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History
of the Rosary
Devotion
to the Rosary has been attributed to the works and preaching of St.
Dominic and a member of the Dominican Order, Alan de la Roche. In his writing, de la
Roche uses the following story to help promote devotion to the
rosary: St. Dominic was working to
convert souls in France, however the people would not change their sinful
habits. In frustration, St. Dominic went off to a solitary
place near Toulouse and  prayed
for three days and three nights. During this retreat, de la
Roche reports that Our Lady
appeared to St. Dominic and taught him how to pray the rosary.
She also asked him to teach the people her special prayers in
order to convert their hearts. St. Dominic went to the
cathedral and began to preach about the merits of praying the
rosary. A severe storm struck during his sermon and an
apparition of Our Lady was seen. As a result of St. Dominic's
prayers the storm faded and the people's hearts were
converted.
Alain
de Roche was responsible for beginning Rosary Confraternities to
promote the rosary. In
1520, Pope Leo X officially approved the universal use of the
rosary. In 1571, St. Piux V declared the first Feast of the
Holy Rosary which was made universal by Pope Clement XI. In
1917 the Blessed Mother selected for herself the name "Our
Lady of the Rosary" at Fatima when she appeared to three
children in Fatima saying, "I want you to continue to say
your rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to
obtain the end of the war and peace in the world". In
2002 Pope John Paul II introduced new mysteries (Mysteries of the
Light or Luminous Mysteries) to
the Rosary and wrote his apostolic letter "On the Most Holy Rosary" (Rosarium Virginis
Mariae).
Originally,
the rosary was called "The Psalter of Jesus and Mary"
because it
consists
of the prayer Jesus gave us (The Our Father) and the prayer the
Angel Gabriel gave us (The Hail Mary). The word Psalter refers to the Book of Psalms in the
Bible, which has 150 psalms. When prayed completely, the
original rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries) has
150 "Hail Mary" prayers. The
word "Rosary" comes from the Latin word rosarium,
which means a garland or bouquet of roses. Each of the prayers of the
rosary is an offering of a rose to Jesus through Mary.
The
use of beads or knots when praying dates back to the early days
of Christianity. String or heavy cord was tied with knots and
used to help focus and keep track of the prayers. The word
"bead" comes from biddan - an Old English word
which means "to entreat" or "to pray".
Mary's
Promises of the Rosary
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Whoever
shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall
receive signal graces. |
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I promise my special
protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite
the Rosary. |
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The Rosary shall be a powerful
armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and
defeat heresies. |
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It will cause virtue and good
works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy
of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of
the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of
eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this
means. |
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The
soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the
Rosary, shall not perish. |
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Whoever shall recite the
Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its
Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God
will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an
unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of
God, and become worthy of eternal life. |
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Whoever shall have a true
devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of
the Church. |
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Those who are faithful to
recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their
death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the
moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the
Saints in Paradise. |
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I shall deliver from purgatory
those who have been devoted to the Rosary. |
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The faithful children of the
Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. |
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You shall obtain all you ask
of me by the recitation of the Rosary. |
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All
those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in
their necessities. |
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I
have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates
of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire
celestial court during their life and at the hour of
death. |
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All who recite the Rosary are
my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus
Christ. |
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Devotion of my Rosary is a
great sign of predestination. |
How
to pray the Rosary
 In
his book The
Secret of the Rosary, Saint Louis
De Montfort says, "Every time people say the Rosary
devoutly they place on the heads of Jesus and Mary 153 white
roses and sixteen red roses. Being heavenly flowers, these roses
will never fade or lose their beauty."
 Click
here to see
our special How
to pray the Rosary page. This page includes a diagram of the
order of the prayers and all the words to the prayers,
meditations for each of the mysteries, and a printable PDF
"How to Pray the Rosary" handout.
The
Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary (Monday and Saturday)
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The
Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
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The Visitation
of Mary to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56)
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The Birth of
Our Lord (Luke 2:1-21)
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The
Presentation of Our Lord (Luke 2:22-38)
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The Finding of
Our Lord in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
The Sorrowful
Mysteries of the Rosary (Tuesday and Friday)
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The Agony of
Our Lord in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-56)
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Our Lord is
Scourged at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26)
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Our Lord is
Crowned with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
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Our Lord
Carries the Cross to Calvary (Matthew 27:32)
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The
Crucifixion of Our Lord (Matthew 27:33-56)
The Glorious
Mysteries of the Rosary (Wednesday and Sunday)
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The Glorious
Resurrection of Our Lord (John 20:1-29)
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The Ascension
of Our Lord (Luke 24:36-53)
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The Descent of
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41)
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The Assumption
of Mary into Heaven
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The Coronation
of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
The Luminous
Mysteries of the Rosary (Thursday)
(The Mysteries of Light)
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The Baptism
of Our Lord in the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-16)
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The Wedding at
Cana, when Christ manifested Himself (Jn 2:1-11)
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The
Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15)
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The
Transfiguration of Our Lord (Matthew 17:1-8)
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The Last
Supper, when Our Lord gave us the Holy Eucharist (Mt
26)
Indulgences
Indulgences
are often a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics
alike, so let's take a minute and make sure everyone is clear
about the definition of "indulgence".
In
the bible, sin is viewed as having two basic consequences: guilt
and punishment. Guilt is washed away when a person seeks
forgiveness, however the need for punishment remains. To
completely clear away sin the person must perform an action that
will work towards healing the wounds his sin has caused. For
example, if a child takes a piece of candy from the store he
must apologize to the store manager (to cleanse his guilt) and
also pay for the candy (to satisfy the punishment).
The
bible also views punishment as having two basic categories:
eternal (forever) or temporal (for a short time). For example,
when the Jews disobeyed God during their time in the desert the
Lord became angry with them and wanted to destroy them (an
eternal punishment). Moses pleaded with God who agreed to allow
the Jews to live. He forgave their sins (their guilt) but the
need for punishment remained. No one in that generation would be
allowed to enter the promised land (a temporal punishment).
So...
after a person repents and his guilt has been forgiven, an
indulgence cleanses the temporal punishment required because of
sin. A plenary
(complete) indulgence means the temporal punishment is totally
cleansed. A partial indulgence means that some of the
temporal punishment is cleansed.
Both
a plenary and partial indulgence is available for praying the
rosary. To gain a plenary indulgence the faithful must complete
the following:
- Be in a state of
grace (free from
mortal sin)
- Be free from attachment
to venial sin.
- Go to confession several days before or after praying the
Rosary.
- Receive Holy Communion on the day you pray the Rosary.
- Say a prayer for the Pope.
- Pray the
rosary in a church or family group, or religious Community.
- Pray the five
decades during one session
- Pray vocally,
announcing the Mysteries of the Rosary and then meditating
on them.
To gain a partial
indulgence individuals may pray the rosary in whole or in
part.
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Information and pictures from the books The
Secret of the Rosary, True
Devotion to Mary, and the Catholic
Encyclopedia.
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