Praying one decade of the rosary

[annb]

I’m teaching PSR at our church, and the children are learning about the mysteries of the rosary. Since we have a lot of other material to cover each week, I thought it would be good to learn about one mystery and then say a decade of the rosary each class. However, I wasn’t sure if there was a typical way to pray just one decade, if you just said 10 hail mary’s and an our father, or if it would be more than that. I couldn’t find anything when I googled it.

 

[Cricket123]

I did this with some of my own classes. We read about the mystery, maybe a bit of the appropriate Gospel and/or a simple reflection, then recited the decade: Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be, and we added the (not mandatory but traditional) Fatima prayer.

It seemed to work well for the young ones and took about 5 minutes or so.

 

[annb]

Perfect, thanks. That will fit with the time we have available and their attention span at that time of day.

 

[LilyM]

I did this with some of my own classes. We read about the mystery, maybe a bit of the appropriate Gospel and/or a simple reflection, then recited the decade: Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be, and we added the (not mandatory but traditional) Fatima prayer.

It seemed to work well for the young ones and took about 5 minutes or so.

Yep, that’s exactly what a single decade of the Rosary consists of - an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, a Glory Be and (if wished) the ‘O My Jesus …’ (Fatima Prayer).

 

[Apryl]

Yep, that’s exactly what a single decade of the Rosary consists of - an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, a Glory Be and (if wished) the ‘O My Jesus …’ (Fatima Prayer).

But where do you get ‘that’s exactly’? Since there are not a lot of sources for 'the way to do a Decade of the Rosary, it’s something I’ve been looking for: direction on the correct way to do a single Decade.

 

[Dorothy]

But where do you get ‘that’s exactly’? Since there are not a lot of sources for 'the way to do a Decade of the Rosary, it’s something I’ve been looking for: direction on the correct way to do a single Decade.

Another way of praying a decade of the Rosary is to pray the Scriptural Rosary. There is Scripture passage before each Hail Mary. Here is an example:

ainglkiss.com/ros/jo.htm

When I was a CCD teacher I typed up ten of those Scripture passages and handed them out to ten children. They were, beforehand, taught that they were to read the line of scripture, then hesitate for a couple of seconds and then say the first part of the Hail Mary. Then the rest of the class said the second part of the Hail Mary. I heartily encouraged them to say the Rosary this way, as it helps to focus on the mystery this way.

Of course the other way is fine also! Some people find it easy to focus on the Mystery as long as the decade is preceded by a few sentences about it.

As long as one meditates on the mystery during each decade, while holding Our Blessed Mother’s hand, (saying the Hail Marys) then that is a correct way to say each decade.

 

[sungirl]

Yep, that’s exactly what a single decade of the Rosary consists of - an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, a Glory Be and (if wished) the ‘O My Jesus …’ (Fatima Prayer).

Sometimes I pray just 1 decade and that’s how I do it. But I agree that instructions are hard to find; a few months ago I looked and looked and couldn’t find anything.

 

[LilyM]

But where do you get ‘that’s exactly’? Since there are not a lot of sources for 'the way to do a Decade of the Rosary, it’s something I’ve been looking for: direction on the correct way to do a single Decade.

Because it’s the only way that makes any kind of sense at all, given what the instructions are for praying five decades. It’s a situation where common sense is required rather than detailed instructions.

It just wouldn’t make sense, for example, to include two Our Fathers but skip the Glory Be. Or vice versa to say two Glory Bes but skip the Our Father.

What other conclusion could you possibly reach? That one is to say the Apostles Creed, Our Father and Three Hail Mary’s before a single decade? And the Hail Holy Queen etc afterwards. But if so they’d be said before and after EACH decade when you’re saying the five.

See what I mean? One just needs to apply a bit of common sense. Stands to reason it’s one Our Father and one Glory Be, no more and no less.

 

[Cricket123]

Just quickly, plenty of Rosary resources here. Check out the link for the Rosary Confraternity as well.

 

[Apryl]

See what I mean? One just needs to apply a bit of common sense. Stands to reason it’s one Our Father and one Glory Be, no more and no less.

While it’s obviously a valid way to do a single Decade, my question related to the choice of the term, ‘exactly’, since where I come from, there is no ‘wrong way’ to do the Rosary (provided the intention is correct, and one is moving to put/keep their heart right)

As for me, when I do a Decade, I do it just so I can get to the Salve Regina, the Memorare, the Doxology and the St. Michael Prayer at the end. Based on the post, I’m wrong for doing that, since the way posted earlier was ‘it exactly’.

The point is, there is no right or wrong way, but there are several good ways to do this.

Not only that, if there was some source (with the authorization and such), that would also be helpful. But to state ‘that’s it exactly’ was what I objected to, not the way to do the Rosary or even a Decade of the Rosary.

 

[Edwin78]

Here is a private devotion that one may practice based on praying one decade of the Holy Rosary at a time: Little Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary.

It seems to be not approved by any ecclesiastic authority, but it seems to be a sound devotion

 

[sungirl]

Here is a private devotion that one may practice based on praying one decade of the Holy Rosary at a time: Little Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary.

Thanks for posting that!