What is the Rosary?

"The Rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. Developed in the West, it is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding in some way to the “prayer of the heart” or “Jesus prayer” which took root in the soil of the Christian East." (Rosarium Virginis Mariae).

The purpose of the Rosary is to contemplate certain principal events or mysteries in the history of salvation (the life of Christ), and to thank God for them. There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES, and the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES. Generally, the Joyful mysteries are said on Monday and Saturday, the Luminous on Thursday, the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, and the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday (with this exception: Sundays of Christmas season - The Joyful; Sundays of Lent - Sorrowful).

Pope John Paul II has recently written an apostolic letter entitled Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary). It highlights the emphasis that the Holy Father places on the Rosary as a means of renewal and evangelisation. In it, he also declares the year 2003 as the year of the Rosary.

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This site was last updated 16/09/03