How Do I Say the Rosary?
"I am the Lady of the Rosary."
Most Rosary beads are only one third of the full Rosary. They keep count of 50 of the total 150 Hail Mary’s which make up the full 15-decade Rosary.
- The beads start with the crucifix. Using the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles Creed to renew our faith in the 12 fundamental doctrines of the Faith.
- On all the large beads on the Rosary will be said the Our Father.
- At the beginning of the Rosary, right after the crucifix, there is one of these large "Our Father" beads. Following this large bead are three small beads. On each of these we say the Hail Mary. Following these 3 Hail Mary’s we say the Glory Be.
- The beads are connected with a chain. When we come to the big space that follows each group of 10 Hail Mary’s, we say the Glory Be to the Father.
- The beads are grouped in decades (10 Hail Mary’s) called the Mysteries. The Mystery for the first decade is to be clearly announced by the leader or silently by the person praying the Rosary. Then mention your intentions for which this decade is being prayed. Then say one Our Father.
- Pray 10 Hail Mary’s while meditating on the Mystery.
- Pray the Glory Be to the Father.
- Following each Glory Be, has now been added the prayer requested by Our Lady of Fatima said at the end of each decade. "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of Thy mercy." This sums up the whole purpose of Redemption, the events of which we recall in the Rosary, i.e. to save men from the fires of hell and bring them into eternal life with God.
- Announce the second Mystery and pray the Our Father. Repeat numbers 6 – 9 and continue with the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.
- End with the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) and the Collect Prayer from the Feast Day Mass of the Most Holy Rosary (scroll down to the "Family Prayer" section)
On a small set of beads (50 Hail Mary’s), there are five decades and 5 mysteries remembered. On a complete Rosary, there are 15 decades and 15 Mysteries of our Redemption recalled.
How Do I Avoid Distraction?
If we say the Rosary before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament our prayers are most likely to be more recollected and greatly efficacious. St. Dominic spent whole nights praying before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Could we not visit him for 15 minutes to say our Rosary?
If we pray the Rosary before a crucifix and statue of Our Lady this helps to keep our minds on the prayers and mysteries we are meditating on.
There are many books, which offer short thoughts on each Mystery to help us gain insight into each one. This idea comes from the method used by St. Dominic. Before each set of 10 Hail Mary’s, he would first preach a short sermon on the Mystery for that decade and then have all gathered pray the 10 Hail Mary’s. Some of these books offer beautiful pictures to help us even further.
We give you here a set of beautiful pictures with the
corresponding title of each of the 15 Mysteries named in the complete Rosary.
These pictures with a short meditation are part of a beautiful Rosary Kit which
can be readily ordered from:
AMERICA NEEDS FATIMA
P.O. Box 1868
York, PA 17405
Tel: 717-225-7147
Order the Rosary booklet or kit today. Ask for it by title: "I Am the Lady of the Rosary" Also ask for their Newsletter and Religious Goods Catalog for many other helpful books and items.
Check their website at: www.TFP.org
America Needs Fatima is an outreach of the organization called TFP
(Tradition Family and Property) The American TFP was founded in 1973 to fight
the deep moral crisis shaking the modern world. It is a civic organization of
Catholic inspiration, guided by the teachings of the Supreme Magisterium of the
Roman Catholic Church. As modern day crusaders, TFP vigorously promotes the
pillar values of tradition, family and private property, particularly to the
youth, and works unceasingly to bring Our Lady of Fatima’s urgent call to
conversion to millions of Americans.
