Our
Lord Himself commanded us to pray unceasingly (Luke 18:1), so right from
the beginning various traditions in the Church have gotten started with this
command in mind. Early monks threw pebbles in piles as they kept count of
repetitive Our Fathers. Later, prayers were counted on knotted cords. And,
by the 12th century, beads—usually of wood or clay, and sometimes even
of precious jewels—replaced the knotted cords.
Over the centuries, many approved
devotions have developed from these circlets of beads.
The Rosary as we know it today evolved
from the custom of monks who, not having learned to read, and therefore having
been unable to recite the one hundred and fifty psalms of the Daily Office,
recited, in place of the Office, one hundred and fifty Our Fathers each day.
In time, many Christian faithful began to recite one hundred and fifty Hail
Marys each day as an expression of Marian devotion. By the beginning of the
15th century it was common to recite the Hail Marys in decades (groups of
ten) punctuated with fifteen Our Fathers; and by the end of the 15th century
an additional custom developed: meditating on the central Gospel
“Mysteries” of the life of Christ and Mary while praying the Hail
Marys.
“All generations
will call me blessed”: . . . The Church rightly honors
“the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times
the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’
to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and
needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially
from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the
Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration” [Lumen
gentium 66]. The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and
Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole
Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 971, emphasis added).
The Franciscan historian Luke Wadding
(1588-1657) dates the origin of the Franciscan Crown to the year 1422.
He tells the story of a young novice in the Franciscan Order who, previously
accustomed to express his devotion to the Blessed Virgin by adorning her
statue with a wreath of fresh flowers, was prevented from continuing this
practice in the novitiate. In distress, he considered leaving the Order.
But the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and instructed him to recite a rosary
of seven decades in honour of her seven joys; thus, he might weave a
“crown” more pleasing to her than flowers on her statue.
From that time the practice of reciting
the “crown of the seven joys“ became general in the order. Thus
it became known as the Franciscan Crown—or the Seraphic
Rosary.
Glory
to God through Mary
“The most resplendent manifestation
of God’s glory is the salvation of souls, whom Christ redeemed by shedding
his blood. To work for the salvation and sanctification of as many souls
as possible, therefore, is the preeminent purpose of the apostolic
life. . . .
 “God,
who is all-knowing and all-wise, knows best what we should do to increase
his glory . . . thus it is obedience and obedience alone that is
the sure sign to us of the divine will. . . . Obedience is
the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence for us to offer glory to
God. . . .
“Let us love our loving Father
with all our heart. Let our obedience increase that love, above all when
it requires us to surrender our own will. . . .
“We will learn this lesson
more quickly through the Immaculate Virgin, whom God has made the dispenser
of his mercy. It is beyond all doubt that Mary’s will represents to
us the will of God himself. By dedicating ourselves to her, we become in
her hands instruments of God’s mercy even as she was such an instrument
in God’s hands. We should let ourselves be guided and led by Mary and
rest quiet and secure in her hands. She will watch out for us, provide for
us, answer our needs of body and spirit; she will dissolve all our difficulties
and worries.”
From the letters of
Maximilian Mary Kolbe (OFM Conv)
(Office of Readings, August 14:
Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr)
The
Seven Joys of Mary
1.
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. And coming
to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But
she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting
this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of
David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of
his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations
with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore
the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth,
your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth
month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for
God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it
be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from
her. (Luke 1:26–38) |
2.
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. And how does this happen to me, that the mother
of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting
reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who
believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
. . . Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her
home. (Luke 1:39–45, 56) |
3.
The Nativity
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) |
4.
The Adoration by the Magi
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold,
magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We
saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”
. . . And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed
at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary
his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1–2,
9b–11) |
5.
The Finding of Our Lord 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.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking
for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you
looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them
and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these
things in her heart. (Luke 2:41–51) |
6.
The Resurrection
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; 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,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and
rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. (Luke
24:1–8) |
7.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven and Her Coronation as Queen
of Heaven
Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way
with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination, immaculate
in her conception,
a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the
divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences,
finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she
should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her
own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the
glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of
her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.
And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary
offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely
devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father’s will and to bringing good
to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption
of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light
of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in
this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies
and souls are destined.
The Apostolic Constitution
Munificentissimus
Deus , 41. 42.
Pope Pius XII |
|
How
to Pray The Franciscan Crown
1. Using beads for
the Franciscan Crown (seven decades), announce the First Mystery
and pray the Our Father on the single bead just before the
medallion.
2. Pray one Hail Mary for each of the ten beads. (It seems
most fitting to proceed around the beads in a clockwise direction.)
3. On the single bead between the decades, announce the next Mystery
and then pray the Our Father. Continue as in Step 2 for the remaining
Mysteries.
4. After the last Mystery, pray one Hail Mary each on the fourth
and third beads from the Cross to complete 72 years of Mary’s Joy.
5. Pray the Our Father and the Glory to the Father
(Gloria Patri) for the intention of the Holy Father on the 2nd bead
from the Cross.
6. Pray a Hail Mary on the single bead closest to the
Cross.
The
Traditional Rosary
 The Blessed Virgin herself
told the children at Fátima to pray the Rosary every day for peace
in the world and for the conversion of sinners. How can we, then, in our
troubled times, fail to pray as ardently today?
The traditional Rosary has fifteen mysteries. It is prayed on a set of beads
having five groups of ten beads separated by single beads, all attached to
a crucifix by three additional beads and a medallion. (Each group of ten
beads is called a decade.) To pray all the mysteries, one would make
multiple circuits around the entire set of main beads.
Recently, in his document
Rosarium
Virginis Mariae (October 2002), Pope John Paul II suggested (but
did not “decree”) five new mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries.
| |
The Joyful
Mysteries |
|
1. |
The Annunciation |
|
2. |
The Visitation |
|
3. |
The Nativity |
|
4. |
The Presentation in
the Temple |
|
5. |
The Finding of Our
Lord in the Temple
|
|
The Luminous Mysteries
(new) |
|
6. |
The Baptism in the
Jordan |
|
7. |
The Self-manifestation
at the Wedding of Cana |
|
8. |
The Proclamation of
the Kingdom of God |
|
9. |
The
Transfiguration |
|
10. |
The Institution of
the Eucharist
|
|
The Sorrowful
Mysteries |
|
11. |
The Agony in the
Garden |
|
12. |
The Scourging |
|
13. |
The Crowning with
Thorns |
|
14. |
The Carrying of the
Cross |
|
15. |
The Crucifixion
|
|
The Glorious
Mysteries |
|
16. |
The Resurrection |
|
17. |
The Ascension |
|
18. |
The Coming of the Holy
Spirit (Pentecost) |
|
19. |
The Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin into Heaven |
|
20. |
The Coronation of the
Blessed Virgin as Queen of Heaven |
How
to Pray the Traditional Rosary
Although some persons pray
all the Mysteries every day, many persons have traditionally prayed five
Mysteries (making one circuit around the five decades of beads) each day
according to the following schedule: the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays
and Thursdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and
the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Where might
the “mysteries of light” be inserted? If we consider that the
“glorious mysteries” are said on both Saturday and Sunday, and
that Saturday has always had a special Marian flavour, the second weekly
meditation on the “joyful mysteries,” mysteries in which Mary’s
presence is especially pronounced, could be moved to Saturday. Thursday would
then be free for meditating on the “mysteries of light.”
(Rosarium
Virginis Mariae).
1. Using beads for
the traditional Rosary, hold the Cross in your right hand, make the Sign
of the Cross, and pray the Apostles’ Creed.
2. Pray the Our Father on the first single bead next to the
Cross.
3. Pray a Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.
4. Pray the Glory to the Father (Gloria Patri) on the
last single bead.
5. Announce the first Mystery and pray the Our Father
on the medallion.
6. Pray one Hail Mary for each of the ten beads. (It seems
most fitting to proceed around the beads in a clockwise direction.)
7. On the space between the last bead of the decade and the single
bead between the decades, pray the Glory to the Father (Gloria
Patri).
8. On the single bead between the decades, announce the next Mystery
and then pray the Our Father. Continue as in Step 6 for the remaining
Mysteries.
9. Pray the Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina) and make
the Sign of the Cross to conclude.
The Pronunciation
of Ecclesiastical and Classical
Latin
The
Prayers
The
Sign of the Cross
Listen
to the Latin
|
| In
Nomine Patris |
(Forehead) |
In
the Name of the Father |
| et
Filii |
(Mid-chest) |
and of
the Son |
| et
Spiritui |
(Left
Shoulder) |
and of
the Holy |
Sancti.
Amen. |
(Right
Shoulder) |
Spirit.
Amen. |
The
Apostles’ Creed
Listen
to the Latin
|
Credo
in Deum,
Patrem omnipotentum,
creatorem coeli et terrae;
et in Jesum Christum,
filium ejus unicum,
Dominum nostrum,
qui conceptus est
de Spiritu sancto,
natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus,
et sepultus.
Descendit ad infernos;
tertia die
resurrexit a mortuis.
Ascendit ad coelos,
sedet ad dexteram
Dei Patris omnipotentis.
Inde venturus est
judicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum sanctum,
sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem,
remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem,
vitam æternam. Amen. |
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 to the dead;
on the third day
he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God, the Father Almighty.
From thence he will 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
(Note the seven petitions.
Pray them with due attention.)
Listen
to the Latin
|
| Pater
noster, qui es in coelis, |
Our
Father, who art in Heaven, |
| sanctificetur
Nomen tuum |
(1) |
Hallowed
be thy Name. |
| Adveniat
regnum tuum; |
(2) |
Thy kingdom
come; |
| fiat voluntas
tua |
(3) |
thy will
be done |
| sicut
in coelo et in terra. |
on
Earth as it is in Heaven. |
Panem
nostram quotidianum
da nobis hodie, |
(4) |
Give us
this day our daily bread,
|
et dimitte
nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus
debitoribus nostris. |
(5) |
and forgive
us our trespasses
as we forgive
those who trespass against us. |
| Et ne
nos inducas in tentationem, |
(6) |
And lead
us not into temptation |
| sed libera
nos a malo. Amen. |
(7) |
but deliver
us from evil. Amen. |
On the Lord’s
Prayer, by Saint
Augustine
The
Hail Mary
Listen
to the Latin
|
Ave,
Maria, gratia plena!
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus
ventris tui, Iesus!
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen. |
Hail,
Mary, full of grace!
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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
Gloria Patri
Listen
to the Latin
|
Gloria
Patri,
et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto,
sicut erat in principio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. |
Glory
to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning
is now and will be
for ever. Amen |
The
Salve Regina
Listen
to the Latin
|
Salve,
Regina,
mater misericordiae;
vita dulcedo,
et spes nostra, salve,
Ad te clamamus,
exsules filii Evae.
Ad te surpiramus,
gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum
ventris tui, nobis post hoc
exsilium ostende.
O clemens! O pia!
O dulcis Virgo Maria!
V. Ora pro nobis,
Sancta Dei Genetrix,
R. Ut digni efficiamur
promissionibus Christi.
|
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 vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy
toward us,
and after this exile,
show us the blessed fruit
of thy womb Jesus.
O clement! O loving!
O sweet Virgin Mary!
V. Pray for us,
O holy Mother of God,
R. That we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
|
 See the musical notation
for the Salve Regina |
|
Optional
Prayers
The
Prayer to Saint Joseph
In 1889, Pope Leo XIII
wrote in
Quamquam
pluries, “We prescribe that during the whole month of October,
at the recitation of the Rosary, for which We have already legislated, a
prayer to St. Joseph be added, the formula of which will be sent with this
letter, and that this custom should be repeated every year.”
Ad
te beate Ioseph, in tribulatione nostra confugimus, atque, implorato Sponsae
tuae sanctissimae auxilio, patrocinium quoque tuum fidenter exposcimus. Per
eam, quaesumus quae te cum immaculata Virgine Dei Genetrice coniunxit, caritatem,
perque paternum, quo Puerum Iesum amplexus es, amorem, supplices deprecamur,
ut ad hereditatem, quam Iesus Christus acquisivit Sanguine suo, benignus
respicias, ac necessitatibus nostris tua virtute et ope succurras.
|
|
Unto
you, O blessed Joseph, do we fly in our tribulation, and having implored
the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.
By that affection that unites you to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and by your fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly
beg you to graciously regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased
by his Blood, and with your power and labor to aid us in our necessities.
|
| Tuere,
o Custos providentissime divinae Familiae, Iesu Christi sobolem electam;
prohibe a nobis, amantissime Pater, omnem errorum ac corruptelarum luem;
propitius nobis, sospitator noster fortissime, in hoc cum potestate tenebrarum
certamine e caelo adesto; et sicut olim Puerum Iesum e summo eripuisti vitae
discrimine, ita nunc Ecclesiam sanctam Dei ab hostilibus insidiis atque ab
omni adversitate defende: nosque singulos perpetuo tege patrocinio, ut ad
tui exemplar et ope tua suffulti, sancte vivere, pie emori, sempiternamque
in caelis beatitudinem assequi possimus. Amen. |
|
O
most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of
Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error
and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and,
as once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s
Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield,
too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your
example and your aid, we may be able to live in holiness, to die piously,
and to obtain everlasting joy in heaven. Amen. |
The
Fátima Prayer
In 1917, the children of
Fátima reported that Our Lady told them to add this prayer to the
Rosary, after each decade, following the Gloria Patri. (The original
is in Portuguese.)
O
meu Jesus,
perdoai-nos e livrai nos
do fogo do inferno;
levai as alminhas todas para o Céu,
principalmente aquelas que mais
precisarem. |
O my
Jesus,
forgive us our sins;
save usfrom the fires of Hell;
lead all souls to heaven,
especially those who have most need of Thy mercy. |
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