This page shows how to pray the Holy Rosary, bead by bead, with every prayer in Latin and English side by side. It gives the fifteen traditional mysteries with the days they have long been prayed on, and the five Luminous Mysteries that Pope St John Paul II proposed in 2002, with the days he suggested for them.
The Rosary is a prayer said aloud while the mind dwells on events in the life of Our Lord and Our Lady, called the mysteries. Pope St Pius V, in his bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices of 17 September 1569, described it as the Hail Mary said 150 times, after the number of the Psalms, with the Our Father at each ten and meditations on the whole life of Christ placed between them.
The full Rosary is fifteen decades. A decade is one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one Glory Be, prayed while thinking on one mystery. An ordinary pair of rosary beads carries five decades, a third of the whole, and most people pray one set of five mysteries a day.
The bead-by-bead order follows the Baltimore Catechism of 1885. Pope St John Paul II notes that the short prayer said after the Glory Be varies with local custom (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 35), and that the Rosary may close with the Hail, Holy Queen or the Litany of Loreto (37). The Dominicans, who have long had care of the Rosary, traditionally open it differently: in place of the Creed and the first four beads, they begin with the first part of the Hail Mary and the versicles that open the Divine Office ("Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips...").
There are two patterns in use today. Neither is Church law. Each is a custom, and anyone may pray a different set to suit a feast or a need.
Those who keep the traditional practice, including many who worship at the traditional Latin Mass, pray only the fifteen older mysteries, on these days:
This is the pattern given in the Baltimore Catechism (1885) and in a Dominican booklet on the Rosary approved in San Francisco in 1915. Pope St John Paul II describes the same weekday pattern as the practice current before 2002.
In his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of 16 October 2002, Pope St John Paul II proposed five new mysteries from Our Lord's public life, the Luminous Mysteries or "mysteries of light". He left their use "to the freedom of individuals and communities" (19). To make room for them, he suggested moving the second Joyful day to Saturday, a day long kept in honour of Our Lady, which frees Thursday (38):
He added that this suggestion is not meant to limit the rightful freedom of personal and community prayer.
The Latin names are those given by the Holy See in the Compendium of the Catechism (2005). Each mystery is followed by where to read it.
| 1. Annuntiátio | 1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38) |
| 2. Visitátio | 2. The Visitation (Luke 1:39–56) |
| 3. Natívitas | 3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1–20) |
| 4. Præsentátio | 4. The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22–38) |
| 5. Invéntio in Templo | 5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–52) |
| 1. Agonía in Horto | 1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36–46) |
| 2. Flagellátio | 2. The Scourging at the Pillar (John 19:1) |
| 3. Coronátio Spinis | 3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27–31) |
| 4. Baiulátio Crucis | 4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:16–17) |
| 5. Crucifíxio et Mors | 5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord (Luke 23:33–46) |
| 1. Resurréctio | 1. The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10) |
| 2. Ascénsio | 2. The Ascension (Acts 1:6–11) |
| 3. Descénsus Spíritus Sancti | 3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1–4) |
| 4. Assúmptio | 4. The Assumption of Our Lady (defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950) |
| 5. Coronátio in Cælo | 5. The Coronation of Our Lady in Heaven (Apocalypse 12:1) |
Added in 2002 and optional. Those keeping the traditional practice do not pray them.
| 1. Baptísma apud Iordánem | 1. The Baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13–17) |
| 2. Autorevelátio apud Cananénse matrimónium | 2. Our Lord makes Himself known at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–12) |
| 3. Regni Dei proclamátio coniúncta cum invitaménto ad conversiónem | 3. The proclaiming of the Kingdom of God, with the call to conversion (Mark 1:14–15) |
| 4. Transfigurátio | 4. The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28–36) |
| 5. Eucharístiæ Institútio | 5. The Institution of the Eucharist (Luke 22:14–20) |
The Latin is the text given by the Holy See in the Compendium of the Catechism. The English is the traditional wording found in Catholic prayer books of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Touch the forehead, then the breast, then the left shoulder and the right.
| In nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. Amen. | In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. |
| Credo in Deum Patrem omnipoténtem, Creatórem cæli et terræ; | I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; |
| et in Iesum Christum, Fílium eius únicum, Dóminum nostrum; | and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; |
| qui concéptus est de Spíritu Sancto, natus ex María Vírgine, | who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, |
| passus sub Póntio Piláto, crucifíxus, mórtuus, et sepúltus; | suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. |
| descéndit ad ínferos; tértia die resurréxit a mórtuis; | He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; |
| ascéndit ad cælos, sedet ad déxteram Dei Patris omnipoténtis; | He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; |
| inde ventúrus est iudicáre vivos et mórtuos. | from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. |
| Credo in Spíritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclésiam cathólicam, sanctórum communiónem, | I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, |
| remissiónem peccatórum, carnis resurrectiónem, vitam ætérnam. Amen. | the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. |
| Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificétur nomen tuum; | Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; |
| advéniat regnum tuum; fiat volúntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. | Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. |
| Panem nostrum cotidiánum da nobis hódie; | Give us this day our daily bread; |
| et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris; | and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; |
| et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem; sed líbera nos a malo. Amen. | and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. |
| Ave, María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum; | Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; |
| benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. | blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. |
| Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, | Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, |
| nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen. | now and at the hour of our death. Amen. |
| Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. | Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. |
| Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. | As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
Our Lady asked the three children at Fatima to say this after each decade, at her appearance of 13 July 1917. It is a later and optional addition to the Rosary, now very widely prayed. It was given in Portuguese; there is no official Latin text, and the Latin below is one of several in use.
| O Iesu mi, dimítte nobis peccáta nostra, | O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, |
| salva nos ab igne inférni; | save us from the fires of hell; |
| omnes perduc in cælum ánimas, præsértim tua misericórdia máxime indigéntes. | lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. |
| Salve, Regína, Mater misericórdiæ, vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve. | Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! |
| Ad te clamámus, éxsules fílii Evæ. | To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; |
| Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. | to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. |
| Eia ergo, advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. | Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; |
| Et Iesum, benedíctum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsílium osténde. | and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. |
| O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo María. | O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. |
| V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Génetrix. | V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. |
| R. Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi. | R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. |
This is the collect (the opening prayer of the Mass) of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, 7 October, in the 1962 Missal.
| Orémus. | Let us pray. |
| Deus, cuius Unigénitus per vitam, mortem et resurrectiónem suam nobis salútis ætérnæ prǽmia comparávit, | O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, |
| concéde, quǽsumus, ut hæc mystéria sacratíssimo beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Rosário recoléntes, | grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, |
| et imitémur quod cóntinent, et quod promíttunt assequámur. | we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. |
| Per eúndem Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen. | Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. |
End with the Sign of the Cross.