Rosary Aids Spiritual Growth, Says Pope

Zenit News Agency ^ | May 17, 2006

[NYer]

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI invited the faithful to pray the rosary, in order to better understand the key moments of salvation history and to help with "spiritual growth."

At the end of today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope addressed the 45,000 people present. In particular he greeted young people, as well as the sick and newlyweds who came in their wedding clothes, and exhorted all to "intensify the devout practice of praying the rosary, especially in this month of May, dedicated to the Mother of God."

"Dear young people, I invite you to value this traditional Marian prayer which helps us to understand better the central moments of salvation realized by Christ," the Holy Father said.

"Dear sick people, I exhort you to turn with confidence to the Virgin, through this exercise of piety, entrusting all your needs to her," he added.

Finally, Benedict XVI invited newlyweds "to make the praying of the rosary in the family a moment of spiritual growth under the maternal gaze of the Virgin Mary."

[NYer]

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."

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How To Pray the Rosary:

While the rosary and the indulgences attached to it by the Church essentially concerns the decades and the meditation upon the mysteries only, the following is a customary way of preparing for the rosary and concluding it.

1. Preparation

Start by making the sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then recite the Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ,
 His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
 born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Sprit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

Then say 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys (for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity) and then 1 Glory Be:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.


Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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2. The Rosary Proper

The Rosary is essentially the decades and their associated mysteries, and only these must be prayed to "pray the rosary", either in satisfaction of Our Lady's requests, or, to gain the indulgences attached to praying the rosary. 

The traditional Rosary is divided into three parts, each having five mysteries: Glorious, Joyful and Sorrowful. In his apostolic letter The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II proposed a new set of mysteries, which he called the Luminous, and which concern the period of the public life of Our Lord. For those who wish to say all 20 decades at once during the course of a day, they may be said in the following order: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious. 

For those who wish to say only 5 decades per day, the Holy Father proposed the following schedule:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Joyful	Sorrowful

Glorious

Luminous

Sorrowful

Joyful

Glorious

For those who prefer to follow the traditional order of the days it is:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Joyful	Sorrowful	Glorious	Joyful	Sorrowful	Glorious	Glorious

While meditating on the Mysteries, recite:

One Our Father (large beads),  10 Hail Marys (small beads) and  1 Glory Be (before the next large bead) to make a complete decade of the rosary. 

After each decade the Fátima Prayer may also be said (Pope Pius XII).

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

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3. Concluding Prayers

After the completion of five mysteries (5 decades), or 15 or 20, the following is customarily said:

Hail Holy Queen (or Salve Regina may be sung)

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

(Verse) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.  

(Response) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Rosary Prayer

(Verse) Let us pray, 

(Response) O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

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4. For the Intentions of the Holy Father

Catholics who say the rosary in a group, or, individually before the Blessed Sacrament, 
may gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions, which includes prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.

For the intentions of the Holy Father.

Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

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In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

[NYer]

Apologies for the formatting. It's been a long day and I just returned home from a 2 hour meeting of the Columbiettes.

[murphE]

[defconw]

TY! Good reminder for this often lazy Catholic,

[pravknight]

Does this kind of rosary, the Lestovka count too?

[murphE]

[Pyro7480]

I know it has been a help for me. I've been trying to say 5 decades every day over the past few days for the souls who are at risk due to the Da Vinci Code movie. Most of the time, I can't say it all-at-once, but decade-by-decade spread across the day. Still, I think it is having a beneficial effect.

[AnAmericanMother]

[PandaRosaMishima]

Thank you for your prayers, even if I don't know you. I have never believed the daVinci nonsense. I will confess that I did read the book out of curiousity and because my brother sent it as a Christmas gift. My reaction? Same as Garfield the Cat's: Big Fat Hairy Deal. In fact I'd rather reread the Garfield books, every last one, than read Brown again. The only reason I would see the movie is because my Mother is playing the Guilt Card about it.
I will add my prayers to yours for souls swayed by this silliness. (For all I know, your prayers have helped me.) Of course I am but a lazy Protestant, no decades for us.

[Pyro7480]

I read it too, but it was for work.

[Pyro7480]

I read it too, but it was for work.

[Pyro7480]

Sorry for the second post.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

My husband, who was out of the church for a long time, was reluctant to do the rosary until I got him doing the scriptural rosary. I like doing them, cause they help me visualize the mysteries better.

There are a number of them online:

http://www.ainglkiss.com/ros/sr.htm

One that's aimed at children I use with my CCE students:

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/rosary/index.html

This one has music:
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/rosary/home.html

The entire rosary on one web page so you don't have to hit hyperlinks between the mysteries.

http://rosarycreations.com/scripturalrosary.htm

[Salvation]

BTTT!

Three things to do EVERY day.
Say one Rosary -- five decades
Attend daily Mass
Spend one hour of Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament

[ArrogantBustard]

I'm sure it does ... but since most of us are Latin Rite, and haven't a clue what it is, why don't you enlighten us?

Thank you.

[pravknight]

It is a rosary-type device used by the Russian Old Believers and some Byzantine Catholics on which one may say either Hail Marys or "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Have Mercy Upon Me the Sinner."

The focus of the Lestovka and the Prayer Rope, another Byzantine rosary-like devotion, is entrance into full communion with God's divine energies and his process of Theosis.

[warriorforourlady]

Good Post and Good Thread.

I have a solid devotion to "The Mother of God" and Our Lady has led me back to the practise of the Catholic Faith after I was quite indifferent for a period of time.

[plck]

True. One day i pray continous per day. I felt where I belong to. I grateful to Mother Mary coz'...maybe I was given a chance to change my way. But still I sin again...again...to GOD. I did put a fight to maintain my prayer.