Rosary
The Rosary is a Catholic prayer that weaves together the two most familiar Christian prayers — the Our Father and the Hail Mary — with quiet meditation on twenty scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary. Prayed with a set of beads that keep the hands and mind steady, a full Rosary of five decades takes about twenty minutes and moves through one of four sets of mysteries: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, and the Luminous. Its rhythm is old; its purpose is not to "say a lot of prayers" but to walk slowly through the Gospel with Mary at your side.
On this page you'll find what the Rosary is, how it's prayed, the four sets of mysteries in order, and a beginner-friendly step-by-step. For a fuller walk-through with every prayer, see our detailed step-by-step guide for beginners.
The Opening Prayers of the Rosary
Begin by making the Sign of the Cross: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Holding the crucifix, pray the Apostles' Creed. On the first single bead, pray the Our Father. On each of the next three beads, pray a Hail Mary (traditionally offered for the increase of faith, hope, and love). Then pray one Glory Be. You are now ready to begin the first decade.
How to Pray a Decade
For each of the five decades: announce the mystery. Pray one Our Father on the single bead. Pray ten Hail Marys — one for each of the ten beads — while meditating on the mystery. Close the decade with a Glory Be and, traditionally, the Fatima Prayer: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Your mercy."
The Closing Prayer of the Rosary — Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, 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 valley 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. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
The Four Sets of Mysteries (in the traditional weekday order)
The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays and Saturdays): the Annunciation; the Visitation; the Nativity; the Presentation in the Temple; the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays and Fridays): the Agony in the Garden; the Scourging at the Pillar; the Crowning with Thorns; the Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays and Sundays): the Resurrection; the Ascension; the Descent of the Holy Spirit; the Assumption of Mary; the Coronation of Mary. The Luminous Mysteries (Thursdays), added by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002: the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan; the Wedding at Cana; the Proclamation of the Kingdom; the Transfiguration; the Institution of the Eucharist.
A Short Personal Prayer to Say Before the Rosary
Lord Jesus, as I take up this Rosary, quiet my mind and open my heart. Let each Hail Mary carry me deeper into Your life. Mother Mary, walk these mysteries with me. Amen.
Scripture to pray
And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!"— Luke 1:28 (RSV)
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!— Luke 1:42 (RSV)
Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.— Matthew 6:9–13 (RSV)
Frequently asked questions
What is a Rosary?
A Rosary is a Catholic devotional prayer prayed on a string of beads. Each decade — one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be — is prayed while meditating on a scene from the life of Jesus or Mary. A full Rosary is five decades and takes about twenty minutes. The beads themselves are also called "a rosary"; they let you keep count without watching the numbers.
How do you pray the Rosary?
Start with the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles' Creed on the crucifix. On the first bead pray an Our Father; on the next three beads pray three Hail Marys; then a Glory Be. For each of the five decades: announce a mystery, pray one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be. Close with the Hail Holy Queen. Our step-by-step beginner's guide walks through each step with the full prayer text.
How do you pray using the Rosary beads?
The Rosary beads let you keep count without thinking about it. The single beads (usually larger) are for Our Fathers; the groups of ten smaller beads are for the ten Hail Marys of each decade. You hold the beads in one hand and let your fingers move from bead to bead as you pray, so your mind is free to meditate on the mystery rather than count.
How many beads are on a Rosary?
A standard five-decade Rosary has 59 beads: one crucifix, one single "Our Father" bead, three small "Hail Mary" beads on the introductory chain, and then five decades of one large bead and ten small beads each, connected by a center medal.
What are the mysteries of the Rosary?
The mysteries are twenty scenes from the Gospels that you meditate on while praying the Rosary. They are grouped into four sets of five: Joyful (Mary's yes, Jesus's birth and boyhood), Sorrowful (Jesus's passion and death), Glorious (the Resurrection, Ascension, and the Church), and Luminous (Jesus's public ministry). Each day of the week traditionally focuses on one set.
Why is the Rosary powerful?
The Rosary's power is not in the beads or in the number of prayers; it is in slowing down long enough to walk through the Gospel with Mary and to ask, over and over, for Jesus's mercy. Many Catholics find that its repetition quiets anxious thinking the way few other prayers can. It becomes powerful in a life the way any daily prayer becomes powerful — by being prayed honestly, again and again.
How long does it take to pray the Rosary?
A full five-decade Rosary takes about twenty minutes when prayed at a steady, meditative pace — long enough to sink into each mystery without rushing, short enough to fit into a commute, a walk, or a quiet stretch of morning. Single decades take about four minutes; a full Rosary of all four sets of mysteries (200 Hail Marys total) takes roughly an hour and a quarter. If you're just starting, aim for one decade a day and grow from there.
Do I have to be Catholic to pray the Rosary?
No. The Rosary is a Catholic devotion, and its shape (especially asking Mary to pray for us) fits most naturally inside a Catholic understanding of the communion of saints. But many non-Catholic Christians pray the mysteries as a Scripture meditation, or pray only the Our Father and the biblical portion of the Hail Mary (Luke 1:28, 42) as they hold the beads. The Rosary is a way of walking through the Gospel with your hands as well as your mind.
What are the promises of the Rosary?
Catholic tradition has long held that Mary made a set of promises to those who pray the Rosary faithfully — most famously in the writings of the Dominican friar St. Louis de Montfort and the Blessed Alan de la Roche. The promises are not doctrinal dogmas of the Church, but pastoral encouragements: those who pray the Rosary receive Mary's protection, grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and are drawn nearer to the mysteries of the Gospel. The heart of the promise is simple — pray it, and it will change you.
What is the Fatima Prayer in the Rosary?
The Fatima Prayer is a short prayer added at the end of each decade of the Rosary, after the Glory Be: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Your mercy." It was taught to the three children of Fatima in 1917 and is now widely prayed in the Rosary, though it is optional. The prayer widens each decade beyond the person praying to include "all souls," giving the Rosary its intercessory reach.
Can you pray the Rosary silently, lying down, or without holding beads?
Yes. The Rosary can be prayed silently in your mind, aloud, or in a whisper — none is more valid than another. It can be prayed lying in bed, and while a physical set of beads is traditional for keeping count, it can be prayed on your fingers or simply by counting mentally if you don't have beads with you. What matters is the meditation on the mysteries, not the exact posture or tool.