THE HOLY ROSARY
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THE HOLY ROSARY


The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses".
Our Lady has revealed to several people that
each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving
her a beautiful rose and that each complete
Rosary makes her a crown of roses.
The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the
Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is
therefore the most important one.

The Holy Mother Church received the Rosary in
its present form in 1214 in a miraculous way,
when Our Lady appeared to Saint Dominic
and gave it to him as a powerful means of
converting the heretics and other sinners.
Since then the devotion spread around the world
with incredible and miraculous results.

The Rosary is made up of two things: mental prayer
and vocal prayer. In the Holy Rosary mental prayer
is none other than meditation of the chief mysteries
of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and
of His Blessed Mother. The fifteen mysteries are
divided into Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious.

Vocal prayer consists in saying fifteen or
five decades of the Hail Mary, each decade headed
by an Our Father, while at the same time
meditating on and contemplating the fifteen
principal virtues which Jesus and Mary practised
in the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
The complete Rosary consists of fifteen decades,
but is more commonly said in five decades.
So the Rosary is a blessed blending of mental
and vocal prayer by which we honor and learn to
imitate the mysteries and the virtues of the life,
death, passion and glory of Jesus and Mary.


THE HOLY ROSARY
  HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY


To say the Rosary to advantage one must be
in a state of grace or at very least be fully
determined to give up mortal sin.

1.While holding the crucifix make the
Sign of the Cross and then recite the Apostles Creed.

2.Recite the Our Father on the first large bead.

3.On each of the three small beads recite a Hail
Mary for an increase of faith, hope and charity.

4.Recite the Glory Be to the Father
on the next large bead.

5.Recall the first Rosary Mystery and
recite the Our Father on the next large bead.
The Joyful Mysteries are meditated on Mondays
and Thursdays, Sundays of Advent and after Epiphany
until Lent. The Sorrowful Mysteries are meditated
on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sundays in Lent.
The Glorious Mysteries are meditated on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, and Sundays after Easter until Advent.

6.On each of the adjacent ten small beads
(also refered to as a decade) recite a Hail Mary
while reflecting on the mystery.

7.On the next large bead, recite
the Glory Be to the Father. The Fatima decade prayer
may also be said.

8.Each succeeding decade is prayed in a similar
manner by recalling the appropriate mystery,
reciting the Our Father, ten Hail Marys,
the Glory Be to the Father, and the Fatima
decade prayer (optional) while reflecting
on the mystery.

9.When the fifth mystery is completed,
the Rosary is Customarily concluded with
the Hail, Holy Queen.

PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY ROSARY
SIGN OF THE CROSS :

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy spirit. Amen
( make the sign of the cross)

APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in 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 arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and sits 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 by
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 art 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.

HAIL, HOLY QUEEN ( SALVE REGINA )

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!
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. 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 Thee,
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.


O MY JESUS :

After each decade say the following prayer requested
by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: "O my Jesus,
forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have
most need of your mercy."




FATIMA PRAYER :

Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit -
I adore thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most
precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of
Jesus christ, present in all the tabernacles
of the world, in reparation for the outrages,
sacrileges and the indifferences whereby He is
offended. And through the infinite merits of His
Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of
the poor sinners.

" Let this prayer be echoed
all over the world" - Mary

FATIMA PRAYER : MY GOD, I BELIEVE, I ADORE,
I HOPE AND I LOVE YOU. I BEG PARDON OF YOU
FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE ,DO NOT ADORE ,
DO NOT HOPE, AND DO NOT LOVE YOU.




THE MYSTERIES:

MONDAY AND THURDAY : JOYFUL MYSTERIES

1. THE ANNUNCIATION :
HUMILITY

2. THE VISITATION :
CHARITY

3. THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD :
POVERTY, OR DETACHMENT FROM THE WORLD

4. THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD :
PURITY OF HEART , OBEDIENCE

5. THE FINDING OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE :
PIETY


TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS : SORROWFUL MYSTERIES



1. THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN :
CONTRITION OF OUR SINS

2. THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR :
MORTIFICATION OF OUR SENSES

3. THE CROWNING WITH THORNS :
INTERIOR MORTIFICATION

4. THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS :
PATIENCE UNDER CROSSES

5. THE CRUCIFICATION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD :
THAT WE MAY DIE TO OURSELVES

SATURDAYS , SUNDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS : GLORIOUS MYSTERIES


1. THE RESURRECTION :
CONVERSION OF HEART

2. THE ASCENSION :
A DESIRE FOR HEAVEN

3. THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT :
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

4. THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER IN TO HEAVEN :
DEVOTION TO MARY

5. THE CORONATION OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER :
ETERNAL HAPPINESS




BENEFITS OF THE ROSARY

1. It gradually gives us a perfect
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2. It purifies our souls, washing away sin.
3. It gives us victory over all our enemies.
4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue.
5. It sets us on fire with love of Our Lord.
6. It enriches us with graces and merits.
7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay all
our debts to God and to our fellow men;
and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces
for us from Almighty God.

BLESSINGS OF THE ROSARY

1. Sinners are forgiven.
2. Souls that thirst are refreshed.
3. Those who are fettered have their
bonds broken.
4. Those who weep find happiness.
5. Those who are tempted find peace.
6. The poor find help.
7. Religious are reformed.
8. Those who are ignorant are instructed.
9. The living learn to overcome pride.
10. The dead (the Holy Souls) have their
pains eased by suffrages.

THE FIFTEEN PROMISES OF THE VIRGIN MARY

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the
recitation of the Rosary, shall receive
signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest
graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell,
it will destroy vice, decrease sin,
and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish;
it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God;
it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love
of the world and its vanities, and will lift them
to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls
would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the
recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly,
applying himself to the consideration of its
Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.
God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall
not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just,
he shall remain in the grace of God, and become
worthy of eternal life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the
Rosary shall not die without the
Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary
shall have during their life and at their death
the light of God and the plentitude of His graces;
at the moment of death they shall participate in the
merits of the Saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have
been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall
merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the
recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall
be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all
the advocates of the Rosary shall have for
intercessors the entire celestial court during
their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my children,
and brothers and sisters of my only Son,
Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great
sign of predestination.




"Let not your heart be disturbed.
Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness
or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother?
Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health?
Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish?
Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."
(Words of Our Lady to Juan Diego)