The Holy Rosary
The Story of the Holy Rosary
• The devotion of the Holy Rosary has been
treasured in the Church for many
centuries. It is a summary of Christian
faith in language and prayers inspired by
the Bible. The Rosary is one of the best
prayers that families are invited to recite.
Three appearances of the
Blessed Virgin Mary with the Rosary
•Saint Dominic
•Our Lady of Lourdes
•Our Lady of Fatima
Saint Dominic
• The origin of this devotion is
traditionally connected with St. Dominic
who was in Spain in the thirteenth
century. He founded the Order of
Preachers, or Dominicans. He went to
France as a missionary to convert
some people.
• One day the Blessed Virgin Mary
appeared to Dominic, holding a Rosary
in her hand. She told him that the
devotion of the Rosary would convert
sinners and obtain great graces from
God. She said, “This is the precious
gift which I leave to you.”
• Saint Dominic taught the people how to
say the Rosary. Soon, more than one
hundred thousand people were
converted.
Our Lady of Lourdes
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In 1858 the Blessed Virgin Mary
appeared eighteen times to Saint
Bernadette, a humble peasant girl, at
Lourdes in France. She appeared in a
rocky cave in a glow of brightest light.
She wore a white robe and a blue sash,
and on each of her feet there was a
golden rose. A white Rosary with a
cross of gold hung from her right arm.
The beautiful Lady said the Rosary with
Bernadette. She asked her little friend
to tell the people to do penance for their
sins and to pray. One day Bernadette
asked, “My lady, would you be so kind
as to tell me who your are?”
The Lady joined her hands and looking
up to heaven, said, “I am the
Immaculate Conception.”
St. Bernadette
Our Lady of Fatima
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On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin
appeared to three little shepherd children
at Fatima, in Portugal. Their names were
Lucy, Jacinta, and Francisco. The
beautiful Lady was dressed in white, and
she stood on a bright cloud over a small
oak tree. From her right hand hung a
white Rosary. She said to the children:
“Have no fear. I come from heaven. I
want you children to come here on the
thirteenth day of each month, until
October. Then I will tell you who I am.”
On October 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin
Mary again appeared to the children of
Fatima. She said: “I am the Lady of the
Rosary. I have come to warn the
faithful to amend their lives and ask
pardon for their sins. People must not
continue to offend our Lord, already so
deeply offended. They must say the
Rosary.”
The Prayers of the Rosary
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The Sign of the Cross
The Apostles Creed
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Glory Be to the Father
The Hail, Holy Queen
The Mysteries of the Rosary
• As we recite the prayers of the rosary, we
think about certain stories in the lives of
Jesus and Mary.
• There are four sets of five mysteries, or
stories, for us to think about while we pray
the rosary. The stories tell of certain
events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.
The Joyful Mysteries
• The Joyful Mysteries help us to think of
Mary’s joy when Jesus came into the
world. They are:
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The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Birth of the Child Jesus
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Finding of Jesus in the Temple
• Usually said on Mondays and Saturdays [except during Lent]
and the Sundays from Advent to Lent.
The Luminous Mysteries
• The Luminous Mysteries or the Mysteries of
Light help us to think of Mary’s joy, as the
first among believers, when Jesus began to
proclaim the Good News of salvation for all
who followed Him. They are:
• The Baptism of Jesus
• Christ’s Self-Manifestation at Cana
• Christ’s Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
• The Transfiguration of Our Lord
• Christ’s Institution of the Eucharist
• Usually said on Thursdays, except during Lent.
The Sorrowful Mysteries
• The Sorrowful Mysteries help us to think of
Mary’s great sorrow when Jesus suffered for
our salvation. They are:
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The Agony of Jesus in the Garden
The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar
The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns
Jesus Carries His Heavy Cross
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
• Usually said on Tuesdays and Fridays
throughout the year and every day from Ash
Wednesday until Easter.
The Glorious Mysterious
• The Glorious Mysteries help us to think of
the glorious Resurrection of Jesus and the
Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven. They
are:
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The Resurrection of Jesus
The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Usually said on Wednesdays (except during
Lent) and the Sundays from Easter to
Advent.
After the Rosary
• Hail, Holy Queen
• Let us pray
– O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life,
death and resurrection, has purchased for us
the rewards of eternal life; grant, we ask You,
that, meditating upon these Mysteries of the
Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain and obtain
what they promise, through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.