A very old tradition tells us that the Rosary was given to St. Dominic by the Blessed Virgin in about the year 1206. It was meant by her to be for all the faithful what the Divine Office is for the priest, their daily prayer of praise and petition, their daily meditation upon the truths of the faith. Just as there are one hundred and fifty psalms that make up the whole Divine Office, so too there are one hundred and fifty Hail Marys that make up the entire Rosary. These Hail Marys are divided into fifteen groups, or decades, of ten each and to each of these decades is attached a mystery in the life of Jesus. In saying the Rosary, each of these decades is preceded by an Our Father and is followed by a Glory be to the Father.
One may use any method one wishes to keep track of the prayers of the Rosary. But usually a chaplet of beads, called rosary beads, or simply a rosary, is used. This may contain either the full fifteen decades or a third of them. The idea of prayer beads is common to several religions, such as Buddhists and Moslems, as well as Catholics. But the Rosary has through many centuries become a hallmark of Catholic devotion, and the Church has enriched it with many blessings and its use with rich indulgences. Recently, even non-Catholic Christians have come to see and appreciate the beauty of the Rosary as a holy article and the prayer it represents a fruitful meditation.
From the time of St. Dominic Our Lady has come more and more to identify her Rosary as a powerful weapon against the enemies of Christianity. In 1571 a superior force of Turks intent upon conquering Christian Europe was beaten decisively by Christian sailors calling upon the name of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Dominican Pope St. Pius V instituted October 7, the date of the battle, as the feast of the Holy Rosary. In her apparitions at both Lourdes and Fatima Our Lady carried a rosary, and in the latter apparition she bade us pray the Rosary that the forces of atheism and immorality would be defeated.
In our own day the Church continues to stress vigorous devotion to Mary. The Second Vatican Council in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, declares: "This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine. At the same time, it admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult of the Blessed Virgin be generously fostered. It charges that practices and exercises of devotion toward her, treasured as recommended by the teaching authority of the Church in the course of centuries be religiously observed." Pope Paul VI presents the Rosary as a powerful means to reach Christ "not merely with Mary but indeed, insofar as this is possible to us, in the same way as Mary, who is certainly the one who thought about Him more than anyone else has ever done."
To show us how this is done, perhaps no one has been more eloquent than the great Cardinal Newman, who wrote: "The great power of the Rosary consists in the fact that it translates the Creed into Prayer. Of course, the Creed is already in a certain sense a prayer and a great act of homage towards God, but the Rosary brings us to meditate again on the great truth of His life and death, and brings this truth close to our hearts. Even Christians, although they know God, usually fear rather than love Him. The strength of the Rosary lies in the particular manner in which it considers these mysteries, since all our thinking about Christ is intertwined with the thought of His Mother, in the relations between Mother and Son; the Holy Family is presented to us, the home in which God lived His infinite love."
The Rosary can be either a public or a private prayer; that is, it can be said by the individual privately, or by alternating the prayers with others. In either case, two things are involved: first, one must say vocally the Our Fathers the Hail Marys and the Glory be to the Fathers, and ordinarily, the opening and closing prayers. Secondly, praying the Rosary involves mental prayer or contemplation of the various mysteries which accompany each decade. This contemplation means being present to the mystery, the details of each event, the truths and lessons each mystery teaches. This contemplation also means a movement of the affections in acts of faith, in acts of faith, hope and love: faith in the truthfulness of the divine Revealer of these mysteries; hope in the divine power and divine promises shown in these mysteries, and love for the divine goodness manifested in these mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary. At least some small bit or attempt at contemplating each mystery is also necessary in order to gain the Rosary indulgences One should not become scrupulous over this, however in the event of distractions. The Rosary is a prayer, and as such one should try to relax in the presence of God and be one's own individual self with one's own affections and style.
The vocal prayers of the Rosary and the contemplating the mysteries can be arranged in any way that best suits the one who is praying. The contemplation can be made before saying the vocal prayers and one can concentrate on the meaning of these vocal prayers while saying them, or one can contemplate the mysteries while the lips are saying the words of the vocal prayers. In this latter case, one will probably find that the constant movement of the lips, together with the fingering of the beads, will be a real aid to contemplation.
In general, the Rosary has two purposes: first, as a vocal prayer it is a petition, through Mary, for grace and mercy. Mary is the channel through which all grace comes to the world and is constantly interceding for us with her Son before the Throne of God. Hence, it is most fitting that we petition God for grace and mercy through her and her Son. It is part of God's plan that grace come to us through Mary, and thus, petitioning for grace through Mary follows the divine Plan. This is the first purpose of the Rosary.
Secondly, as a contemplation of the mysteries, i.e. the meaningful supernatural episodes, of the lives of Jesus and Mary, the Rosary is meant to make the truths of Christian faith live in the minds of the faithful. These mysteries contain the truths, the promises and the examples of the power and goodness of God. These things live in our own selves when we actually make acts of faith in these truths, acts of hope in God's caring power and promises, and acts of love for His goodness. By so contemplating, we "imitate what the mysteries contain and obtain what they promise," and we become Christ-like in mind and heart. This is the second purpose of the Rosary.
1) To all who recite my psalter (the Rosary), I promise my special protection.
2) The Rosary will be a powerful weapon against the powers of hell; it will root out vices, destroy sin and subjugate all heresies.
3) He who calls on me through the Rosary will not perish.
4) Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly, meditating on its holy mysteries, will not be cast down by troubles nor perish by an unprovided death; but if he is a sinner, he will be converted; if he is virtuous, he will increase in grace and become worthy of eternal life.
5) I will deliver from purgatory in the space of a day those souls devoted to my Rosary.
6) The true children of the Rosary will enjoy a great glory in heaven.
7) Whatever you ask through the Rosary will be granted.
8) Those who propagate my Rosary will be helped by me in all their necessities.
9) Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
You will notice that Dominicans start the Rosary in a different way from the usual. Really, it is the more ancient formula and is based on the idea that the Rosary is the layperson's breviary. These introductory prayers are the ones with which the Divine Office traditionally commences:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
R. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
V. Lord, open my lips.
R. And my tongue shall announce your praise.
V. Incline to my aid, O God.
R. Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Alleluia! (Or during Lent: Praise be to You, O Lord, King of eternal glory!)
After this the decades are begun immediately: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one Glory be to the Father, for each decade. (The preliminary Apostles' Creed, Our Father, three Hail Marys and Glory be are not said.)
At the end of the Rosary the following prayers are said:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, O most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us. And after this, our exile, show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Leader: Pray for us, Queen of the most holy Rosary.
People: That we might be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
All: Let us pray. O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech You, that meditating on the sacred mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
When the Rosary is recited publicly, i.e. by two or more persons, a Leader should be designated who will name the proper mystery before each decade and say the verses marked "V" above, as well as the ending prayers. The Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory be's should be divided alternately between the Leader and congregation, or between one side of the congregation and the other. The leading of these prayers should likewise alternate, that is, the first decade should be led by the Leader and responded to by the congregation (or Side A and Side B), the second decade led by the congregation and responded to by the Leader (Side B and Side A), and so on.
The mysteries of the Rosary are divided into three groups: the Joyful, the Sorrowful and the Glorious Mysteries. One may contemplate any of these groups he chooses at any time. Traditionally, however, the Joyful Mysteries are prayed on Mondays and Thursdays; the Sorrowful on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Glorious on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Sundays the mysteries are chosen according to the time of year, i.e. in Advent, the Joyful; in Lent, the Sorrowful, and on the other Sundays of the year, the Glorious Mysteries.
The Five Joyful Mysteries, God's Plan of the Incarnation of His Son:
1) The Annunciation, the revelation of the Father's decree by means of the angel's annunciation to Mary, the new Eve.
2) The Visitation, the first manifestation of the effects of the grace of the Incarnate Word, through Mary, in John the Baptist.
3) The Nativity, the appearance of the Word in mortal flesh in the cave at Bethlehem.
4) The Presentation, the total offering of the new and eternal Priest to the Father.
5) The Finding in the Temple, the passage of the years in the hidden life of the Son of God on earth, His growth in wisdom, stature and grace.
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries, God's Plan of the Redemption:
1) The Agony in the Garden, Christ's sorrow and betrayal on the very night when He had loved to the extreme limit by giving Himself in the Eucharist and instituting the priesthood.
2) The Scourging, His capture like a common criminal, condemnation and painful scourging.
3) The Crowning with Thorns, a mocking acknowledgement of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
4) The Carrying of the Cross, the painful ascent of Calvary, His carrying of the Cross for our sins and unconcern.
5) The Crucifixion, in which He is recognized as truly the Son of God by the centurion and which was the beginning of Christ's immense embrace of the world: "And 1, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."
The Five Glorious Mysteries, God's Plan for our Sanctification:
1) The Resurrection, Christ's victory over sin and death; the pivot of the paschal mystery, both in the spiritual life of the individual (dying and rising again with Christ through baptism) and in the life of the Church community, centered from the very beginning on the Mass.
2) The Ascension, reminding us of our final victory and of the things that are above.
3) The Descent of the Holy Spirit, which places us in immediate contact with the Sanctifier and, at the same time, with the reality of the Church, which is "both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly endowed, eager to act and yet devoted to contemplation, present in the world and yet not at home in it" (II Vat. Cncil.).
4) The Assumption of Our Lady, the first fruits of the effect of Christ's salvific action and His pledge to us in the fullness of time.
5) The Coronation of Our Lady, which transfers us to the "kingdom of love," in the full-flowering of the divine seed implanted in us by grace, in the fullest Communion of the Saints.
Some indulgences which are granted by the Church to those who devoutly pray the Rosary are granted for the recitation of the Rosary as such, and they may be gained by anyone, whether or not he is a member of the Rosary Confraternity or any other pious society, or whether or not he uses beads to which special blessings have been attached, or indeed whether he uses any beads at all. A plenary indulgence can be gained, once a day, by praying the Rosary, privately or in common, before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or in the tabernacle. Partial indulgences are gained in praying the Rosary in other situations.
Further partial indulgences may be gained by using blessed beads while praying the Rosary. Your missionary will, during the course of the mission, bless Rosary beads and attach to them partial indulgences. These additional partial indulgences are too numerous to list here in detail. Anyone interested in knowing more about them may obtain further information by applying to the Dominican Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, 375 N.E. Clackamas Street, Portland, Oregon 97232.