The Rosary

The Spiritual Weapon of Our Age

MON, THURS, ADVENT SUNDAYS

TUES, FRI, LENTEN SUNDAYS

WED, SAT, ORDINARY SUNDAYS

Its importance

The Rosary is the greatest private devotion and is a priceless gift from God that can be used to convert sinners and heretics. Our Lady herself has urged us, in virtually all her apparitions, to pray the Rosary daily for the salvation of the world and her own pleasure. 

Its rewards

According to the Saints, those who say the Rosary faithfully until death will receive a crown of glory, even if they are on the brink of damnation. 

Its use

St. Louis de Montfort says the Rosary should be said with devotion and attention, as if it were the last time; Pray the Rosary while meditating on the mysteries with meaningful contemplation. Ask yourself “What is the spiritual significance of this mystery, and how can it relate to me?”

Its praise

The Rosary should be used to praise Jesus and Mary. The Rosary is a crown of roses that should be offered to Jesus and Mary with a particular intention (eg. for the conversion of a person to Catholic faith).

Its reverence

St. Louis de Montfort urges that the Rosary be said reverently, ideally while kneeling with hands clasped. However, it can be said in other ways if circumstances prevent it. 

  1. “To all those who recite my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and very great graces.”

  2. “Those who will persevere in the recitation of my Rosary shall receive some signal grace.”

  3. “The Rosary shall be a very powerful armor against hell; it shall destroy vice, deliver from sin, and shall dispel heresy.”

  4. “The Rosary shall make virtue and good works flourish, and shall obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies; it shall substitute in hearts love of God for love of the world, elevate them to desire heavenly and eternal goods. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means!”

  5. “Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary, shall not perish.”

  6. “Those who will recite my Rosary piously, considering its Mysteries, shall not be overwhelmed by misfortune nor die a bad death. The sinner shall be converted; the just shall grow in grace and become worthy of eternal life.”

  7. “Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the consolations of the Church, or without grace.”

  8. “Those who will recite my Rosary shall find during their life and at their death the light of God, the fullness of His grace, and shall share in the merits of the blessed.”

  9. “I will deliver very promptly from purgatory the souls devoted to my Rosary.”

  10. “The true children of my Rosary shall enjoy great glory in heaven.”

  11. “What you ask through my Rosary, you shall obtain.”

  12. “Those who propagate my Rosary shall obtain through me aid in all their necessities.”

  13. “I have obtained from my son that all the confreres of the Rosary shall have for their brethren in life and death the saints of heaven.”

  14. “Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are all my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.”

  15. “Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.”

THE PROMISES: Given by Our Lady

What is it?

The Rosary is a meditative prayer that helps deepen one’s relationship with Christ by reflecting on key moments of His life, known as the Mysteries. These 3 sets of Mysteries—Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious (see below)—guide the believer through the Gospel, focusing the heart and mind on Christ’s life, Passion, and Resurrection.

This sublime devotion is named the greatest private devotion by the Saints, and has been vehemently encouraged by the Church—as well as by Our Lady herself in countless of her apparitions—as the spiritual weapon of our age.

Meditation in the Rosary means not just reciting prayers but actively contemplating these events, seeing them through the eyes of Mary, who pondered all things in her heart (Luke 2:19). This form of prayer is done by quietly dwelling on each Mystery while repeating the familiar prayers, allowing their rhythm to draw the soul into deeper reflection.

The repetition isn’t empty but serves as a background, helping to quiet distractions and keep the focus on Christ. Through this meditation, the Rosary becomes a means of growing in virtue, imitating Christ, and seeking the graces needed for daily life.

(Physical Rosary beads are a sacramental and serve as a prayer tool to aid in the prayer of the Rosary, though they are unnecessary. We recommend first getting an understanding of the Rosary by praying it without beads using a Rosary guideline like the one above; then at a later time introducing Rosary beads.)

The Mysteries of the Rosary and a summary of their events

Sorrowful Mysteries

(Prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, 
and Sundays in Lent)

  • The first Sorrowful Mystery. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s agony in the garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood, sufferings, submitting to the will of the Father according to His humanity.

  • The second Sorrowful Mystery. Our Blessed Lord being scourged at the pillar, shedding blood for sinners, witnessed by Our Blessed Lady and St. John the Apostle

  • The third Sorrowful Mystery. Our Lord being beaten and crowned with a painful crown of thorns, piercing his scalp and forehead, causing streams of blood to run down his face.

  • The fourth Sorrowful Mystery. Our Lord taking up His cross and carrying it to Golgotha, met on the way by His Blessed Mother, assisted by Simon the Cyrene and St. Veronica.

  • The fifth Sorrowful Mystery. Our Lord being nailed mercilessly to the Cross, suffering the pain of suffocation, the wounds on his hands and feet, expiring on the Cross, and being pierced in His Sacred Heart.

Joyful Mysteries

(Prayed on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays in Advent)

  • The first Joyful Mystery. Our Blessed Lady is visited by St. Gabriel and receives glad tidings that she should be the Mother of God, she faithfully submits to God without hesitation.

  • The second Joyful Mystery. Our Blessed Lady after conceiving of Our Lord, visits St. Elizabeth, is hailed and praised by her, is the cause of St. John the Baptist leaping in the womb of St. Elizabeth.

  • The third Joyful Mystery. Our Lord’s joyful birth from the womb of the most sacred Virgin Mary, coming forth as light passing through glass, being adored by His parents, shepherds, and the magi.

  • The fourth Joyful Mystery. Our Lady and St. Joseph taking Jesus up to the Temple and presenting Him to God, receiving the prophesies that many would be lost and that many would rise.

  • The fifth Joyful Mystery. Our Lady and St. Joseph losing 12-yr-old Jesus, being sorely grieved while searching for Him for three days, then finding Him in the Temple teaching the Doctors.

Glorious Mysteries

(Prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays 
outside of Lent and Advent)

  • The first Glorious Mystery. Our Blessed Lord resurrects after three days in the tomb, along with many patriarchs of the Old Testament, He greets Our Lady, He greets the Apostles, and is seen by many.

  • The second Glorious Mystery. Our Blessed Lord blesses the world then ascends into heaven with His Blessed Mother and the Apostles as witnesses, two angels after his ascension announce He shall return in the same manner.

  • The third Glorious Mystery. After the ascension Our Lady, the Apostles, and the 72 disciples of Christ gather in the cenacle in Jerusalem in devout prayer for nine days before the Holy Spirit descends upon them as tongues of fire and they manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit and great charismatic wonders.

  • The fourth Glorious Mystery. Our Blessed Lady after some 60 years of life, dies consumed with desire for union with her Son, her body is laid in a tomb, and taken up into heaven and re-united with her immaculate soul, as witnessed by the Apostles.

  • The fifth Glorious Mystery. Our Blessed Lady is acknowledged as the crown of creation by the Holy Trinity and crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, where she reigns forever with Christ.