A guide for beginners
How to Pray the Rosary, Step by Step
The Rosary is a prayer of about twenty minutes. You say familiar prayers on a string of beads while you think about the life of Jesus Christ with Mary, his Mother. You do not need to know it by heart to begin. This page gives each step in order.
A rosary has a crucifix, a short strand of five beads, a centre medal, and a loop of five decades. Each decade is one large bead and ten small beads. If you have no rosary, count on your fingers.
The steps
- On the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles’ Creed.
- On the first large bead, pray the Our Father.
- On each of the next three beads, pray a Hail Mary. By custom these are offered for an increase of faith, hope and charity.
- On the chain, pray the Glory Be.
- Announce the first mystery and pray the Our Father on the large bead.
- On each of the ten small beads, pray a Hail Mary while you keep the mystery in mind.
- After the tenth bead, pray the Glory Be and, by widespread custom, the Fatima Prayer.
- Do the same for the second, third, fourth and fifth mysteries.
- On the medal, pray the Hail, Holy Queen and the closing prayer. Many people add the Prayer to Saint Michael.
- Finish with the Sign of the Cross.
Which mysteries to pray
There are four sets of five mysteries. Saint John Paul II gave this weekly pattern in his letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (no. 38):
| Day | Mysteries |
|---|---|
| Monday and Saturday | Joyful |
| Tuesday and Friday | Sorrowful |
| Wednesday and Sunday | Glorious |
| Thursday | Luminous |
Read about each one on the page The mysteries of the Rosary.
The prayers you need
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The 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.
The 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.
The Glory Be
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.
The full list, with the Creed and the closing prayers, is on the page The prayers of the Rosary.
Advice for a first Rosary
Pray slowly. The Rosary is meditation, and the Catechism names it as one of the ways of Christian meditation (CCC 2708). The words of the Hail Mary keep a steady rhythm so that your mind can stay on the mystery.
Use Scripture. Saint John Paul II recommended that a short Bible passage be read after each mystery is announced, with a moment of silence (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, nos. 30 and 31).
Do not be discouraged by distraction. When you notice that your mind has wandered, return to the mystery and continue.
Start with one decade if five are too many today. One decade prayed with attention is a good beginning.