Prayer of the Church, asked for by Our Lady at Fatima

Prayer of the Church, asked for by Our Lady at Fatima

The Holy Rosary

How to pray it: the Creed, the five decades with their mysteries, and the Hail, Holy Queen

LatinEnglish

InitiumIn nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

BeginningIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I. Symbolum ApostolorumCredo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem,
Creatorem caeli et terrae.
Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto,
natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
descendit ad inferos,
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
ascendit ad caelos,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis,
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,
sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem,
remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem,
vitam aeternam. Amen.

1. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.

II. Pater noster, tres Ave Maria, Gloria PatriPater noster, qui es in caelis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

2. One Our Father, three Hail Marys and the Glory BeOur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

III. In unoquoque mysterio (quinque decades)Enuntiatur mysterium; dicitur Pater noster, decem Ave Maria, Gloria Patri, et oratio Fatimensis:
O mi Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra,
libera nos ab igne inferni,
conduc in caelum omnes animas,
praesertim illas quae maxime indigent misericordia tua.

3. For each mystery (the five decades)Announce the mystery; pray one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer:
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those most in need of thy mercy.

IV. In fine: Salve ReginaSalve, Regína, Mater misericórdiæ, vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamámus, éxsules fílii Hevæ. Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. Eia ergo, advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. Et Iesum, benedíctum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsílium osténde. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo María.

4. At the end: the Hail, Holy QueenHail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

MysteriaGaudiosa (feria II et sabbato): Annuntiatio; Visitatio; Nativitas Domini; Praesentatio in Templo; Inventio in Templo.
Luminosa (feria V): Baptisma in Iordane; Nuptiae Canae; Annuntiatio Regni Dei; Transfiguratio; Institutio Eucharistiae.
Dolorosa (feria III et feria VI): Agonia in Horto; Flagellatio; Coronatio spinis; Baiulatio Crucis; Crucifixio et Mors.
Gloriosa (feria IV et dominica): Resurrectio; Ascensio; Descensus Spiritus Sancti; Assumptio Beatae Mariae; Coronatio Beatae Mariae.

The mysteriesJoyful (Monday and Saturday): the Annunciation; the Visitation; the Nativity; the Presentation in the Temple; the Finding in the Temple.
Luminous (Thursday): the Baptism in the Jordan; the Wedding at Cana; the Proclamation of the Kingdom; the Transfiguration; the Institution of the Eucharist.
Sorrowful (Tuesday and Friday): the Agony in the Garden; the Scourging; the Crowning with Thorns; the Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion and Death.
Glorious (Wednesday and Sunday): the Resurrection; the Ascension; the Descent of the Holy Spirit; the Assumption of Mary; the Coronation of Mary.

SourcePrayer of the Church, asked for by Our Lady at Fatima · How to pray it: the Creed, the five decades with their mysteries, and the Hail, Holy Queen

The history of this prayer

An ancient tradition links the Rosary to St Dominic in the thirteenth century; the Dominican Alan de la Roche spread it in the fifteenth, and St Pius V gave it its classic form in 1569. After the Christian victory at Lepanto on 7 October 1571, credited to the praying of the Rosary, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was born, and October became the month of the Rosary.

At Fatima in 1917 Our Lady asked that the Rosary be prayed every day, and from there came the prayer “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins”. In 2002 St John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries. A single round of five decades — one set of mysteries — is what most people mean by “saying the Rosary”.

Frequently asked questions

Which mysteries are prayed today?

Joyful on Monday and Saturday; Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday; Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday; Luminous on Thursday.

Is the Rosary five decades or fifteen?

A standard set of Rosary beads has five decades; the full Rosary was traditionally fifteen decades (now twenty, with the Luminous). Saying “the Rosary” usually means one set of five mysteries.

How long does it take to pray the Rosary?

About twenty minutes, prayed unhurriedly.

More prayers: Every Catholic's prayers

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