Prayers of the Rosary | How to Pray them and a PDF Guide

For many Catholics, the Rosary is a familiar prayer, one that they have memorized or incorporated into their prayer routine. For some, though, learning how to pray the Rosary may be intimidating because of the number of different prayers involved. The Rosary consists of the opening prayers, five decades, and a few closing prayers. The repetitive nature of the Rosary will make learning how to pray the Rosary easier. If you are just beginning to learn the prayers, following a guide while you pray will be a great help until you memorize the prayers. 

How to Pray the Opening Prayers of the Rosary

1. Start with the Sign of the Cross.

2. Pray the 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.”

3. Pray the 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.”

4. Pray three Hail Marys.

“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.”

5. Pray the 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.”

How to Pray the Decade Prayers of the Rosary

1. Announce the first Mystery of the Rosary.

The Mysteries of the Rosary are events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that help us to reflect as we pray the Rosary. For a full list of the Mysteries of the Rosary and another resource on how to pray the Rosary, check out this blog post.

2. Pray the Our Father.

3. Pray ten Hail Marys.

4. Pray the Glory Be.

5. Pray 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.”

6. Repeat for the remaining four decades.

How to Pray the Closing Prayers of the Rosary

1. Pray the 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.”

2. 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.”

3. Make the Sign of the Cross.

How to Pray the Prayers of the Rosary Intentionally

The Rosary is an important prayer to return to in our prayer lives. Mary, our Mother, is honored by this prayer and has asked for us to pray this. She also has promised special graces to those who have a devotion to the Rosary.

To enter into the prayer of the Rosary, it is good to set aside time to pray it and give it your full attention.

Try praying from the heart instead of falling into a repetition of the prayers. Reflecting on what the Mystery you are praying means is a way to pray more intentionally. Enter into the scene of the Mystery: for example, what was the Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth like?

Asking the Holy Spirit and Mary to guide your prayers will help you to make the Rosary a reflection on the life of Jesus.

You may find that praying the Rosary with scripture may help you enter into the beauty of the prayer. Or, following along with a video of others praying the Rosary may help you focus. There are also plenty of Rosary podcasts to follow along with as well.

To learn more about the Rosary, check out the videos linked in this blog post.

For a quick reference guide to praying the Rosary, download or print this free PDF guide.

Praying the Rosary daily can bring many graces to your life, so taking the time to memorize the prayers is worth the effort.

The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience

As you learn to pray the Rosary, 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. 

See more options here.

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

Need a Rosary to get started? Check out our Wallet Rosary Cards. It'll make sure you are never without the Rosary.

Get inspired by our daily Rosary quotes: Instagram

And don't forget about our free Rosary Guide Download. Keep Praying!