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Praying the Rosary properly means combining meditation
with vocal prayer. This is what makes the Holy Rosary such a
spiritually rewarding experience.
Each Mystery of the Rosary focuses the worshiper's attention
on a major event in the lives of Jesus Christ and His Blessed
Mother, the Virgin Mary. There are 20 Mysteries in all, ordered
chronologically into four sets: the five Joyful
Mysteries; the five Luminous Mysteries;
the five Sorrowful Mysteries; and the
five Glorious Mysteries. |
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The worshiper concentrates on one Mystery at a time, while reciting
the decade prayers (one "Our Father" and ten "Hail
Marys"). Few lay Catholics pray all 20 Mysteries in a given
day. Instead, they perform one set of Mysteries. The choice of
Mysteries depends on the day of the week and the liturgical season,
or personal preference, as show in the table below. |
Joyful Mysteries:
(Mondays and Saturdays. Also Sundays
in Advent). [1] Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin and the Incarnation
of Our Lord. [2] Visitation of the Blessed Virgin to Her Cousin,
St. Elizabeth. [3] Birth of Our Lord. [4] Presentation of the
Child Jesus in the Temple and the Purification of the Our Lady.
[5] The Child Jesus Lost and Found in the Temple.
Luminous Mysteries:
(Thursdays). [1] The Baptism of
Our Lord. [2] The Wedding at Cana. [3] The Proclamation of the
Kingdom. [4] The Transfiguration of Our Lord. [5] The Institution
of the Eucharist.
Sorrowful
Mysteries: (Tuesdays and Fridays.
Also Sundays in Lent). [1] The Agony of Our Lord in the Garden.
[2] The Scourging of Our Lord at the Pillar. [3] The Crowning
of Our Lord with Thorns. [4] The Carrying of the Cross. [5] The
Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord. |
Glorious Mysteries:
(Wednesdays and ordinary Sundays).
[1] Resurrection of Our Lord. [2] Ascension of Our Lord into
Heaven. [3] Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and
Our Blessed Mother. [4] Assumption of Our Blessed Mother into
Heaven. [5] Coronation of Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven.
To see Scripture readings
and religious art for each Mystery:
Visit the Illustrated Mysteries
menu in Spiritual Treasure: The Holy Rosary, or pray the
Rosary online with the Rosary
Companion.
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CREDITS
Illustration: "Crucifixion",
©2001 by E. M. Mulhare.
Texts of prayers in this work are traditional devotions
of the Roman Catholic Church and pertain to the public domain.
Scripture texts in English and Spanish are used with permision
of the copyright owners
and no part may be reproduced in any form without their permission
in writing. Text of the Apostolic Letter"Rosarium
Virginis Mariæ" is available from the official
Vatican Web site <http://www.vatican.va/>.
All other content, including graphics and artwork, Copyright
©1999-2003 by E. M. Mulhare, Hamilton, NY 13346 US, except
where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Published electronically
as part of About the Holy Rosary. Original created 04-Mar-1999. This
page last modified 14-Jan-2003.
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