Which mysteries are commonly prayed on this day?
Many Catholics follow a familiar weekly custom when choosing which mysteries to pray. If you are new, you do not need to begin with the day of the week. Start with the mysteries overview and the how-to guide. If you want to follow the customary pattern, this is the set most commonly prayed today.
Common weekly pattern
- Monday: Joyful
- Tuesday: Sorrowful
- Wednesday: Glorious
- Thursday: Luminous
- Friday: Sorrowful
- Saturday: Joyful
- Sunday: Glorious
The Rosary is a prayer of vocal repetition joined to meditation on the mysteries of Christ. It is prayed with Our Lady and leads the soul more deeply into the Gospel.
If you are completely new to the Rosary, begin first with what the Rosary is and how its mysteries are ordered. Then return here to learn the full sequence step by step. Once the order becomes familiar, keep the prayers of the Rosary nearby so you can pray them without uncertainty.
Basic order of the Rosary
- Make the Sign of the Cross.
- Pray the Apostles' Creed.
- Pray one Our Father.
- Pray three Hail Marys for an increase in faith, hope, and charity.
- Pray one Glory Be.
- Pray the Fatima Prayer.
- Announce the first mystery and its fruit.
- Pray one Our Father.
- Pray ten Hail Marys while meditating on the mystery.
- Pray one Glory Be.
- Pray the Fatima Prayer.
- Continue through the remaining mysteries in the same way, always praying the Fatima Prayer after the Glory Be.
- Conclude with the Hail Holy Queen and the final prayers as customary.
If you are new to the Rosary, it also helps to remember that the four sets of mysteries form a progression through the life of Christ in the Gospel.
A method for deeper meditation
A brief phrase may be added after the name of Jesus in the Hail Mary so that each prayer remains fixed on the mystery. This helps the Rosary become more recollected and contemplative.
You may also focus on each mystery in different ways. Some people remain with a short phrase tied to the mystery. Others picture the mystery in sacred art or in the imagination. Others are helped by a more felt and embodied sense of the mystery. The important thing is not to force a method, but to remain with Christ in the mystery.
For example:
“Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, whom you told they have no wine.”
This method is simple, traditional in spirit, and especially helpful for those who want to pray the Rosary with greater attentiveness.
Begin simply
The Rosary does not need to be mastered all at once. Begin with one decade if needed. Pray slowly. Stay with the mystery. Ask Our Lady to lead you to her Son.
Traditionally, many Catholics pray one set of mysteries on a given day. Others, however, pray the full Rosary. Both approaches belong to the living practice of the Church's devotion. The four sets of mysteries, in order, are Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious.
If you are just beginning, one decade prayed well is better than many rushed. If you are ready for more, one full set of mysteries can become a steady daily school of prayer. However much you pray, pray reverently, remain with the mystery, and let the Rosary lead you more deeply to Christ. After that, the next practical help is simply to keep the principal prayers close at hand and pray them faithfully.