Category: Uncategorized
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Where the Joyful Mysteries announce the promises of Christ, the Glorious Mysteries reveal their fulfilment. They proclaim God’s victory over sin and death and remind us of the destiny that awaits those who remain faithful to His truth. For me, the Glorious Mysteries are both a call to mission and a reassurance that we are…
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The Hail, Holy Queen — or Salve Regina — is one of the two concluding prayers of the Rosary. Both centre on Mary, the Mother of God, as the one who intercedes for us, prays with us, and leads us to her Son. In these prayers we ask to be “made worthy of the promises…
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Before turning to the Mysteries themselves, there is one last prayer to consider: the Closing Prayer of the Rosary. Most common in English-speaking traditions, it follows the Salve Regina and serves as something of an “addendum.” Where the Salve Regina grounds us in Mary’s intercession and maternal care, the Closing Prayer directs us back to…
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The Fatima Prayer is not an official part of the Holy Rosary, yet it is often prayed at the end of each decade. Revealed by Our Lady to the three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917, the prayer is sometimes surrounded by controversy because of its origins. But whatever one makes of the visions, the…
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There are two dimensions to every Rosary — the body and the soul. The body consists of the physical act of prayer: the recitation of the Our Father, Hail Marys, Glory Be, and Fatima Prayer. It gives the Rosary its structure, rhythm, and pace. The body measures the time we spend in prayer and provides…
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The Glory Be is said at the conclusion of the introduction to the Rosary and at the end of each decade. It is a doxology — a liturgical form of praise. Placing it at the end of each stage of the Rosary draws our attention back to the glory of God. Wherever our reflection or…
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The Hail Mary is the most repeated prayer in the Rosary. Indeed, the Rosary itself is dedicated to Our Lady, and I often return to St. Padre Pio’s words: “In times of darkness, holding the Rosary is like holding Mary’s hand.” For such a short prayer there is so much to say, especially about the…
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Continuing with the theme of prayers at the start of the Rosary that we pray so often they can lose their meaning — after the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles’ Creed comes the Our Father. I went to a Church of England Infant School and a secular Junior School. Shine, Jesus, Shine and…
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As with the Sign of the Cross, the Rosary begins with a prayer so familiar that its repetition can sometimes dull our awareness of its true depth. Perhaps nowhere is this more the case than with the Apostles’ Creed. Line by line, it tells the most remarkable story ever told. If you hold its words…
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The Rosary, like almost all prayer in the Catholic faith, begins with the Sign of the Cross. It is a short, simple gesture we often make by habit — yet it carries profound meaning. In the early Church, this action was known as the “Seal of Christ.” Believers would often trace a small cross on…
Rosary in Hand 