THE ROSARY
Part One
THE PRAYERS OF THE ROSARY
The Rosary is considered by many to be the most powerful prayer after the Mass itself. Over the centuries, some armies have even been known to say it prior to going into battle.
Many popes, including Saint John Paul II, are outspoken saying that it is their favorite prayer. More than one pope has been considered one of Our Lady’s special popes. Pope Leo XIII has been called the Pope of the Rosary. He issued eleven encyclicals (letters) on the Rosary itself.
While saying the rosary, we meditate on the mystery assigned to each decade for that day. Here are the main prayers of the Rosary.
Hopefully, you already know them all:
What is the Rosary and
How Do I Say It?
A couple of tidbits about the Rosary:
1) People say both that we say the Rosary, as well as that we pray the Rosary. Although some have strong feelings about this, both are generally fine in everyday use.
2) The word "Rosary" is capitalized when talking about the prayer itself, about praying the Rosary. The word "rosary" is lower case when we talk about the beads on which we say the Rosary.
"The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning. As Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: 'Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul...'"
—ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE
by Saint Pope John Paul II
You (should) already know the basic prayers of the Rosary. That means that all you need now is the procedure for praying the Rosary. And here it is:
1) Always begin with a meaningful Sign of the Cross.
2)Hold the Crucifix and say the Apostles Creed;
3) On the separated (sometimes larger) beads, say the Our Father. The first bead after the Crucifix is the first Our Father bead.
4) On the next three beads, say the Hail Mary. For the first three beads, the intention on the first is for Faith. On the second, it is for Hope. And, on the third bead, it is for Charity or Love.
5) After that, there is a space before the separated bead (the Our Father). Holding that space, you will say the Glory Be and then the Fatima Prayer. Technically, it only has to be said after each decade and this first is not after a decade. Nonetheless, the Fatima Prayer is generally said here, too. That means the Fatima Prayer will be said six times during the Rosary. [A decade means ten. It has ten Hail Marys, but also includes the prayers before and after the Hail Marys.]
6) Then starts the next Our Father on that separated (sometimes larger) bead. However, before starting the Our Father... in other words, before starting each decade... announce either to yourself, or out loud, the mystery for that decade. (The mysteries will be found in the next section.) It is on the mystery for each decade that you will be contemplating (ie: thinking and praying) at the same time as you say — whether aloud or to yourself — the prayers for that decade, including the ten Hail Marys.
7) You can take as long or short a time meditating on each mystery as you wish. However, rushing the Rosary, or any prayer, isn't the best prayer. Try the pray from your heart as you contemplate the depth and meaning of each mystery, both in your life, and in that of the world of believers of Jesus. So you can pray each mystery for only five or so minutes or you can move deeper into prayer and take up to ten or fifteen minutes on each mystery. It can take time to grow into the power of the Rosary and of prayer itself.
8) Some rosaries can have — they can even be added by you — Meditation Beads in the exact middle of each decade. Some people, new to prayer, find it is easy to lose concentration. Our minds can drift. Meditation Beads allow a brief pause to bring our minds back to the prayers, back to the mysteries. It might simply be a time to repeat the mystery and move on. Or, if not necessary, the bead can just be skipped over and move on to the next Hail Mary.
9) At the end of the final decade (the fifth decade), you will again say the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer. After that, say the Hail Holy Queen. Technically, the Rosary can be said without it but, really, it is always said at the end. Beyond that, other prayers might also be added on including the Prayer After The Rosary and/or the Prayer to St. Michael.
9.5) Before finishing praying, you might want to add other prayers — or just pray to Jesus — or the Father or Mary or a special saint — from your heart. Especially recommended after the Rosary is the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It is said using the rosary beads, but is much quicker than the Rosary itself. You will learn this easy but important prayer soon.
10) As you should always do when beginning or ending a time in prayer, make the Sign of the Cross slowly, as you concentrate on the words of the prayer.