The Holy Rosary

What is the Rosary?

The Rosary is a traditional Catholic prayer that seeks to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus. It originally consisted of fifteen "mysteries" that recall the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious moments in the life of Jesus and Mary. In 2002, St. John Paul II added another set, the mysteries of light (also called the luminous mysteries), in which we contemplate Jesus' public life.

The strand of beads used to recite this prayer is also called a "rosary."

"All generations will call me blessed," our Lady proclaims in the Magnificat. Indeed, from the earliest times, the Blessed Virgin has been venerated under the title of "Mother of God," under whose protection the supplicant faithful take refuge in all their dangers and needs. Devotion to Mary finds its expression in the liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and in Marian prayers, such as the Holy Rosary, which in the words of Pope Paul VI is "a synthesis of the whole Gospel." In other words, the Rosary is a prayer that concretizes the special veneration that the Virgin Mary receives in the Church.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

Joyful Mystery of the Rosary

Luminous Mystery of the Rosary

Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary

Glorious Mystery of the Rosary