A short glossary of words and phrases used in praying the Rosary.
Annunciation
The moment, recorded in Luke 1, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear Jesus, and Mary said yes. The First Joyful Mystery.
Apostles’ Creed
An early summary of Christian belief, prayed on the crucifix at the start of the Rosary. Tradition associates its formation with the apostles.
Assumption
The teaching that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. The Fourth Glorious Mystery.
Beads
The small spheres of the rosary, used to count the Hail Marys. Beads have been used in repetitive prayer for nearly two thousand years.
Centerpiece
The small medal or piece joining the loop of the rosary to its tail. The Hail Holy Queen is often prayed while holding it.
Coronation
The crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven, the Fifth Glorious Mystery.
Crucifix
A cross bearing the figure of the crucified Christ. The rosary’s crucifix is held during the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles’ Creed.
Decade
One “set” of ten Hail Marys, framed by an Our Father and a Glory Be. Five decades make a Rosary.
Doxology
A short formula of praise to God. The “Glory Be” is the doxology used in the Rosary.
Fatima Prayer
The brief prayer beginning “O my Jesus …,” reported to have been given by Mary to the children of Fatima in 1917. Added by many after the Glory Be of each decade.
Fiat
Latin for “let it be done.” Mary’s reply to the angel at the Annunciation: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum — “let it be done to me according to your word.”
Fruit of the Mystery
The particular virtue or grace traditionally associated with each mystery (humility for the Annunciation, patience for the Carrying of the Cross, and so on).
Glorious Mysteries
The five mysteries of the Resurrection and what followed. Prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Hail Holy Queen
English name for the Salve Regina, prayed at the close of the full Rosary.
Hail Mary
The most repeated prayer of the Rosary. Its first half is drawn from the Gospel of Luke; its second half is the Church’s prayer asking Mary’s intercession.
Indulgence
The Church’s remission of temporal punishment due to sin, granted under specific conditions. Certain indulgences are attached to the Rosary.
Intercession
The act of asking someone — on earth or in heaven — to pray on one’s behalf. Catholics ask Mary’s intercession; they do not worship her.
Joyful Mysteries
The five mysteries of the Incarnation and the childhood of Jesus. Prayed on Mondays and Saturdays.
Luminous Mysteries
Five mysteries from the public ministry of Jesus, added by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. Prayed on Thursdays.
Magnificat
Mary’s song of praise at the Visitation (Luke 1:46–55), beginning “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Meditation
Quiet, attentive consideration of a scene or truth of the faith. The Rosary is meditative prayer.
Mystery
In the Rosary, a scene from the life, death, or resurrection of Christ on which the praying mind rests during a decade. There are twenty in total.
Our Father
The prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples (Matthew 6, Luke 11). Also called the Pater Noster or the Lord’s Prayer.
Rosary
Both the prayer and the beaded string used to count it. From the Latin rosarium, “a garden of roses.”
Salve Regina
Latin name for the Hail Holy Queen, one of the oldest Marian prayers in the Western Church.
Scriptural Rosary
A way of praying the Rosary that pairs each Hail Mary with a short verse of Scripture from the mystery being meditated.
Sign of the Cross
The traditional Christian gesture and prayer made at the beginning and end of the Rosary, naming the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sorrowful Mysteries
The five mysteries of Christ’s Passion and death. Prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays.