Brief History of the Rosary

The 15 Promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary to those who pray the Rosary


How to Pray the Rosary?

  • Make the Sign of the Cross, pray the Apostles’ Creed
  • Pray the Our Father one time.
  • Pray the Hail Mary three times.
  • Pray the Glory Be one time.
  • For the First Mystery, pray the Our Father one time.
  • Then meditate on the First Mystery while praying ten Hail Marys.
  • Pray the Glory Be.
  • Pray the Fatima Prayer.
  • Pray the next four Mysteries in the same way.
  • After the five Mysteries, pray the Hail Holy Queen.
  • It has been suggested to meditate on the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays; the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays; the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday and the Glorious Mysteries on Sundays and Wednesdays.

The Mysteries of the Rosary:


The Sign of the Cross

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

The Apostles’ 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; on the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and life everlasting. Amen.

The Our Father

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.

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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 our death. Amen.

The Glory Be

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.

The Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls into heaven, especially those who have most need of thy mercy. Amen.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail 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, O most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, that after this our exile, show unto us the Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


The Mysteries of the Rosary:

    • Joyful Mysteries.
      • The First Joyful Mystery:  The Annunciation
        • In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27)
      • The Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
        • During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Luke 1:39-42)
      • The Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity of the Lord
        • In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)
      • The Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation of the Lord
        • When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. (Luke 2:21-24)
      • The Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple
        • Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2:41-47)
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    • Luminous Mysteries
      • The Baptism of the Lord
        • After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
      • The Wedding Feast at Cana
        • On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” (And) Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:1-5)
      • The Proclamation of the Kingdom
        • “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
      • The Transfiguration of the Lord
        • After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:1-2)
      • The Institution of the Eucharist
        • While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26)
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    • Sorrowful Mysteries
      • The Agony in the Garden
        • Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:36-39)
      • Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar
        • Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly. (John 19:1-3)
      • Jesus is Crowned with Thorns
        • Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matthew (NAB) 27:27-29)
      • Jesus Carries the Heavy Cross
        • They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They brought him to the place of Golgotha (which is translated Place of the Skull). (Mark 15:21-22)
      • Jesus is Crucified on the Cross
        • When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. (Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”)… It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon 45 because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:33-46)
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  • Glorious Mysteries
    • The Resurrection of the Lord
      • But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee.” (Luke 24:1-6)
    • The Ascension of the Lord
      • So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19)
    • The Descent of the Holy Spirit
      • When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2:1-4)
    • The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
      • For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:48-49)
    • The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
      • A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Revelation 12:1)


Brief History of the Rosary

In the 9th century, Christian monks began to use pebbles as an aid to prayer. A prayer would be said for each pebble. Later on, they began to use a string of beads. Christian monks would recite the 150 Psalms, but at that time, most lay people could not read the Psalms, so they would say the Our Father instead. When the practice of reciting many Our Fathers spread among the people, they called the strings of beads on which they counted the prayers “Paternosters.” Paternoster is Latin for “Our Father.”

The rosary as we now know it originated at the time of St. Dominic (1170-1221 AD). According to Church tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic and instructed him how to pray the rosary, and to spread the practice among the faithful. It was then that the 150 Hail Mary’s replaced the 150 Our Fathers. The Hail Mary’s were grouped in ten, which are called “decades.” Each decade represents an event in the life of Jesus, which are called “mysteries.” As a person prays a decade of the rosary, he should meditate on the life of Christ. Therefore, the rosary should not be misunderstood as a worship to Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave us the rosary so that we can always be reminded of her Son, Jesus Christ. The mysteries of the rosary contain God’s plan of salvation for us.


The 15 Promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary to those who pray the Rosary

  • Whoever shall faithfully serve me by praying the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
  • I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
  • The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
  • The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
  • The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
  • 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.
  • Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
  • Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenititude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
  • I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
  • The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
  • You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
  • All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
  • 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.
  • All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.
  • Devotion of the Rosary is a great indication that they are on the path to Heaven.

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