The full Rosary is made up of four sets of five mysteries. The meditation on each mystery is accompanied by the praying of the Lord’s Prayer, followed by ten ‘Hail Mary’s and one ‘Glory be...’
The Rosary is a pattern of prayer popular among Christians. At heart it is a series of meditations on some aspects, or mysteries, of the life of Jesus Christ and Mary his mother.
The full Rosary is made up of four sets of five mysteries.
The meditation on each mystery is accompanied by the praying of the Lord’s Prayer, followed by ten Hail Mary’s and one Glory be…
The twenty mysteries, together with the text of the prayers can be found here: Mysteries and Prayers.
Normally only one set of mysteries is prayed at a time.
Pope Saint John Paul II wrote:
“The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth… Against the background of the words ‘Hail Mary’ the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before the eyes of the soul. They take shape in the complete series of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and they put us in living communion with Jesus through – we might say – the heart of his Mother.
“At the same time our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind: our personal concerns and those of our neighbour, especially those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.”
In the Holy Land, rosary beads are traditionally crafted from the wood of olive trees.
The Rosary is a simple, tangible way of keeping Jesus at the front and centre of our lives.
