Ways to pray the rosary--helpful resources?

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I was just wondering if people would mind suggesting their favorite meditations or ways of praying the rosary. I have been doing a scriptural rosary, which had one scripture for each bead, which I like, but I’d like to try different ways of praying the rosary. So I’m hoping people might have suggestions for specific resources they use–either for small meditations for each Hail Mary, or maybe a list of intentions or virtues for each bead to pray for, or something else entirely! So what’s your preferred resource for praying the rosary?
 
This blog has a collection of artwork of the mysteries which can be scrolled through as you pray. Click on the lead painting (or any of them) and it goes into expanded view. I love to ponder the images in the artists’ eyes as i contemplate.

starrymantle.blogspot.com
 
I like to keep things simple when I pray the rosary.
That said, one change I’ve made is to add the Fatima Decade Prayer
at the end of each decade, after the Glory Be …

Fatima Decade Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into Heaven, and help especially those most in need of your mercy.

…
 
Jennifer132 said:
I was just wondering if people would mind suggesting their favorite meditations or ways of praying the rosary. I have been doing a scriptural rosary, which had one scripture for each bead, which I like, but I’d like to try different ways of praying the rosary. So I’m hoping people might have suggestions for specific resources they use–either for small meditations for each Hail Mary, or maybe a list of intentions or virtues for each bead to pray for, or something else entirely! So what’s your preferred resource for praying the rosary?
Click to expand...
This is St Louis de Montfort’s The Secret of the Rosary. It has a section (scroll down to “how to recite it”) on how to pray the rosary better:
ecatholic2000.com/montfort/rosary/rosary.shtml#__RefHeading___Toc350796690
Just note that St Louis sometimes uses hyperbole to describe Mary; his works are much more categorized as devotional, not doctrinal. I found it helpful to further understand what the Church teaches about Mary before reading his works, because they were very surprising to me when I read what he wrote about her
 
Rosary, or rosarium in Latin, means a ‘crown of roses’.

One inspiration for the name was the idea of placing on the heads of Jesus and Mary garlands of 150 white roses and sixteen red roses, roses that never wilt or lose their beauty.

Imagine that we were making a garland of roses for the Blessed Virgin with every five decade Rosary:
Each Hail Mary is a white rose to honor her exquisite purity
Each Our Father a red rose honoring the Blood Our Lord shed for love of us.

When someone says they have recited a Rosary, then they have prayed just five decades and one crown of roses.
When someone says they have recited the ‘entire’ Rosary, then they have pray all fifeen decades or three Rosaries and three crowns of roses.

We could recite the entire Rosary every day, that is to say, three rosaries each of five decades, which we can liken to three garlands or crowns of flowers.

Why do we want three crowns of roses instead of just one?
To honor the three crowns of Jesus and Mary:


  1. *]The crown of grace at the time of His Incarnation
    *]His crown of thorns during His Passion
    *]His crown of glory in Heaven

    But what’s in it for us?
    So that we ourselves may receive three crowns from Our Lord and Our Lady:

    1. *]A crown of merit during our lifetimes
      *]A crown of peace at our deaths
      *]A crown of glory in Heaven.
 
Jennifer132 said:
I was just wondering if people would mind suggesting their favorite meditations or ways of praying the rosary. I have been doing a scriptural rosary, which had one scripture for each bead, which I like, but I’d like to try different ways of praying the rosary. So I’m hoping people might have suggestions for specific resources they use–either for small meditations for each Hail Mary, or maybe a list of intentions or virtues for each bead to pray for, or something else entirely! So what’s your preferred resource for praying the rosary?
Click to expand...
I like a few other sets of “small meditations for each Hail Mary.”

For example, the Rosary Center has a booklet named “Praying The Rosary Without Distractions.” The meditations (and accompanying illustrations) are available on the Rosary Center website:

rosary-center.org/joyful.htm
rosary-center.org/luminous.htm
rosary-center.org/sorrow.htm
rosary-center.org/glorious.htm
 
Jennifer132 said:
I was just wondering if people would mind suggesting their favorite meditations or ways of praying the rosary. I have been doing a scriptural rosary, which had one scripture for each bead, which I like, but I’d like to try different ways of praying the rosary. So I’m hoping people might have suggestions for specific resources they use–either for small meditations for each Hail Mary, or maybe a list of intentions or virtues for each bead to pray for, or something else entirely! So what’s your preferred resource for praying the rosary?
Click to expand...
This may not be what you have in mind. But the Mary Foundation gives away free Rosary CDs. I’m weak so I can’t pray the Rosary without audio help. They don’t offer any extra meditation material during the Rosary. But the voices are beautiful. I also put it on repeat so I can can hear the Hail Marys over and over, which is very soothing.
 
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