Praying the Rosary
Praying the Rosary
You are invited to continue in your spiritual and prayerful journey with Franciscan Media throughout the month of May! Join us Praying the Rosary. By registering, you’ll gain access to videos, prayers and the history of the rosary. Access to these resources will be sent to you via email each morning during May.
Rosary Monday: Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
The joyful mysteries of the rosary are generally prayed on Mondays and Saturdays. They include:
- The annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1:38)
- Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:45)
- The birth of Jesus at Bethlehem (Lk 2:7)
- The presentation of Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:22)
- The finding of the child Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:49)
Rosary Tuesday: Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
- Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk 22:44)
- Jesus is scourged at the pillar (Jn 19:1)
- Jesus is crowned with thorns (Mk 15:17)
- Jesus carries the cross to Calvary (Jn 19:17)
- Jesus dies for our sins (Jn 19:26-27)
Rosary Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
- Jesus rises from the dead (Jn 20:19)
- Jesus ascends into heaven (Mk 16:19)
- The Holy Spirit descends on the apostles (Acts 2:4)
- Mary is assumed into heaven (Lk 1:48-49)
- Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth (2 Tm 2:12)
Rosary Thursday: Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
- John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan (Mt 3:17)
- Jesus performs a miracle at a wedding in Cana (Jn 2:5)
- Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God and calls us to conversion (Mk 1:15)
- The transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9:35)
- Jesus gives the Eucharist (Jn 6:54)
Rosary Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
- Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk 22:44)
- Jesus is scourged at the pillar (Jn 19:1)
- Jesus is crowned with thorns (Mk 15:17)
- Jesus carries the cross to Calvary (Jn 19:17)
- Jesus dies for our sins (Jn 19:26-27)
Rosary Saturday: Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
The joyful mysteries of the rosary are generally prayed on Mondays and Saturdays. They include:
- The annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1:38)
- Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:45)
- The birth of Jesus at Bethlehem (Lk 2:7)
- The presentation of Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:22)
- The finding of the child Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:49)
Rosary Sunday: Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
The glorious mysteries of the rosary are generally prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays. They include:
- Jesus rises from the dead (Jn 20:19)
- Jesus ascends into heaven (Mk 16:19)
- The Holy Spirit descends on the apostles (Acts 2:4)
- Mary is assumed into heaven (Lk 1:48-49)
- Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth (2 Tm 2:12)
History of the Rosary
The fact that the rosary is an object can help to celebrate the incarnational side of our religion and remind us all of where we started, and who we are. Although it is popularly attributed to the founder of the Dominican Order, the 13th-century St. Domingo (Dominic) de Guzman, the rosary, in fact, comes from much older traditions. Several different threads came together to give us the rosary we use today. One of the first threads was the Church’s wish to encourage people to pray the Our Father. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, was clear in AD 248 about the need to use the Our Father in personal as well as communal prayer. The early Church was already fighting numerous heretical factions, and there was some concern that people would make up their own prayers that might or might not conform to the Church’s teachings.
Origin of the Rosary
According to one tradition, the rosary’s defining moment came during an apparition of Mary to Saint Dominic around the year 1221. Dominic was combating a popular heresy in France called Albigensianism. Mary gave him the rosary, told him to teach people this devotion, and promised that his apostolic efforts would be blessed with much success if he did. We know the religious order Dominic founded (the Dominicans) clearly played a major role in promoting the rosary throughout the world in the early years of this devotion.
BOOKS
Prayer Resources
Featured Resources
Praying the Rosary Like Never Before
Do you struggle with praying the rosary: finding time, fighting distractions, worrying about your mind wandering? In Praying the Rosary Like Never Before, Edward Sri offers practical suggestions that come from the rosary’s tradition and, most especially, St. John Paul II.
These helpful tips will make the rosary a constant companions through the different seasons, moments, and challenges we all face. These tips serve as easy on-ramps for those who don’t pray the rosary regularly motivate avid devotees of the rosary to go deeper with the Lord.
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Thank you for bringing us these amazing programs, resources, videos, and booklets which illuminate our spiritual journey all year long!
—Michele M., Franciscan Media supporter
