How to Pray the Holy Rosary Pamphlet - Free PDF Download
The Rosary is a powerful and important prayer in the Catholic Faith life. We've provide a free downloadable Rosary pamphlet on how to pray the Rosary and how to pray the Rosary Prayers. The download link for the Rosary Guide Pamphlet is linked at the bottom of the article.
How to Pray the Holy Rosary
The Holy Rosary is a traditional Catholic devotion and has a storied history in the life of the Church. Many great saints and church leaders have preached the power of the prayer and encouraged all to pray it.
If this is your first time praying the Rosary, there are a couple of tips that will help prepare you for the prayer.
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The Rosary is a Meditative prayer
Praying the Holy Rosary is much more than repeating a series of prayers, over and over. The Rosary is a form of meditative prayer. Meditative, or mental prayer, is a form of praying that often goes much deeper than using only spoken words for prayer. Mental prayer in it’s simplist form, is engaging your mind in the prayer.
The Rosary provides us spiritual words (most of them are taken directly from scripture) and spiritual images for us to meditate on. When praying the Rosary, focus less on saying the words perfectly, and focus on the spiritual scenes as you prayer. One practice is to think about the words flowing from you, and letting your mind focus on the mysteries of the Rosary.
Mental prayer, like all things, gets better with practice, but focusing on mental prayer while praying the Rosary is essential to praying the Rosary well.
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Put thought into your preparation.
Mental prayer and the Rosary cannot be things that you rush into. It’s crucial to think about and pay attention to how you prepare to pray a Holy Rosary. Fr. Henri Caffarel, the founder of Teams of Our Lady, illustrates this well” “I strongly advise you, therefore, to pay attention to initial gestures and attitudes…Calm and slow movements are of great importance in breaking the rapid and tense rhythm of a busy and hurried life.”
You should plan for the Rosary to take 15-20 minutes, and make sure you have enough time when you begin. Take a moment before beginning to pray to focus on your posture, to call down the holy spirit, and to get ready to pray. This short preparation can make a big difference when you pray the Holy Rosary.
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Use a set of beads or a Rosary Card to help guide you.
Finally, you should use a prayer tool to help you pray! A set of Rosary Beads or of our Rosary Cards will help you keep track of where you are at during the prayer. A tool is a great way to help you move past the mechanics of the prayer, and to focus on meditating and praying with the Lord.
The Mechanics of the Holy Rosary
Today, Roman Catholics use a rosary made up of 59 beads. The 6 large beads are used for praying the Our Father prayer, and the 53 smaller beads are used for praying the Hail Mary prayer. Other prayers of the rosary include the Apostles’ Creed, the Glory Be, and the Hail, Holy Queen.
There are 5 decades, or groups of 10 small beads, that make up the main portion of the rosary.
Here’s a great print-friendly PDF How to Pray the Rosary Pamphlet to use to follow along in this section.
The Introductory Prayers:
The introductory prayers set the stage for the rosary. They prepare you for deeper reflection when you pray the decades. Either before or after the introductory prayers, think of any needs or struggles in your life and bring them to Mary. She cares for you like a loving mother, and wants to take your needs to Jesus.
Step 1 - Start by with the Sign of the Cross. "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Step 2 - While holding the crucifix, say the "Apostles Creed."
Step 3 - On the next single bead, pray the "Our Father." This is commonly said for the Holy Father's intentions.
Step 4 - On the next three beads, pray the "Hail Mary." These beads are for meditating on the virtues of faith, hope and love.
Step 5 - On the next single bead, pray the "Glory Be."
The Decades:
There are five decades, or groups of 10 small beads, that make up the main portion of the rosary. You’ll find that the prayers for each decade are repeated many times. This gives you an opportunity to reflect on the words, which are deeply rooted in the Bible and Christian tradition. They are powerful and filled with meaning.
Step 1 - On the bead or symbol before the first 10 bead section, first announce the first mystery.
Step 2 - Immediately following, pray the "Our Father."
Step 3 - On the next 10 beads, on each bead pray the "Hail Mary."
Step 4 - Immediately following, pray the "Glory Be."
Step 5 - Immediately following, pray the "O My Jesus."
Step 6 - On the next single bead, announce the next mystery.
Step 7 - Immediately following, pray the "Our Father."
Continue with the 10 "Hail Mary's", "Glory Be," and "O My Jesus," for each of the next four Mysteries until you are all the way around the Rosary.
The Conclusion Prayers:
Step 1 - After saying your last "O My Jesus," immediately follow with the "Hail Holy Queen."
Step 2 - Immediately follow with the "Let Us Pray."
Step 3 - End with the Sign of the Cross.
The Prayers
Here’s a great print-friendly PDF Prayers of the Rosary Pamphlet.
Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, 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. Amen.
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. Amen.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was, in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O My Jesus (The Fatima Prayer)
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Take all souls into heaven, especially, those most in need of thy mercy. Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst 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. Amen.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 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!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray (The Rosary Prayer)
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. Amen. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
The Glorious Mysteries
The Joyful Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries
Here’s a great print-friendly PDF Mysteries of the Rosary Pamphlet.
The Mysteries of the Rosary are specific scenes from the life of Mary and Jesus. We announce these scenes before we begin each decade, and then meditate on that scene as we pray through our Hail Mary’s. There are 20 mysteries in total, and they are grouped into themes - The Glorious Mysteries, The Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries. The Catholic tradition is to pray the Rosary Mysteries on certain days of the week, and at certain times of the year.
Trying to memorize what mysteries are prayed on what day? Here’s a quick tip to do that.
The Glorious Mysteries
The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Wednesdays and Sundays outside of Lent and Advent.
The First Mystery: The Resurrection
The Second Mystery: The Ascension
The Third Mystery: The Nativity
The Fourth Mystery: The Assumption
The Fifth Mystery: The Coronation of Mary
The Joyful Mysteries
The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays of Advent.
The First Mystery: The Annunciation
The Second Mystery: The Visitation
The Third Mystery: The Nativity
The Fourth Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
The Fifth Mystery: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays of Lent.
The First Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
The Second Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
The Third Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns
The Fourth Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
The Fifth Mystery: The Crucifixion and Death
The Luminous Mysteries
The Five Luminous Mysteries, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 2002, are traditionally prayed on Thursdays.
The First Mystery: The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
The Second Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana
The Third Mystery: Proclamation of the Kingdom
The Fourth Mystery: The Transfiguration
The Fifth Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist
When you announce the Mystery, take a moment to reflect on the scene, and then begin the decade with the scene in mind.
Corresponding scripture can also be read before during each mystery announcement to help picture the corresponding scene. A sample list of scripture for each Rosary can be found here.
How to Pray the Rosary Pamphlet - Download the Rosary Pamphlet Guide
Please also check out our other Rosary and Prayer Guides:
How to make the Rosary part of your prayer life.
Stop leaving the Rosary to the end of your day.
The Litany of Trust - how to pray it.
The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience
This article was brought to you buy the Everyday Prayer Co, if you found it helpful, please check out our Rosary Cards. They are designed for convenience (same size as a Credit Card) and make it much easier to pray the Rosary often.
Connect
Please let me know how your journey with the Rosary is going, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message an email at: brennan@everydayprayerco.com
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