Face of Christ Apostolate
To contemplate the face of Christ through the eyes of His Mother.
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Face of Christ Apostolate

How to pray the Rosary

How to pray the Rosary step by step, with the prayers, mysteries, and a simple method for deeper meditation.

A simple visual guide to the shape and sequence of the Rosary. Tap or click the image to enlarge it.
Customary Weekly Guide

Common weekly pattern

Many Catholics follow a familiar weekly pattern when choosing which mysteries to pray. Beginners should feel free to begin elsewhere, but this is the common pattern.

  • Monday: Joyful
  • Tuesday: Sorrowful
  • Wednesday: Glorious
  • Thursday: Luminous
  • Friday: Sorrowful
  • Saturday: Joyful
  • Sunday: Glorious

This page is strictly practical. It shows the basic sequence of the Rosary step by step.

Basic order of the Rosary

  1. Make the Sign of the Cross.
  2. Pray the Apostles' Creed.
  3. Pray one Our Father.
  4. Pray three Hail Marys for an increase in faith, hope, and charity.
  5. Pray one Glory Be.
  6. Pray the Fatima Prayer.
  7. Announce the first mystery.
  8. Pray one Our Father.
  9. Pray ten Hail Marys while meditating on the mystery.
  10. Pray one Glory Be.
  11. Pray the Fatima Prayer.
  12. Continue through the remaining four mysteries in the same way.
  13. Conclude with the Hail Holy Queen and the final prayers as customary.

A simple way to begin

If you are not ready for a full Rosary, pray one decade well.

For help with the rest

For the meaning of the mysteries, go to The Mysteries of the Rosary.

For the texts of the prayers, go to Prayers of the Rosary.

For deeper meditation within the Hail Mary, go to Method of Meditation.

For the older three-set pattern and the later four-set pattern, go to History.

PreviousWhat Is the Rosary?What the Rosary is, what it contains, and why this Catholic prayer is centered on Christ.NextPrayers of the RosaryThe principal prayers of the Rosary, gathered in one place for prayerful use.