The word “Rosary” comes from a Latin term meaning “Garland of Roses.” The rose is one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary. As a devotion to Mother Mary, the Rosary is meant to be prayed in a certain order, with certain prayers. These prayers include:
The Apostle’s Creed. This prayer expresses the teachings of the apostles, and is as follows:
“I 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. The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. From thence he shall 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 the life everlasting. Amen.”
The Lord’s Prayer. The universal prayer of Christians, this is the second prayer prayed when using the Rosary.
“Our 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. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”
The Hail Mary is the third prayer said with the Rosary. It reads as follows:
“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.”
The Glory Be is the fourth prayer of the Rosary. Here are the words:
“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.”
The Closing Prayer of the Rosary is sometimes called the Hail Queen, the Salve Regina, or the Hail Holy Queen. It goes like this:
“Hail 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 vale 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.”
This is a brief overview of the Prayers of the Rosary. In an upcoming post, we will talk about what praying the Rosary means, and the proper number of prayers to be said.