The Rosary

The Rosary is a devotion in which we pray specific prayers while meditating on some aspect of Christ or the Blessed Virgin's life. It is an ancient form of prayer. Our Lady asked us to pray the rosary at Fatima when she said, "Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world."

1.	Make the Sign of the Cross.
2.	Recite the Apostles' Creed, holding the crucifix.
3.	On the first bead above the crucifix, recite the Our Father.
4.	On the next three beads, recite the Hail Mary.
5.	Pray the Glory Be.
6.	Announce (or call to mind) the appropriate Joyful, Sorrowful, or Glorious mystery for that decade of the rosary.
7.	On the single bead, pray the Our Father.
8.	On the next ten beads, pray the Hail Mary.
9.	Optional: pray the Glory Be
10.	Optional: pray the Fatima Prayer The Fatima Prayer was given to the three shepherd children at Fatima by Our Lady, who asked that they recite it at the end of each decade of the rosary. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
11.	Repeat Steps 5-9 for the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Decades.
12.	Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.

Pope John Paul II encouraged us to say the Joyful mysteries on Monday and Saturday, the Luminous on Thursday, the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, and the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday. However, the Joyful mysteries are suggested on Sundays of the Christmas season and the Sorrowful mysteries on Sundays of Lent.