Not every day is a good day In an Irish Home. Some days are average, some days are not so great, and some days are dreadful enough that we need a bit of heavenly help to make it through the hours.
Yesterday was one such day: a close family member was in hospital having surgery and, well, you know yourself, no operation is without its possible complications so there was a good deal of worry going round. While the clock ticked away quietly in the background and we waited for word from the Professor (surgeon), I did what any good Irish woman does in these situations…I started to pray.
Now don’t get me wrong…I am no Holy woman, or even a good Catholic for that matter, but I do have a strong sense of faith and I pray regularly. For the most part, my prayers are of a conversational nature…”Hello God…it’s me…again!” or “Thank you, Lord, for the parking space near the shop door!” Other times, however, I need the comfort of a traditional prayer or set of prayers to calm my heart and mind and, in those moments, I turn to the old Catholic standby…the Rosary.
To those unfamiliar with the Catholic Rosary, it is an instrument of prayer and mediation. It’s real purpose is to allow a person to mediate on the mysteries of Christ’s life. I, however, like to use the Rosary to centre my mind and bring myself and/or my problems closer to God.
A Rosary consists of four Mysteries (the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, and the Luminous), and each of these Mysteries is broken into five “Decades”, representing an event in the life of Jesus. Each Mystery is assigned to a different day of the week. For example: the Joyful Mysteries are prayed Monday and Saturday; the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday and Friday; The Glorious Mysteries on Wednesday and Sunday; and the Luminous (also known as the Mysteries of Light) on Thursday. Also, as you can see from the diagram below, a Rosary is broken up into various prayers:.
Diagram for saying the Rosary
To begin praying the Rosary, one starts by making the Sign of the Cross (saying “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”) and then reciting the Apostles’ Creed. Next, one prays the Our Father, three Hail Marys, and a Glory Be to the Father on the beads connecting the crucifix (cross) to the rest of the beads. Then begin the Mysteries: start by announcing the Mystery, followed by announcing the first Decade of the Mystery. Pray one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s, and one Glory Be to the Father and follow this with the Fatima prayer. Announce the next Decade and recite the same thirteen prayers (one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s, one Glory be to the Father, one Fatima prayer again and then do it three more times (for a total of five times). Finally, there is one last Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, and a concluding prayer of the Hail Holy Queen prayer and the Sign of the Cross.
For anyone interested in praying the Rosary, below I’ve written out the four Mysteries and their Decades, the Fatima prayer, the Hail Holy Queen prayer and an extra prayer to the Hail Holy Queen that my mother-in-law always says when she says the Rosary. And, just to finish off this post, the surgery went well and the patient should be home tomorrow mid-day…thank God!
Prayers of the Rosary
Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed (your version may be different depending on when you learned it and where you’re from): I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary: Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death Amen.
Glory Be to the Father: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
Hail Holy Queen: Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
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 beseech you, that meditating on these Mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Four Mysteries and Their Decades
The Joyful Mysteries & Its Five Decades
1. The Annunciation – Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel and asks her if she will be the Mother of the Saviour.
2. The Visitation – Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who says, “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.”
3. The Nativity – Jesus is born.
4. The Presentation – Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the Temple after his birth to present him.
5. The Finding in the Temple – Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple discussing his faith with the Elders.
The Sorrowful Mysteries & Its Five Decades
1. The Agony in the Garden – The thought of our sins and His coming suffering causes the agonizing Savior to sweat blood.
2. The Scourging at the Pillar – Jesus is stripped and scourged until His body is one mass of bloody wounds.
3. The Crowning with Thorns – Jesus’s claim to kingship is ridiculed by putting a crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand.
4. The Carrying of the Cross – Jesus shoulders His own cross and carries it to the place of crucifixion while Mary follows Him sorrowing.
5. The Crucifixion – Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies after three hours of agony witnessed by His Mother.
The Glorious Mysteries & Its Five Decades
1. The Resurrection – Jesus rises from the dead on Easter Sunday, glorious and immortal, as He has predicted.
2. The Ascension – Jesus ascends into Heaven forty days after His resurrection to sit at the right hand of God the Father.
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit – Jesus sends the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues on His Apostles and disciples.
4. The Assumption – Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, is assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
5. The Crowning of Mary – Mary is crowned as Queen of heaven and earth, Queen of angels and saints.
The Luminous (also known as the Mysteries of Light) & Its Five Decades
1. Baptism in the Jordan – God proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son.
2. Self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana – At Mary’s request, Jesus performs his first miracle.
3. Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion – Jesus calls all to conversion and service to the Kingdom.
4. The Transfiguration – Jesus is revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John.
5. Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist – Jesus offers his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.
Related Articles:
To hear the Rosary said in Irish, please go to Coróin Mhuire
The Rosary in Irish (Gaelic) over at Catholic Online
Rosary ideas for kids on Pinterest here
The Rosary as a Tool for Mediation at Loyola Press
How to Say the Rosary at EWTN
In an Irish Home 
Hi Kim,
Delighted to have met you at church today, and that the surgery has gone well with your family member recovering nicely. Your posting about the rosary is a really helpful tool to anyone teaching Religious Education, thanks. I had never heard of the ‘Luminous Decades’, which I understand were introduced by Pope John Paul 11.
As a teenager, I spent many of my Summer Holidays in West Clare, staying with farming friends who were also members of the Franciscan Third Order. The prayed the 7 Decade Franciscan Rosary every day, complete with the trimmings. This version of the rosary has seven decades, all of which are joyful: 1. The Annunciation;2. The Visitation; 3. The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ; 4. The Adoration of the Magi; 5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple; 6. The Appearance of Christ to Mary after the Resurrection; 7. The Assumption and Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.
The ‘trimmings’ are all of the extra prayers said following the seven decades, including the litany of saints. As teenagers, it seemed to go on forever. Nowadays, it appears much shorter. Time plays games with us.
I remember struggling with the rosary, and trying to find meaning in it. I asked a friend why anyone would choose to say such a ‘boring’ prayer. She recommended it for times in our lives when we were without the words, all dried up or just didn’t know what to say. Sometimes the best that I can manage is: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me now and in my last agony’.
There are times to be eloquent and time to say ‘help’! Always good to have different responses to meet the day, whichever kind of day it happens to be.
We have a 7 year old daughter. Every night before she sleeps, she and I say her prayers together, using a prayer which my Dad used to say with me:
‘O Angel of God, my Guardian Dear, To who God’s Love commits me here, Ever this night be at my side, To light and guard, To rule and guide. Amen’.
We follow this with our personal prayers for her, her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, Godparents, people with work with, her friends and teachers in school and creche, our neighbours and friends in our estate, the people in our village, all those who are sick and need payers, all who need prayers and have no one to pray for them.
By the time we have read her story, and had her prayers, sleep isn’t far away. Not as long as a Rosary, but still providing a useful scaffold to hold things together in shaky moments. Goodnight. A link to the Franciscan Rosary is http://www.prayerfulrosary.com. Be mindful not to cause children indigestion with too big a meal: even in prayer. Keep the prayer appropriate to the pray-er;-) Sheelagh
Hi Sheelagh! It was lovely seeing you on Sunday as well! 🙂 Thank you very much for the comments on the Rosary, the Franciscan 7 Decade Rosary is new(s) to me…I’ll be sure to check it out. I love that you say a prayer with your daughter every night and I thank you for forwarding your own very personal, special, prayer. I am going to post it under the Blessings & Prayers heading at In an Irish Home so others, who are interested in praying with their child/children in their own lives, may find it. I love your comment about “indigestion”…had to read it twice before I understood what you meant {that’s the American in me coming out!}. Yes, you are absolutely right, keeping prayer appropriate for the person {no matter their age} is a good idea! Look forward to seeing you again soon and thank you, as always, for visiting and commenting at In an Irish Home. xoK
Hiya Sheelagh…have checked out the Franciscan Rosary…also known as the Crown Rosary! Do you remember the conversation we had recently and my confusion and frustration about how to say this Rosary? Well…I get it now! I’d have to buy the special Crown Rosary in order to do the whole 7 Decades…going round the traditional 5 Decade Rosary another 1/2 set would make me crazy! Thanks again for sharing this wonderful Irish tradition from your upbringing with me and all who visit In an Irish Home. xoK
Thanks for this Kim!! We’re considering putting the children in a nearby Catholic school and being non-Catholic, I’ve been meaning to brush up on my knowledge and even learn some more. Perfect timing!
Hi Elizabeth! So wonderful to hear from you! Thanks for commenting on this post. How are you settling in? How is beautiful Mexico City? How are the children?! We’ve so much to catch up on…can’t wait to hear more news from you. xoK
[…] Praying the Rosary […]
Thank you very much for including my blog post about Praying the Rosary on your blog. God bless! Kim
[…] **** It’s not particular to Lent or Holy Week, but if you want to know more about the Catholic Rosary visit here. […]
Believe it or not there’s an app called My Rosary, that is very good, and very easy to navigate. As you explain in this great blog, depending on the day they give you a different mystery. It even has wonderful celestial style music to accompany the meditation. The person dedicates the app to his/her grandmother so you know it’s very well done.
Thank you Carlos! I didn’t think about there being an app…what a great idea. Glad you stopped by In an Irish Home. Have a wonderful day and God bless.
[…] I learned to pray the Rosary properly with the help of my amazing mother-in-law, Mary Rose. How to pray the Rosary is what she taught me: in life it has served me […]
Fantastic thank you so much I can now go St my rosary properly tonight , god bless you…. una
Hi Una. I’m so happy you found that particular posting helpful. Be well and God bless.
What a beautifully written post and done in such an accessible way. Thank you so much, this really helps. I’ll pray for you and yours…
Thank you, Paul. I am glad you found it helpful. On that particular day, I was in need of support and found it in prayer. Many blessings to you and yours and thank you for keeping me and mine in your prayers.