How to pray the Rosary and understand the true meaning of it

“If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.”


These are the famous words that Pope Pius XI used to underline the importance of one of the simplest, but most powerful prayers of the Catholic tradition: the Rosary. Surprisingly, though, a lot of Catholic, especially young people, are not taught how to pray Rosary or haven’t seen older generations reciting it in church or at home.

We have already had the chance of talking about the history of Rosary throughout the centuries, here is a brief and simple guide, useful not only to learn the order of prayers, but also to go deeper into the Rosary’s meaning.

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How to pray the Rosary: the Beads

First of all, the Rosary (a word that comes from Latin “rosarium”, “crown of roses”) is a string (or crown) usually made of 59 beads in groups of ten, the so-called “decades”. Larger beads are used to separate the decades from each other. Each Rosary has a pendant segment with the crucifix, connected to the cord by a centerpiece, also called “connector” or “medallion”.

As we already mentioned in the blog post on The Art of Making Rosary, this ancient practice survived for centuries thanks to the matrilineal inheritance of a manufacturing technique, which is still a fine example of Made in Italy excellence. Nowadays various technique and materials are used to produce this craft on a large scale, Rosaries by Savelli Religious, though, are designed and assembled with the same cure and dedication of the ancient tradition.    

 

How to pray the Rosary: the Prayers

Before beginning, have a look at this infographic to understand the exact order of the Rosary’s prayers, from the first to very last one. The Rosary is divided up into five decades, each one made of ten small beads. According to the tradition, every decade starts announcing or meditating on one of the five “mysteries” from the lives of Christ and Virgin Mary.

Start by making the sign of the Cross.

  1. Invocation to God holding the crown.
  2. Announce and meditate on the first mystery of the Rosary.
  3. Hold onto the large bead and recite the Our Father.
  4. Pray 10 Hail Mary, one for each bead of the decade. 
  5. At the end of each decade pray the Glory Be.
  6. At the large bead, before starting the next decade, you announce the following mystery.
  7. Recite the Our Father.

Repeat the same sequence for the 5 mysteries until reaching the end of the decades.

  1. Holding the first large bead following the crucifix, you recite the Our Father
  2. Pray 3 Hail Mary on the following 3 beads.
  3. Recite Hail, Holy Queen.
  4. Recite the last prayer: theApostles’ Creed, the profession of faith in the Catholic Church.

End by making the Sign of the Cross.

Image source: Pixabay.com

 

Related articles:

The 15 promises of the Rosary: let’s discover them →
20 mysteries of the Rosary: let’s discover them →
How to get Rosaries blessed by the Pope →