The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Traced with the right hand: forehead, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder.
Pray
Pray the Rosary
A slow, repeating prayer that walks through the life of Jesus alongside Mary. You do not need beads, a quiet room, or a full hour to begin. There is a counter further down this page that will keep your place for you.
If you have never prayed it before
The Rosary combines spoken prayer (the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be) with quiet attention to scenes from the life of Jesus, called mysteries. You announce a mystery, then pray ten Hail Marys while holding that scene loosely in mind. Five of those groups, called decades, make a full Rosary.
The repetition is the point in one narrow sense only: it gives your mouth and hands something steady to do so your attention is free. It is not a formula, a bargain, or a test. Nobody is counting whether you did it correctly, and a decade prayed badly is still prayer.
Beads help you keep count without thinking, but your fingers work just as well, and so does the counter on this page. If Mary is unfamiliar or uncomfortable to you, it may help to read what Catholics actually believe about Mary first. Catholics ask her to pray for them; they do not worship her.
The Annunciation, Fra Angelico, c. 1426.
The Rosary begins where Gabriel begins: with a question put to a young woman, and with her free answer.
Artwork information
Title: The Annunciation
Artist: Fra Angelico
Date: c. 1426
Rights: Public domain (copyright expired)
Fra Angelico painted this scene for a friary wall so that people walking past would slow down. It is worth a few seconds before you start: an angel bowing, a girl listening, nothing forced.
The first joyful mystery is this moment. Everything the Rosary walks through afterwards depends on a consent freely given, never extracted.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
Pray it now
Choose the guided mode to be walked through every prayer in order, with the full text on screen, or the simple counter if you already know the words and only want to keep count. The Fatima Prayer is optional and can be switched off.
Loading the Rosary counter.
The order of the Rosary, step by step
1. Begin
Make the Sign of the Cross. Holding the crucifix, pray the Apostles' Creed.
2. Opening prayers
On the first large bead, one Our Father. On the three small beads, three Hail Marys, traditionally for faith, hope, and love. Then one Glory Be.
3. Announce the first mystery
Name it, and take a moment, even a few seconds, to consider the scene.
4. Pray the decade
One Our Father on the large bead, ten Hail Marys on the small beads, then one Glory Be. Many people add the Fatima Prayer here.
5. Repeat for the remaining four mysteries
Announce, then pray, each one in turn: five decades in all for a full set.
6. Close
Pray the Hail, Holy Queen and the concluding prayer, then make the Sign of the Cross. If those closing prayers are unfamiliar, the Sign of the Cross alone is enough.
The prayers in full
These are the traditional English texts in common Catholic use. Nothing here is paraphrased.
The Apostles' Creed
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; 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.
The Our Father
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. Amen.
The Hail Mary
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 first half is drawn from Luke 1:28 and Luke 1:42. The second half asks Mary to pray for us.
The Glory Be
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 Fatima PrayerOptional
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 Thy mercy. Amen.
Optional. Many Catholics add this after the Glory Be of each decade. It is a devotional custom, not a required part of the Rosary.
The Hail, Holy Queen
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 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.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Concluding prayer of the Rosary
O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech thee, that meditating upon these 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.
All twenty mysteries, with Scripture
Five moments from the beginning of the story: an announcement, a visit, a birth in poor circumstances, an offering in the Temple, and a child found after three days of searching.
1. The Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38
God asks rather than compels, and waits for her answer. Anyone whose consent has been overridden by others may find that detail worth sitting with.
2. The Visitation
Luke 1:39-56
The first thing Mary does with good news is travel to be with an older relative who needs company. Her song in this scene is not gentle about the powerful.
3. The Nativity
Luke 2:1-20
God enters the world without shelter, wealth, or safety, and the first people told are night-shift labourers on a hillside.
4. The Presentation in the Temple
Luke 2:22-40
Simeon blesses the child and then tells Mary plainly that a sword will pierce her too. Joy and foreknowledge of grief sit in the same scene.
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Luke 2:41-52
Three days of not knowing where her child is. The Gospel does not soften her distress, and it does not treat her question as a failure of faith.
When you cannot pray it the right way
If you are exhausted
One decade is a complete prayer. So is holding the beads without saying anything at all. God is not tallying how many Hail Marys you managed.
If you keep getting distracted
Distraction during the Rosary is ordinary, not a failure. When you notice your mind has wandered, return to the words. There is no need to start over.
If you only have two minutes
Pray one decade of one mystery, or three Hail Marys, or the Sign of the Cross alone. Short prayer is real prayer.
If the repetition itself feels heavy
You are allowed to stop. Repetition is meant to be a resting place, not a duty imposed on you. If counting beads starts to feel like one more thing you have to perform correctly, put them down. A single honest sentence to God counts as much as five decades.
If the Rosary was used against you
Some people were made to pray it as punishment, or told their suffering would end if they prayed enough of it. That was a misuse. You are not obliged to pray it at all, and God is not withholding help pending your bead count.