the ministry of mercy, which He continues to exercise, particularly through the Sacrament of Confession. Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:15

The Fourth Luminous Mystery – The Transfiguration of Jesus
I Desire to Be a New Person in Christ
Think of…Christ’s Transfiguration when the Glory of the Godhead shone forth from His face as the Father commanded the Apostles to listen to Him. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. – Matthew 17:2

The Fifth Luminous Mystery – The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist
I Desire Active Participation at Mass
Think of…Christ’s institution of the Eucharist, in which He offered His Body and Blood as food and drink under the signs of bread and wine and testified to His love for humanity. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. – Matthew 26:26

Rosary Indulgences

A Plenary Indulgence:

May be gained (under the usual conditions) when the Rosary is prayed in Church, in a family group or in a religious community. Also:

  • Five (5) decades of the Rosary must be prayed continuously.
  • The prayers of the Rosary must be prayed vocally and must mediate upon the Mysteries of the Rosary.
  • If the recitation of the Rosary is public, the Mysteries of the Rosary should be announced.

Can be gained only once a day (except by those who are in danger of death.)
To gain a plenary indulgence one must perform the indulgence act. Three other conditions must be fulfilled:

  1. A sacramental confession
  2. Eucharistic Communion
  3. Pray for the intentions of the church

In addition one must be free of all attachment to sin, even venial sin. If this complete integrity is not present or if the above conditions are not fulfilled the indulgence is only partial. Both a plenary and partial indulgence may be applied to the dead.

A Partial Indulgence:

One may gain a partial indulgence for the Rosary’s recitation in a whole or in part in other circumstances.

MP3 Audio Rosary

Below are some links to audio versions of the Rosary. (Please note that inclusion of a website in this list does not mean we endorse the site or its views. It is merely here for the Rosary Audio files.)

Internet Archive Rosary audio files

Catholic Doors Rosary audio files