The Rosary may seem complicated at first — but it is one of the most beautiful and accessible prayers in the Christian tradition. Whether you are just beginning or returning to the faith, this guide will walk you through every step, every prayer, and every mystery.
You can pray it in twenty minutes. You can pray it anywhere — in your home, on a bus, walking to work. All you need is this guide and a willing heart.
"The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life."— Pope Leo XIII
"The Rosary is a school of contemplation — it teaches us to look at Christ through the eyes of Mary."— Saint John Paul II
The Rosary is a Catholic devotion that combines vocal prayer with meditative contemplation. While praying a series of Hail Marys on beads, you simultaneously meditate on 20 events from the lives of Jesus and Mary — called Mysteries.
It is structured into five decades (groups of ten Hail Marys), each focused on one Mystery. The prayers and beads keep your hands and lips occupied so that your heart and mind can enter into deep meditation on the life of Christ.
A full Rosary contains five decades. The four sets of mysteries — Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious — are rotated through the week.
Follow these steps from beginning to end. At first, keep this guide open beside you. Within a week of daily prayer, you will know it by heart.
Here is a complete reference of every prayer used in the Rosary. Print this page or bookmark it so you always have them at hand.
The Rosary's four sets of mysteries rotate through the week. Each mystery is one decade. Pray all five mysteries of today's set to complete your Rosary.
Our Mystery of the Day page shows you exactly which mysteries to meditate on today — with full meditations and the fruit of each mystery.