the Magnificat® Rosary Companion
Immaculate Mary Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing; You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King. R/ Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria. Ave, Ave, Maria. Predestined for Christ by eternal decree, God willed you both virgin and mother to be. R/ To you by an angel, the Lord God made known The grace of the Spirit, the gift of the Son. R/ Most blest of all women, you heard and believed, Most blest in the fruit of your womb then conceived. R/ The angels rejoiced when you brought forth God’s Son; Your joy is the joy of all ages to come. R/ Your child is the Savior, all hope lies in him: He gives us new life and redeems us from sin. R/ In glory for ever now close to your Son, All ages will praise you for all God has done. R/ Text: Stanza 1. Jeremiah Cummings, 1814-1866 Stanza 2-7 Brian Foley, b. 1919 © 1971, Faber Music, Ltd. Tune: Lourdes Hymn, 11 11 with refrain: Grenoble, 1882.
1 The Rosary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
How to Pray the Rosary There are many different ways of praying the holy rosary. Here is one basic method: 1. While holding the crucifix in your right hand (number 1 in the diagram), bless yourself making the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Then kiss the crucifix and recite the Apostles’ Creed (found on page 75). 2. While holding the first bead (number 2 in the diagram), the one next to the crucifix, pray the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father… (found on page 75). 3. Finger the next three beads grouped together (number 3 in the diagram) one by one while praying three Hail Marys (found on page 75). Ask the Lord for an increase of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, or offer these three Hail Marys for other intentions. 4. On the little chain or cord separating the three beads from the next single bead (number 4 in the diagram), pray the Doxology: Glory be… (found on page 76). 5. While holding the next, single bead (number 5 in the diagram), name the mysteries that you are going
to pray (e.g., Joyful, pp. 5-15, Luminous, pp. 17-27, Sorrowful, pp. 29-39, or Glorious, pp. 41-51) and then announce the first of those mysteries. Read prayerfully the meditation for that mystery. After a brief silent pause, pray the Lord’s Prayer. 6. On the next set of ten beads, called a decade (number 6 in the diagram), pray ten Hail Marys while meditating on the announced mystery. 7. On the little chain or cord (number 7 in the diagram), pray the Doxology. You may then add a little concluding prayer, such as “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.” Another suggestion is to pray the concluding prayer provided at the end of the meditation in this rosary booklet. 8. Then simply repeat this same pattern for each of the remaining four decades: announce the mystery, read the meditation, pray the Lord’s Prayer, pray ten Hail Marys, pray the Doxology, and pray the concluding prayer. 9. After finishing the concluding prayer of the fifth decade, while holding the little connecting medallion (number 8 in the diagram), pray the Hail Holy Queen and the prayers that conclude the rosary (found on page 76). 10. Once again holding the crucifix, bless yourself making the sign of the cross. Finish your recitation of the rosary by kissing the crucifix.
4 For Praying the Rosary The Church recommends the following schedule: MONDAYS: The Joyful Mysteries TUESDAYS: The Sorrowful Mysteries WEDNESDAYS: The Glorious Mysteries THURSDAYS: The Luminous Mysteries FRIDAYS: The Sorrowful Mysteries SATURDAYS: The Joyful Mysteries SUNDAYS: The Glorious Mysteries During the Sundays of Advent, one might pray the Joyful mysteries instead of the Glorious mysteries, and during the Sundays of Lent the Sorrowful mysteries. Feel free to alter this plan in any way that helps to accommodate your personal circumstances or needs. Another option is to sing the refrain of “Immaculate Mary” (found on the inside front cover) or another Marian hymn after the concluding prayer of each decade. Finally, it is customary to offer the recitation of the rosary for a particular intention called to mind mentally before beginning. Alternately, it is admirable to offer each decade—or even each Hail Mary—for different intentions.
5 The Five Joyful Mysteries Father Richard Veras n First: The Annunciation n n Second: The Visitation n n Third: The Nativity n n Fourth: The Presentation n n Fifth: The Finding in the Temple n To meditate upon the joyful mysteries is to enter into the ultimate causes and the deepest meaning of Christian joy. It is to focus on the realism of the mystery of the Incarnation and on the obscure foreshadowing of the mystery of the saving Passion. (On the Most Holy Rosary of the Virgin Mary #20)
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7 Meditation Mary’s yes is pure. Mary’s yes is not compromised by “but,” or “if,” or “what happens when…” Mary did not laugh at God, as Sarah did when she was promised a son. Sarah, being a sinner like ourselves, began from the difficulties; she focused on what was absent, on reasons to dwell on impossibility. Mary, being truly innocent and without sin, did not entertain cynicism even when historical circumstances made it difficult to see how God could fulfill his age-old promise of an eternal King and Savior. Mary does not start from absence. She does not focus on darkness and nothingness and impossibility, which leads to despair and to no! Mary starts from a presence. Her only focus is the light and love and limitless possibility that embrace her. This leads her to yes! A yes which becomes pregnant with being and bears eternal fruit. God proposes, Mary says yes, and Christ is present. Let us pray to be united to Mary in this pure yes. Let us not begin from what is not, but from him who says “I am.” This is the only basis for true joy. Concluding Prayer Jesus living in Mary, you abide one like us though without sin so that we may become partakers of your divinity. Grant us the grace to embrace the new life that your coming into our world makes possible for all those who are born again of water and the Holy Spirit. The First Joyful Mystery The Annunciation
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9 Meditation During the unimaginable joy of the Annunciation, Mary is given the name of someone she knows, Elizabeth her cousin. She hastens to see her. This is not the haste of fear or worry, but rather the haste of joy and adventure. These two blessed women see each other and, once again, what seems to be impossible occurs… their joy escalates! In one another’s faces they see the limitless grace and mercy of God. They proclaim to one another the greatness of God who has come to dwell among them. Elizabeth says, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary says, “My soul magnifies the Lord!” Mary and Elizabeth, with the hidden presence of Jesus and John, become the first Christian community. A community in which God’s presence is evident in the very visage of each member. A communion of mutual love in which the spectacle of God’s grace overflows into a joy which escalates toward eternity. Concluding Prayer Jesus dwelling in Mary, you mediate to us the gift of your Father’s love and we like the infant Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth leap for joy. Grant us the grace to receive the gift of supernatural life with humility and thanksgiving, and to announce steadfastly your greatness to whomever we meet. The Second Joyful Mystery The Visitation
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11 Meditation The shepherds come and tell what the angels have announced to them: that in the city of David a Savior is born and that they are invited to seek him, and to find him, and to see him, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Mary ponders these things in her heart. She ponders a love so true, a grace so great, that it cannot be compromised by the ugliness of circumstances. This child is a King, this child is God, and yet he rests here in the harsh discomfort of a stable, in the company of animals. She herself is a virgin, and yet this child lives and breathes in her arms. In this moment, Mary is a sign to us that no circumstance warrants despair. No human circumstance offers an excuse to proclaim and blame God’s absence, because there is no human circumstance in which he is not present. And thus there is never a reason to abandon hope and to lose our joy. For the Word is made flesh and dwells among us. Mary prays for us sinners, that this knowledge of the Word made flesh may become our very life and our joy, as he is her joy for ever. Concluding Prayer Jesus on the lap of Mary, you were born among the lowly of this earth to announce your saving purpose to seek out, find, and bring home God’s little ones. Grant us the grace to welcome the Good News of your Gospel and to become heralds of true peace and goodwill for our brothers and sisters. The Third Joyful Mystery The Nativity
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13 Meditation Simeon tells the young mother that a sword of sorrow will pierce her heart. Mary does not recoil. Her yes remains pure and uncompromised. Her joy is still complete! There is no place this presence cannot go. There is no darkness or suffering it cannot pierce. Even in the depths of the human heart, even in that place where we can mistakenly think that we are alone, even there abides the Presence of the one who says “I am!” Mary does not begin from absence, she begins always from Presence. The words of Simeon are spoken within the eternal echo of the words of Gabriel: “The Lord is with you.” Before Jesus can even utter the words, Mary already rejoices in his promise: “I am with you always.” It is not a strong will that withstands Simeon’s ominous prophecy, but love. Mary places all her hope in the presence of God who is Love. At the end of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel left her, but the One to whom her yes is directed remains for ever. Concluding Prayer Jesus in the arms of Mary, you observed all that was to be fulfilled in the revelation made to Moses so that the world could acknowledge you as Savior of Israel. Grant us the grace to consecrate ourselves to your saving mission, and to commit ourselves without reserve to the faithful worship of the true God. The Fourth Joyful Mystery The Presentation
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15 Meditation Mary cannot understand, she cannot explain why Jesus remained in Jerusalem without telling her or her husband Joseph. And her unwavering yes continues! Her lack of understanding before the mystery of God does not present an objection to her yes. Mary could not have explained how a virgin could give birth, or how Elizabeth could bear a son in old age, or how shepherds could find the obscure birthplace of her beloved Son, or how an old man in the Temple could utter a profound prophecy about her Son. Even the teachers in the Temple could not explain Jesus’ intelligence. The fact that the mystery is mysterious can only be an objection to a small mind which refuses that which is deeper than its understanding. We will never fully penetrate the mystery of God with our intellect, but we can begin to live in communion with him now by recognizing his presence and saying yes. Joy does not spring from intellectual pride, but from being loved. In union with Mary, let us live the joy of being loved by God our Father who has chosen us and has sent his Son to be with us always. Concluding Prayer Jesus in the company of Mary, you brought joy to your parents after bringing new light to those who were learned about the things of God. Grant us the grace to discern wisely about the things of God so all that we do may reflect the splendor of your truth and make us grow in wisdom, age, and grace. The Fifth Joyful Mystery The Finding in the Temple
“The historical origin of the rosary lies in the Middle Ages. People found the prayers to Mary, with the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ, strung out like beads on a necklace. They touch you in a meditative way, so that the repetition allows the soul to settle into tranquility and, holding fast to the Word, above all to the figure of Mary and to the images of Christ that pass you by, make your soul calm and free and grant it a vision of God. It’s not so much a matter of consciously concentrating on the meaning of each single word, but allowing myself on the contrary to be carried away by the calm of repetition and of steady rhythm. So much the more so since this text does not lack content. It brings great images and visions and above all the figure of Mary—and then, through her, the figure of Jesus—before my eyes and in my soul. These people had needed a prayer to bring them calm, to take them out of themselves, away from their troubles, and they set before them consolation and healing. I think this basic experience in the history of religion, of repetition, of rhythm, of words in unison, of singing together, which carries me and soothes me and fills my space, which does not torment me, but lets me be still and comforts me and sets me free, this basic experience has here become fully Christian, in that people pray quite simply in the Marian context and in that of the appearance of Christ to men, and yet at the same time let this prayer be internalized in them—going beyond the intellectual level to where the soul becomes one with the words.” Pope Benedict XVI
56 When I was a boy I used to watch my father stooped across a chair as we all knelt saying the family rosary, my mother beside him. Somehow, you expect your mother to be a person of prayer, but there is something powerfully impressive about watching your father at prayer. It is an image that has stayed with me all my life and, to this day, has been the best sermon I have ever “heard” on prayer. n One with the life of Christ n The greatness of the rosary lies in its power to help us walk in the footsteps of Jesus. It draws us into those eternal moments in the life of Christ. In each mystery we gaze, as through a window, to contemplate with Mary the life and mysteries of her Son. As at all her great shrines, Mary is never concerned to draw her children to herself but to her Son. We recite the Hail Marys and gaze on Jesus who allows us to be with him at each moment from the Annunciation to the crowning of his mother as Queen. The rosary, like the cycle of the liturgical year, follows Jesus from the events of his young life—the Joyful mysteries; through his Passion and death—the Sorrowful mysteries; culminating in his glorious Resurrection, Pentecost, and the final glorification of Mary—“a woman clothed with the sun” (Rv 12:1). For simplicity and depth it would be hard to imagine a more perfect prayer. As we finger the beads and recite the Hail Why We Pray the Rosary Father Kevin J. Scallon, c.m.
57 Marys, the words of Scripture pass before our mind, and we drink from “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14) and “our hearts burning within us” (Lk 24:32). n A great sword n Some years ago, I called on a friend of mine. His wife told me that he was in the den. What she didn’t tell me was that he was with his ten-year-old son teaching him how to pray the rosary. I would be willing to bet that that little boy will never forget how to pray the rosary as long as he lives. Sadly, there are so many today who do not know how to say this wonderful prayer. Dare we hope that Father Peyton’s great slogan could be heard once again, and that families might begin to pray the rosary once more. The rosary is everyone’s prayer. Princes and presidents, rich and poor, young and old, saints and sinners, find in it a way of praying that is simple and yet profound. Our Blessed Mother loves this prayer. Saint Padre Pio said that “the rosary is like a great sword that Mary puts into the hands of her children to defend themselves against the evil one.” Very many people, including myself, have found this to be true. Our Blessed Mother does help us in moments of spiritual combat. The powers of darkness fear her and flee from her presence. n Mind at rest n Everyone has a personal approach to this prayer. I like to say it in a quiet place on my own. I keep a rosary in my right-hand pocket and I pray it as I stand in line or wait for planes or trains or whatever it may be. Families should pray it in the home with an image of Mary, a lighted candle, and with each member being asked to do his or her part.
58 German-speaking peoples have the custom of adding a phrase after the name of “Jesus” in the first half of the Hail Mary. This phrase helps to keep in mind the theme of each decade; for example, “…thy womb, Jesus, to whom you, Mary, gave birth…,” “…thy womb, Jesus, who was crucified for us…” or “…thy womb, Jesus, who crowned you Virgin Mary in heaven…” Personally, I have found this an extremely helpful way of keeping my mind at rest while meditating on each mystery. And, of course, the rosary has a definite therapeutic effect. When you find prayer difficult, the rosary will help you; it will pray for you; it will quiet your distracted mind or troubled soul and bring you to calmness and serenity. In fact, according to a study in the British Medical Journal, reciting the rosary could improve your cardiovascular well-being. Seemingly it has the effect of synchronizing respiratory and cardiac rhythms—which, as everyone knows, could only be good for you.
77 Brief Biographies of Contributors Father Peter John Cameron, o.p., is the first editor-at-large of Magnificat. Father Romanus Cessario, o.p., holds the Adam Cardinal Maida Chair of Theology at Ave Maria University and serves as the Senior Editor for Magnificat. Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, o.p., is the Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Most Reverend William M. Joensen, Ph.d., was ordained and installed as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in 2019. Priscilla Marck is a homemaker and mother of eight. She lives in Illinois. James Monti is the author of A Sense of the Sacred: Catholic Worship in the Middle Ages (Ignatius Press), The Week of Salvation: History and Traditions of Holy Week (Our Sunday Visitor), and The King’s Good Servant but God’s First: The Life and Writings of Saint Thomas More (Ignatius Press). Father Kevin J. Scallon, c.m., († 2018) was an Irish Vincentian priest who served as a missionary, a seminary teacher, and later worked full-time ministering to priests. Rita A. Simmonds (ritaasimmonds.com) is an award-winning poet. She is the author of a memoir entitled Convicted by Mercy: The Journey of Frank Simmonds from the Streets to Sanctity and four books of poetry, her latest being He Called (Magnificat). Monsignor James Turro, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark. He was a professor at the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University for over sixty years. Father Richard Veras is director of pastoral formation at Saint Joseph’s Seminary in New York. He is the author of The Word Made Flesh: Foreshadowed, Fulfilled, Forever (Magnificat). Front cover: Offering of the Virgin Mary (1842), Simon Saint-Jean (18081860), Museum of Fine Arts, Lyon, France. © Lyon MBA. Page 16: Pope Benedict XVI, God and the World, A Conversation with Peter Seewald, tr. Henry Taylor. © 2002, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. Used with permission. Page 28: Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Vatican Translation. © 2002, Pauline Books & Media Boston, MA. Page 40: Pope John Paul I, Humilitas, English Edition, Vol. XXIII, No. 4, December, 2012, Ray and Lauretta Seabeck, Ed., Mother Teresa, o.c.d., Lori Pieper, Trs. © Missionary Servants of Pope John Paul I, Beverton, OR. Back cover: A Pope Totally Consecrated to Jesus through Mary, Vatican City, October 16, 2005. © Innovative Media, Inc. Inside front cover: Immaculate Mary, from Worship, A Hymnal and Service Book for Roman Catholics, Fourth Edition. © 2011, GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 South Mason Avenue, Chicago, IL.
“The rosary is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation, which began in her virginal womb.” Pope John Paul II Publisher: Pierre-Marie Dumont; Editor-in-Chief: Peter John Cameron, . .; Senior Editor: Romanus Cessario, . .; Managing Editor: Catherine Kolpak; Administrative Assistant: Nora Macagnone; Senior Managing Editor: Frédérique Chatain; Cover: Solange Bosdevesy; Iconography: Isabelle Mascaras; Permissions: Diaga Seck-Rauch; Proofreader: Claire Gilligan; Translator: Janet Chevrier. T M R C , copyright 2020 by M Inc. Printed by: L.E.G.O. SpA, Italy in February 2022. Edition Number: MGN2022.02. The trademark M depicted in this publication is used under license from and is the exclusive property of Magnificat Central Service Team, Inc., A Ministry to Catholic Women, and may not be used without its written consent.
One Suggestion about When to Pray the Different Mysteries of the Rosary n MONDAYS: The Joyful Mysteries n TUESDAYS: The Sorrowful Mysteries n WEDNESDAYS: The Glorious Mysteries n THURSDAYS: The Luminous Mysteries n FRIDAYS: The Sorrowful Mysteries n SATURDAYS: The Joyful Mysteries n SUNDAYS: The Glorious Mysteries Memorare US $5.99 Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen. “The rosary contributes in a privileged way to prolong communion with Christ, and it educates us to live keeping our hearts’ gaze fixed upon him to radiate on everyone and everything his merciful love.” Pope Benedict XVI
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