Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the angel Gabriel saluted our Blessed Lady with the title full of grace, and declared unto her the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

O Holy Mary, Queen of virgins, through the most high mystery of the Incarnation of thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by which our salvation was so happily begun: obtain for us, through thy intercession, light to be sensible of the greatness of the benefit He hath bestowed on us, in vouchsafing to become our Brother, and thee, (His own beloved Mother) to be our Mother also. 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 in most need of Your Mercy.

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the Blessed Virgin Mary, understanding from the angel that her cousin, St. Elizabeth, had conceived, went with haste into the mountains of Judea to visit her, and remained with her three months.

O Holy Virgin, most spotless Mirror of humility, by that exceeding charity which moved thee to visit thy holy cousin, St. Elizabeth, obtain for us, through thy intercession, that our hearts being visited by thy most holy Son, and freed from all sin, we may praise and give thanks for ever. 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 in most need of Your Mercy.

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the time of her delivery was come, brought forth our Redeemer Jesus Christ at midnight, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the inns at Bethlehem.

O most pure Mother of God, through thy virginal and most joyful delivery, whereby thou gavest the world thy only Son our Saviour; we beseech thee to obtain for us, through thy intercession, the grace to lead such pure and holy lives in this world, that we may become worthy to sing without ceasing, both day and night, the mercies of thy Son and His benefits to us by thee. 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 in most need of Your Mercy.

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the day of her purification, presented the child Jesus in the Temple, where holy Simeon giving thanks to God, with great devotion received Him into his arms.

O Holy Virgin, most admirable mistress and patroness of obedience, who didst present in the Temple the Lord of the Temple: obtain for us, of thy beloved Son, that with holy Simeon and devout Anna, we may praise and glorify Him for ever. 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 in most need of Your Mercy.

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the Blessed Virgin Mary, after having lost, without any fault of hers, her beloved Son in Jerusalem, sought Him for the space of three, days, and at length found Him the third day in the Temple, in the midst of the doctors, disputing with them, being of the age of twelve years.

Most Blessed Virgin, more than martyr in thy sufferings, and yet the comfort of such as are afflicted; by that unspeakable joy wherewith thy soul was ravished at finding thy beloved Son in the Temple, in the midst of the doctors, disputing with them: obtain of Him that we may so seek Him, and find Him in the holy Catholic Church, as to be never more separated from Him. 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 in most need of Your Mercy.

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, thy eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile is ended, 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.

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech thee, that meditating upon these mysteries, in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen

St. Dominic preached for a long time with untiring zeal against the heresy of the Albigenses, but few returned to the Church; he, therefore, redoubled his prayers and penitential works, and with special devotion besought the Queen of Heaven to assist him in his labors for the salvation of souls. The Mother of Mercy then appeared to him and taught him the rosary. Strengthened by the high privilege shown him by the Mother of God, he everywhere announced and taught this devotion. In a short time over a hundred thousand heretics were brought back to the bosom of the holy Catholic Church, and the devotion spread rapidly over the whole Christian world. Fraternities were formed and the Supreme Pontiff permitted the Friar Preachers to celebrate the Festival of the Rosary; this was observed with great solemnity. On the 7th of October 1571, the Christians, under the special protection of Mary, the Queen of Heaven, gained a glorious victory over the Turks; the Festival of the Rosary being at that time celebrated at Rome and in the provinces by public processions, in order that by her intercession the Turks might be restrained in their oppressions. This victory was justly considered as the effect of Mary's intercession, and the holy Pope Pius V. instituted on this day in gratitude a festival which was called "Mary of Victory". This was united by Pope Gregory XIII. with the Festival of the Rosary, and fixed for the first Sunday in October. Finally, on account of another victory gained by Mary's intercession over the Turks in 1715 at Belgrade, Pope Clement XI. ordered it to be celebrated by the whole Church, "that the hearts of the faithful might be thereby incited to the greater veneration of the Blessed Virgin, and that the grateful remembrance of the help received from above might never pass away."

It is a form of prayer in which there is said the Apostles' Creed, the Glory be to the Father, &c. and fifty times the Hail Mary, with an Our Father before each ten Hail Marys; each decade is followed by a meditation upon one of the mysteries of the redemption. This is the smaller and more common rosary. The larger consists of the Aposties' Creed, of fifteen decades, every decade of ten Hail Marys preceded by an Our Father, and of fifteen meditations on the mysteries of our redemption. It is called the Psalter, because it contains a hundred and fifty Hall Marys as David's psalter contains a hundred and fifty psalms.

This prayer is called the rosary because every Hail Mary is like a flower in the wreath crowning the heavenly Queen, whom the Church calls by the significant title of "Mystical Rose." Every rose has green leaves and sharp thorns besides the flower itself; in the rosary the thorns represent the sorrowful, the green leaves the joyful, and the flower the glorious mysteries of the redemption which are meditated upon while reciting the rosary. The holy Fathers also compare this devotion to a crown, of which they say; "Its twelve diamonds are the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed, the fifteen Our Fathers so many brilliant golden stars, and one hundred and fifty Hail Marys the roses."

Three: the joyful, the sorrowful and the glorious.


I. The joyful are the first five decades by which we meditate upon the mysteries of the Incarnation and the joy of Mary's heart in her divine Child. This rosary is usually said from Advent until Lent, during which time the Church commemorates the joyful coming of Christ.

II. The sorrowful has also five decades in which are especially represented for meditation the sorrowful mysteries of the passion of Christ. This rosary is usually said during Lent, because the Church at that time places before us the sufferings of Jesus.

III. The glorious mysteries have likewise five decades, in which we meditate upon the glory of Christ and His blessed Mother. This rosary is said from Easter to Advent, because the Church then presents to us these mysteries for our veneration and meditation.

Certainly not, for they despise that which they neither understand nor practice; for whoever considers the arrangement and significance of this most venerable prayer, must esteem it most highly and practice it for the good of his soul. Without taking into consideration that the greatest saints said this prayer daily, as for example St. Francis de Sales, St. Alphonsus Liguori and others, it is a confession of our holy Roman Catholic faith, a repeated adoration of the most holy Trinity, and an authorized veneration of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Holy Ghost has pronounced blessed. It is at the sama time a grateful recollection and meditation upon the most profound and sacred mysteries of our holy religion, and especially of our redemption through the incarnation, sufferings, and death of our Lord. And in regard to the frequent repetition of the Our Father and Hail Mary, do not the angels and saints before the throne of the most holy Trinity repeat continually: "Holy, Holy, Holy!" Can the heart filled with the true, sincere love of God and of Mary repeat their praises often enough? Do wo not daily, even often during the day, partake of the same bread without it losing its relish or becoming distasteful to us?

How acceptable to God is this holy rosary--this beautiful garland of fragrant, heavenly flowers of prayer and meditation--and what powerful effect it produces before the throne of His omnipotence and mercy! This God manifested at its introduction, as He has always since in a marvellous manner, especially upon occasions of great and particular hardships and cares; and on this account the Church exhorts the faithful to its diligent practice, attaching many indulgences which she grants to all those who say the Rosary devoutly in the state of grace.

Do not, therefore, my dear Christian, permit yourself to be misled by those who not only do not perform this devotion, but even despise it, and in their proud self-conceit often pay no attention to the most important regulations of the Church. To them are applicable the words of Christ? I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. (Matt. xi 15.) Practice this devotion all the more zealously in the spirit and sense of our holy Church, and you will perceive the benefit that will accrue to your soul therefrom.

We should let nothing prevent us from saying the rosary and never be ashamed to carry our rosary with us, always as a sign that we love and honor Jesus and Mary. For the rosary has justly become a badge of the true follower of Jesus and Mary, of the real Catholic; and who is ashamed of being a Catholic!

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