What does saying the rosary mean

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter! By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. Healthy Living. By Jessica Ciosek. Reviewed: November 15, Rosary beads come in all shapes, colors, sizes and quality. Some rosaries are strung with pearl, crystal, wood and even plastic. But where did the ritual of the rosary come from?

And what exactly is the significance of rosary beads? The rosary in simplest terms is a tool used to aid prayer and meditation. The beads of a rosary count the prayers as they are recited out loud or in the mind. Most commonly recognized in the United States as a symbol of Catholicism, other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Paganism and Islam employ rosary bead traditions as well. History of Rosary Beads The earliest records of the practice of counting prayers among religions of Western culture can be traced to the 11th and 12th centuries.

It is believed that people carried small stones or pebbles in their pockets with which to count prayers. However, there is evidence that Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam all had traditions of prayer counting that predate this pebble counting, and these faiths had incorporated a string of beads for this counting. Roman Catholic Rosary In the Roman Catholic tradition, the term rosary refers to both the string of beads and the prayer said using that string of beads.

To pray the rosary is to recite specific prayers corresponding with particular beads on the string. A rosary is a made up of a crucifix, one larger bead, three small beads, another larger bead and then a medal. After the medal comes a larger bead again, followed by a group of 10 smaller beads. Around the rosary chain there are five sets of each of these beads one large, 10 small. The larger bead is separated from the smaller beads, signifying the different prayers recited while holding the bead.

Next, say one Hail Mary for each of the next three beads, taking each bead in your fingers as you begin each prayer in succession. Traditionally, among Catholics, these 3 Hail Marys are offered to obtain an increase in the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity and for the intentions of the Pope.

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 our death.

Though it's up to you to decide whether you want to say the Hail Mary or not, the many arguments put forth by members of the Catholic Church and various Protestant churches [1] X Research source regarding the prayer's biblical basis may help you come to a decision. If you're reluctant to say the Hail Mary, know that some Protestant churches have their own versions of the rosary that omit this prayer.

Move to the chain or cord between the three Hail Mary beads and the next bead and say the Doxology. As it was in the beginning, is now, will be for ever. Proceed to the next bead and say an Our Father. The Holy rosary is divided into five decades, each composed of ten Hail Marys and separated from each other by Our Fathers.

Say the first decade by reciting the "Hail Mary" for each bead in the decade. After the central bead, move counter-clockwise to the first group of ten beads. Say one Hail Mary for each bead in the decade, moving along the length of beads as you go. Note that many people say a single decade of the Holy rosary as a "short version" of the Holy rosary when they don't have time to say the entire Holy rosary. Proceed to the chain or cord separating the first decade from the next bead and say the Doxology.

Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them.

In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of redemption.

Proceed through the next decade, starting with the Lord's Prayer. You have successfully completed the first decade of the Holy rosary.

Now, continue along the Holy rosary's beads, following the pattern of the first decade for each subsequent decade - one Our Father for the first bead, followed by a Hail Mary for each of the following ten beads, followed by a Doxology.

Work your way along the rosary in this fashion until you have gone all the way around the chain of beads and are back at the large central bead.

Reach the center medallion and say the Salve Regina. When you finish, make the Sign of the Cross to finish the Holy Rosary. Congratulations - you're done! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! These can be "official" prayers like the Our Father and Apostle's Creed or personal, improvised prayers from the heart. Part 2. Use the mysteries to deepen your relationship with Christ and Mary. The Holy rosary is not just a prayer tool - it's also a way to reflect on important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Many serious Catholics choose to do so by reflecting on certain sets of mysteries as they pray the Holy rosary. Each set contains five mysteries grouped according to certain emotional themes. Each mystery is associated with a certain religious virtue or "spiritual fruit" e. By reflecting on these mysteries, someone who prays the Holy rosary can work to strengthen his or her personal relationship with Jesus and and Mary, meditating on each event and the spiritual fruit associated with it.

Note that not everyone who says the rosary chooses to do this, but anyone can. There are currently four sets of mysteries. Reflect on one mystery for each decade of the rosary. To say the rosary in observance of one of the sets of mysteries, the person saying the rosary proceeds as normal from the crucifix through the first few beads. The person saying the rosary proceeds through the rosary in this fashion, reflecting on a different mystery for each decade.

Each set of mysteries contains five mysteries - one for each decade of the rosary. Traditionally, a person reflects on a different set of mysteries for each day of the week. Below are more detailed instructions for each set.

The Joyful Mysteries are happy events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. These events occur fairly early in their respective stories - two even take place before the birth of Jesus. These events are centered around the death of Christ by crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries are events associate with the resurrection of Christ and the entry of Jesus and his mother into heaven. Reflect on the Five Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays. The Luminous Mysteries are the most-recently created mysteries, having been added to Catholic tradition in These mysteries are events from Jesus' adult life and ministry.

Unlike the other sets of mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries are not necessarily close to each other chronologically - while, for instance, the Sorrowful Mysteries all take place in sequence during a single short period, the Luminous Mysteries do not. The understanding of the ability to manifest-through faith. Most people attribute the Holy Rosary to Saint Dominic. Not Helpful 3 Helpful Some pray personal intentions before starting the Apostles' Creed at the very beginning of the rosary.

Some people pray each decade for a specific intention; if you want to do that, pray your personal intention before the Our Fathers for each decade. Not Helpful 1 Helpful Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7. When saying the "Glory be,"" what does it mean when we pray, "as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

When Catholics recite the twelve prayers that form a decade of the rosary, they meditate on the mystery associated with that decade. Critics, not knowing about the meditation part, imagine the rosary must be boring, uselessly repetitious, and meaningless.

Christ forbade meaningless repetition Matt. Look at Psalms , which is a litany a prayer with a recurring refrain meant to be sung in the Jewish Temple. It is the meditation on the mysteries that gives the rosary its staying power. With the exception of the last two, each mystery is explicitly scriptural. True, the Assumption and Coronation of Mary are not explicitly stated in the Bible, but they are not contrary to it, so there is no reason to reject them out of hand.

Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers the Dominicans , instituted the rosary. Not so. Certain parts of the rosary predated Dominic; others arose only after his death. Centuries before Dominic, monks had begun to recite all psalms on a regular basis. As time went on, it was felt that the lay brothers, known as the conversi , should have some form of prayer of their own. They were distinct from the choir monks, and a chief distinction was that they were illiterate.

They needed an easily remembered prayer. The prayer first chosen was the Our Father, and, depending on circumstances, it was said either fifty or a hundred times. The rosaries that originally were used to count Our Fathers came to be used, during the twelfth century, to count Hail Marys—or, more properly, the first half of what we now call the Hail Mary.

The second half was added some time later. Both Catholics and non-Catholics, as they learn more about the rosary and make more frequent use of it, come to see how its meditations bring to mind the sweet fragrance not only of the Mother of God, but of Christ himself.

Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, Skip to main content Accessibility feedback tract. Download Share. The Hail Mary The next prayer in the rosary, and the one that is really at the center of the devotion, is the Hail Mary.