The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio

The Sorrowful Mysteries

Traditionally prayed on Tuesday and Friday. Also prayed daily from Lent to Easter Sunday.

On the Crucifix of Rosary:

  1. Begin by holding the Crucifix of the Holy Rosary.
  2. Kiss it.
  3. Make the sign of the Cross
  4. Pray.

On the Crucifix of Rosary:

Holy Rosary Devotion - The Crucifix
  1. Begin by holding the Crucifix of the Holy Rosary.
  2. Kiss it.
  3. Make the sign of the Cross
  4. Pray.

† In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
† In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen.

Opening Prayers

The Apostle’s Creed

(Recite while holding the Crucifix)

The Church is a mystery in as much as in her visible reality there is present and active a divine spiritual reality which can only be seen with the eyes of faith.

Holy Rosary Devotion - The Crucifix

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord,
(Kneel)
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
(Rise)
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again
from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God
the Father almighty,
from there He shall come to judge
the living and the dead.
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.

Our Father    

(Still holding the Crucifix)

The Word of God communicates the mystery of salvation. Through the Lord’s Prayer, we are therefore aware of our being children of the Father through the Son.

Pray The Rosary Detailed Guide

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Hail Mary 

Each of the three cluster beads represent one of The Divine Virtues: faith, hope and love (fides, spes et caritas). When the Blessed Virgin Mary became the mother of Jesus, she gave herself entirely to serve the mystery of redemption, by God’s grace.

Rosary Tutorial Online Course

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
who increases our faith
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Holy Rosary Beads Close-Up

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
who increases our hope
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Praying The Rosary Step-By-Step

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
who increases our love
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Doxology 

(The single bead right before the Connecting Medallion)

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life, and it is the source of all the other mysteries.

Holy Rosary Meditation

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

The Fátima Prayer

From the third apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, 13 July 1917

Holy Rosary Mysteries


When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony of Jesus in Gethsemane

The first meditation at the medallion connecting the introductory prayer beads with the wreath.

Spiritual Fruit: Conformity with the Will of God

Praying The Rosary Explained

(Mark 14:32-42)

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Meditation of the First Sorrowful Mystery

Rosary Tutorial Instructions

Our Father – The Mystery of Salvation

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

10 Hail Marys – The Mystery of Redemption

Rosary Tutorial Visual Guide - First Decade

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Doxology – The Mystery of the Christian faith

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Rosary Tutorial Beginners

The Fátima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

Spiritual Fruit: Mortification (Purity)

Praying The Rosary Guide

(Mark 15:1-15, Matt 27:17, 19, 21, 24-26)

And immediately in the morning, the chief priests holding consultation, with the elders and the scribes, and the whole Council. They bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate.

And Pilate asked him: Art thou the King of the Jews?

And Jesus answered and said to him: Thou sayest.

And the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate again asked him: “Answerest thou nothing? See of how many things they accuse thee.”

But Jesus no longer answered any thing: so that Pilate wondered.

At every feast Pilate released to them one prisoner whom they chose. And there was one called Barabbas who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the insurrection had committed murder. 8The multitude then came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. 

Pilate said to them:

Whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?

And while he sat on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying: Have nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered much this day in a dream because of him. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd that they should ask for Barabbas, that Pilate should rather release Barabbas to them. 11The chief priests instigated the crowd to have Jesus destroyed.

And the governor said to them: Which of the two will you that I release to you? They said: Barabbas. And Pilate again answered and said to them: What then will you that I shall do with him whom who is called Christ? They again cried out: Crucify him. But Pilate said to them: Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out vehemently: Crucify him. 

And Pilate seeing that nothing avails, but rather that a tumult is rising, took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this man: see you to it. And so Pilate, willing to satisfy the multitude, released Barabbas, and handed over Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified.

Meditation of the Second Sorrowful Mystery

Pray The Rosary Essential Steps

Our Father

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

10 Hail Marys

Rosary Tutorial Tips and Tricks - Second Decade

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Doxology

Praying The Rosary Beginners Guide

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

The Fátima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The Third Glorious Mystery – The Descent of the Holy Ghost

Spiritual Fruit: Moral Courage

Holy Rosary Meditation Practices - Third Mystery

(Matt 27:26-31)

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the palace and brought together to him the whole cohort.

Having stripped him they put on him a purple cloak, having plaited a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand, and bowing the knee before him they mocked him, saying:

Hail, King of the Jews;

and having spit upon him they took the reed and struck upon his head.

When they had mocked him, they took off him the cloak and put his own garments on him and led him away – to crucify him.

And having spit upon him they took the reed and struck upon his head.

When they had mocked him, they took off him the cloak and put his own garments on him and led him away – to crucify him.

Meditation of the Third Sorrowful Mystery

Rosary Tutorial Step-by-Step

Our Father

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

10 Hail Marys

Holy Rosary Meditation Practices - Third Decade

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Doxology

Holy Rosary Spiritual Insights

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

The Fátima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross

Spiritual Fruit: Patience

Devotional Rosary Practice - Fourth Decade

(Joh 19-16, Luk 23:26-33)

Then therefore Pilate delivered Jesus to the Chief Priests to be crucified.

And as they led him away, they lay hold on Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from the country, they laid the cross on him, that he might bear it after Jesus.

…And bearing the cross, he went forth to that place called Calvary, or in Hebrew , Golgotha.

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women that bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turned to them and said:

Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me; but weep for yourselves and for your children; for behold, there are coming days in which they shall say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that did not give suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall on us, and to the hills: Cover us; for if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

And there were also two others, two evildoers, to be crucified with Jesus.

…they crucified him, and with him two others,

one on each side, and Jesus in the midst.

Meditation of the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

Rosary Tutorial Visual Demonstration

Our Father

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

10 Hail Mary

Devotional Rosary Practice - Fourth Decade

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Doxology

Step-by-Step Rosary Tutorial

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

The Fátima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion

Spiritual Fruits: Perseverance in Faith, Grace for a Holy Death, Forgiveness.

Interactive Rosary Tutorial

(Luk 23:33-46, Mark 15:31-32, Matt 27:35-52)

At the place, called Calvary, they crucified Jesus and the two evildoers, one on the right and the other on the left of Jesus. Jesus said: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. The soldiers mocked him and were dividing his clothing among them, they cast lots.
The people stood looking on…

In like manner also the chief priests deriding among themselves with the scribes said: Others he saved, himself he cannot save. Christ the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. There was also a superscription over him: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And one of the evildoers who were hanged blasphemed him, saying: If thou be Christ? save thyself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him and said: Do not even thou fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? We indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of what we have done; but this man has done nothing evil.

Then he said: Jesus, remember me when thou come in thy kingdom.

Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.  And it was almost the sixth hour; and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  And Jesus crying out with a loud voice, said: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

And saying this, he gave up the ghost. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent of two, from the top to the bottom, in the midst as the earth quaked.

Meditation of the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

Learn To Pray The Rosary

Our Father

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

10 Hail Mary

Rosary Mysteries Illustration

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Doxology

Rosary Beads Tutorial

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

The Fátima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

At The Connecting Medallion

Concluding prayer before the cross which concludes the wreath for a fruitful perfection.
The Rosary is a perfect wreath!
We have now reached the connecting medallion which unites our intentions and prayers.
On the medallion, we pray Salve Regina. The Marian hymn is at the end of the Rosary.

Let us pray:
O, 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 made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Orémus:
Salve Regina,
Mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus,
gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum,
benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia,
O dulcis Virgo Maria.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.

R. Ut digni efficamur promissionibus Christi.


Let us pray:

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation.
Grant, we beseech Thee: that while 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.

Orémus:

Déus, cújus Unigénitus per vítam, mortem, et resurrectiónem
súam nóbis salútis ætérnæ præmia comparávit: concéde, quæsumus:
ut hæc mystéria sacratíssimo beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Rosário recoléntes,
et imitémur quod cóntinent,
et quod promíttunt, assequámur.
Per eúndem Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum.

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

† In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen.