How to pray with the rosary?

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Gladys

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Hello All,

I am not sure if this is the right forum, but I need some help. I have came back to the church and I am reading, researching, and praying. I want to know more about being catholic. I was always admiring the rosary, but unsure how you pray with it. I know that you start with Glory be to the father, the apostle creed, and then the one our father and then 3 hail mary’s. Then you proceed with 10 Hail Mary’s and 1 Our Father. I noticed in a booklet that I have seen I did my first commmunion that in different days there are different prayers. That’s what I don’t understand. And now there are new ones, I don’t get the old ones and now there are new ones. 😦
I hope someone can helo me understand better. I want to be the best catholic that I can be. 🙂
Thanx for listening.

God Bless to you all,

Gladys

:harp:
 
It can be a little confusing at first glance. Remember that the Rosary is a private devotion. So there isn’t really a set-in-stone ‘right way’, ‘wrong way’ or ‘best way’ to pray it. Any prayer from the heart is more than acceptable to Our Lord and Our Lady 🙂

Now what happened was that in 2000 (I think) the Pope proposed a new set of five Mysteries - the Luminous mysteries. These are in addition to the traditional Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. We’re not obliged to pray the Luminous mysteries if we don’t want to. So if you find it easier to leave them out that’s fine.

I think these are the ‘different prayers on different days’ you’re referring to.
Traditionally people say five decades each day. And say a different set of five ‘mysteries’ (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or Glorious) on different days of the week so that they cover all the mysteries fairly evenly. That means that you meditate (think about) a different group of five each time you pray a Rosary.

The order of prayers as you’ve given it is spot on, although the order for each decade is 1 Our Father, then 10 Hail Marys, then one Glory Be and a Fatima prayer (Oh my Jesus …)

This page I think gives a good overview.

I hope this helps.
 
I also struggled with this for a long time. I didn’t get it until I found this: virtualrosary.org/ This helps me say my rosary as often as I can, and it runs bible verses alongside to help you with the mysteries. My husband doesn’t meditate on the mysteries, though. It is confusing for him while he is trying to learn the rosary, so I think that is acceptable, to.
 
You’re in the right forum! 🙂

The Pope announced the new ‘Mysteries of Light’ on October 16, 2002.

We have a reference thread for how to pray the rosary right here on the forums at:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=161874

Also, here is a very useful one-page pdf file which you can print and keep! from newadvent.org: rosaryforlife.com/rosary.pdf

Some sites with good Catholic information:
www.newadvent.org (see resources on top left of home page)
fisheaters.com/
catholic-pages.com/dir/default.asp
catholic.org/sitemap.php

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (online at Vatican, searchable):
vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

and CAF’s very own home… catholic.com/ !

Hope this helps…

Bless you,
Margaret 🙂
 
There are many different ways to pray the Holy Rosary. I suggest you read The Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis Grignion de Monfort. It gives you many different ways to incorporate the Mysteries in the Rosary. It also helps you understand the Rosary in a better way.
 
There’s even a Virtual Rosary program that you can say the Rosary along with. I believe it has music that you can play in the background, too. You can also put in prayer requests, too. So, it acts as sort of a “shoutbox” that’s on some forums.
 
Thank you soo much everyone. I will go to the websites that you all have mentioned.

Thanx again, and God Bless

:harp:
 
Since just becoming Catholic last year, I also found it helpful to get a CD set, I have the ones made by Father Groeschel, and I pray along with them while I’m driving or at home. It was the absolutely easiest way for me to get “used” to saying the rosary, and it helped me learn how to meditate on the mysteries, which is the most essential part of the devotions.

There are many such sets to chose from. Any good Catholic store, either in person, or online, should have a decent selection to chose from.🙂
 
LilyM said:
It can be a little confusing at first glance. Remember that the Rosary is a private devotion. So there isn’t really a set-in-stone ‘right way’, ‘wrong way’ or ‘best way’ to pray it. Any prayer from the heart is more than acceptable to Our Lord and Our Lady 🙂
.
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What about if a group is doing a Rosary? Does it matter how they do it?

I realize that there are a series of prayers that one may choose, or not choose to do before the Rosary, and after each decade, and after the Rosary…

But isn’t there something that should be done in particular?

Ok… here’s why I’m asking: Seeing a group of women, Catholic women, saying ‘The Rosary’ and it’s pretty much one Our Father, Five Hail Marys and then the sign of the cross.

I’m not sure exactly what they are doing (or why), but it seems it’s NOT a Rosary, and since they aren’t saying ‘We’re doing OUR Rosary’, but instead, saying to others ‘if you want, you can join us for the Rosary’, I would think they’d do it more the traditional way

Does this matter?

Personally, I do a thing I call an ‘Express Rosary’ - It is the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, Three Hail Marys, then the announcement of the First Joyful Mystery, One Our Father, One Hail Mary, then the Second Joyful Mystery, One Our Father, One Hail Mary, and continuing through the rest of the Joyful Mysteries, then the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful, then the Glorious. I conclude with the Salve Regina, Memorare, and then Doxology, and close with the St. Michael’s Prayer.

I realize that Rosary is private, but I want to know that I’m not being abusive in any way. Who do I ask?
 
Apryl said:
What about if a group is doing a Rosary? Does it matter how they do it?

I realize that there are a series of prayers that one may choose, or not choose to do before the Rosary, and after each decade, and after the Rosary…

But isn’t there something that should be done in particular?

Ok… here’s why I’m asking: Seeing a group of women, Catholic women, saying ‘The Rosary’ and it’s pretty much one Our Father, Five Hail Marys and then the sign of the cross.

I’m not sure exactly what they are doing (or why), but it seems it’s NOT a Rosary, and since they aren’t saying ‘We’re doing OUR Rosary’, but instead, saying to others ‘if you want, you can join us for the Rosary’, I would think they’d do it more the traditional way

Does this matter?

Personally, I do a thing I call an ‘Express Rosary’ - It is the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, Three Hail Marys, then the announcement of the First Joyful Mystery, One Our Father, One Hail Mary, then the Second Joyful Mystery, One Our Father, One Hail Mary, and continuing through the rest of the Joyful Mysteries, then the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful, then the Glorious. I conclude with the Salve Regina, Memorare, and then Doxology, and close with the St. Michael’s Prayer.

I realize that Rosary is private, but I want to know that I’m not being abusive in any way. Who do I ask?
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What you describe does sound like something different enough to not really be a Rosary any more. And if prayed in public it wouldn’t attract the indulgences that pubic Rosary recitation does - these specify five decades in a row (decade necessarily meaning group of 10 Hail Marys).

These groups of 10 Hail Marys, (which is implied in the word ‘decade’, Latin for a group of 10) each preceded by an Our Father and ended with a Glory Be, would seem to be required to properly fit the definition.

Not that all prayer isn’t admirable though - and if it’s accompanied by meditation on the Rosary Mysteries even more so. Of course it’s not an abuse at all to pray in this way, or even to call it a ‘Rosary’. Firstly it’s impossible to abuse a private devotion. And it’s not like the term is copyrighted or anything - if you are meditating on the Rosary mysteries there isn’t really anything else you could properly call it!
 
LilyM said:
What you describe does sound like something different enough to not really be a Rosary any more. And if prayed in public it wouldn’t attract the indulgences that pubic Rosary recitation does - these specify five decades in a row (decade necessarily meaning group of 10 Hail Marys).
Click to expand...
You’re talking about my ‘Express Rosary’?

Sounds right. I don’t do it for the indulgences (the ‘Express Rosary’). I started doing it when I didn’t have time for the Rosary, but wanted to also keep track of the actual mysteries of the Rosary. For me, it is the life of Christ, from beginning to end.

Usually, when I do the ‘Express Rosary’, I wind up doing a Rosary later - either alone or with others.

But I still want to know if when someone does the Rosary as a group, and it’s not doing a ‘real’ Rosary, is that ok? Shouldn’t they say ‘This isn’t the Rosary. We’re just saying prayers in honor of Mary’ or some sort of thing
 
Apryl said:
You’re talking about my ‘Express Rosary’?

Sounds right. I don’t do it for the indulgences (the ‘Express Rosary’). I started doing it when I didn’t have time for the Rosary, but wanted to also keep track of the actual mysteries of the Rosary. For me, it is the life of Christ, from beginning to end.

Usually, when I do the ‘Express Rosary’, I wind up doing a Rosary later - either alone or with others.

But I still want to know if when someone does the Rosary as a group, and it’s not doing a ‘real’ Rosary, is that ok? Shouldn’t they say ‘This isn’t the Rosary. We’re just saying prayers in honor of Mary’ or some sort of thing
Click to expand...
Like I said, the name ‘Rosary’ isn’t copyrighted or anything - any meditation on the Rosary mysteries could conceivably rightly be called a ‘Rosary’.
 
Im just rediscovering the magic of the Rosary and how powerful it can be as a tool for meditation and prayer.

As a 20 year old I struggle to find time to pray but the Rosary makes me find that time almost every day now 🙂 Ive gotten used to which day you say each set of mysteries, and now can find the time to say each set of 5 decades most days, that is, i pray all 5 mysteries for that day, im so pleased ive mastered it!

What I was wanting to clarify though, after each decade (the ten hail mary’s) is the large bead used for the ‘our father’, then the ‘glory be’ is said before announcing the next mystery?

Or is the ‘glory be’ seen as the first prayer of the next decade before the ten hail mary’s? Sorry if it doesnt make sense! Whichever way it is, I know ive got the ‘glory be’ in the right place, after the ‘our father’, just wasnt sure if it counts as the start or end of a decade, thats all. thanks.

Matt
 
siouxbhoney said:
My husband doesn’t meditate on the mysteries, though. It is confusing for him while he is trying to learn the rosary, so I think that is acceptable, to.
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If your husband is having trouble doing the prayers and mediations Skip the prayers not the meditation!
The prayers are like background music to the meditation.
Have you heard of the Holy name clause?
Scriptural verses that accompany the Hail Mary’s also help focus on the mysteries.
 
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