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Rosary

The Rosary is an important and traditional prayer recited by many Roman Catholics, combining prayer and meditation in a sequence of ten 'Hail Marys' called a decade. [1] The name comes fron Italian Rosario, that means "crown of roses". A standard rosary involves the repetition of five decades of the Rosary. A complete Rosary involves the completion of twenty decades. While the Rosary was said by many Roman Catholics in the past, its use has declined since Vatican II.

Table of contents
1 The Mysteries
2 Types of Rosaries
3 The Origins of the Rosary
4 Rosary Beads
5 External Links

The Mysteries


The Nativity
The third of the Joyful Mysteries
The Rosary was traditionally 'dedicated' to one of three sets of 'mysteries' to be said in sequence, one per night; the Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries. In an unprecedented break with tradition, Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 2002) introduced a fourth set, called the Mysteries of the Light. Each set has within it five different themes to be meditated on, one for each decade of ten Hail Marys.

Joyful

  1. Annunciation
  2. Visitation
  3. Nativity
  4. Presentation at the Temple
  5. Finding in the Temple

Sorrowful

  1. Agony of Jesus in the Garden
  2. Scourging of Jesus at Pillar
  3. Crowning with Thorns
  4. Carrying the Cross
  5. Crucifixion

The Crucifixion of Jesus
The fifth of the Sorrowful Mysteries

Glorious

  1. Resurrection of Jesus
  2. Ascension of Jesus
  3. Descent of Holy Spirit
  4. Assumption of the Virgin Mary
  5. Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary

Light

  1. Baptism of Jesus
  2. Wedding of Cana
  3. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God
  4. The Transfiguration
  5. The institution of the Eucharist

Types of Rosaries

Some national variations in terms of prayers used and structure occur as to the form of Rosary recited.

One Frequently Used Form


The Resurrection of Jesus
The first of the Glorious Mysteries

A Regularly Used Alternative


The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven
The fifth of the Glorious Mysteries
linked into the Hail Holy Queen prayer
Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Savior, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Vessel of honor, Singular vessel of devotion, Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star, Health of the Sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of all Saints, Queen conceived without original sin, Queen assumed into heaven, Queen of the most holy Rosary, Queen of Peace. Pray for Us.

Eastern Christians also use similar strings of beads to pray, although among the Orthodox their use is mainly restricted to monks and bishops, not being common among laity or secular clergy. Many Eastern Christians use a prayer rope instead; its use is much more prevalent, and it is typically associated with the Jesus Prayer.

The Rosary is consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.

The Origins of the Rosary

According to tradition, in 1214, St. Dominic received the first Rosary from the Blessed Virgin, in the first of a series of apparitions, as a means of converting the Albigensians and other so-called "sinners". However, the historical record indicates that the Rosary predates St. Dominic's time by centuries (indeed, similar prayer beads are found in many religions, and some have been found dating back to the antiquity), and the story of it being received by St. Dominic appears to be an invention from long after St. Dominic's death.

In her supposed apparition at Fatima (1917), the Virgin Mary allegedly revealed that every time a Hail Mary is recited, is like a rose was offered Her, so a complete Rosary is like a crown of roses. (This idea of a Rosary being a crown predates Fatima by centuries, and was expressed on several occasions by mediaeval Catholics.)

Rosary Beads


Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Image showing Mary
appearing at Lourdes with Rosary Beads
A Rosary Beads usually contains 50 beads in groups of ten (the decades), with an additional large bead in between each. Some beads have been known to have one hundred or one hundred and fifty are also known. These numbers were chosen to match the number of psalms, or a third or two-thirds of them. This was because in ancient times monks and clergy used to recite the entire psalter every day; the practice of saying one hundred and fifty Pater Nosters developed as an alternative for those who were illiterate or who could not afford a psalter. It was only in the Middle Ages, however, when prayer to Mary became common among Catholics, that the use of Ave Marias instead of Pater Nosters came about.

Traditionally, 15 decades used to be said in total, a total increased to 20 with the addition in 2002 of a fourth set of 'Mysteries.' Each decade traditionally corresponds to a mystery of Redemption, although the mysteries did not originate until the 15th or 16th centuries, and even then there was not universal agreement on what they were.

In a common form beads are true olive seeds; in past times there was a respectable trade in Rosaries made with olive seeds supposedly from the Garden of Gethsemane. Beads are sometimes made with sacred relics (or believed).

See also: prayer, Blessed Virgin Mary. Legion of Mary.

Compare with: prayer rope

External Links