A complete Rosary, step by step
A full Rosary consists of an opening, five decades, and a closing. Each decade is a meditation on one scene from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ — a scene called a mystery. The whole prayer takes about twenty minutes.
What you need
A rosary — the beaded string of prayer beads — is helpful but not strictly required. Many people pray with their fingers, with a knotted cord, or with a ring rosary. A printed list of the mysteries is useful when you are learning. Beyond that, only the willingness to begin.
The opening
- Hold the crucifix at the end of the rosary. Make the Sign of the Cross.
- Still on the crucifix, pray the Apostles’ Creed.
- On the first single bead, pray the Our Father.
- On each of the next three small beads, pray a Hail Mary. Many people pray these three for the gifts of faith, hope, and love.
- On the next single bead, pray the Glory Be.
Each decade
A decade is one ‘set’ of ten beads. You will pray five decades in a complete Rosary.
- Announce the mystery (for example, The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation).
- On the single bead before the ten, pray the Our Father.
- On each of the ten small beads, pray one Hail Mary while quietly meditating on the mystery.
- After the ten Hail Marys, pray the Glory Be.
- Many people add the Fatima Prayer (‘O my Jesus …’) here.
- Move to the next decade and repeat with the next mystery.
The closing
After the fifth decade, hold the centerpiece of the rosary and pray the Hail Holy Queen. Many Catholics then add a brief concluding prayer (the traditional one is on the Prayers page), and finish with the Sign of the Cross.
Which mysteries on which day?
The Church has assigned a set of mysteries to each day of the week. You are free to pray any set on any day, but the traditional pattern is:
- Monday — Joyful
- Tuesday — Sorrowful
- Wednesday — Glorious
- Thursday — Luminous
- Friday — Sorrowful
- Saturday — Joyful
- Sunday — Glorious
If you get distracted
It happens. Simply return your attention to the bead nearest your finger and continue. The Rosary is not lost by distraction; it is only lost by giving up. Distraction is part of the offering, not a disqualification from it.
If you only have five minutes
Pray one decade. One Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, on one mystery. A single decade prayed with attention is a true Rosary in miniature. Many Catholics build the habit this way before working up to a full Rosary.