rosary prayer

The Our Father Prayer, also known as the Lord’s Prayer, is the prayer said at the beginning of the Rosary directly after The Apostles’ Creed, and is right before the three Hail Marys.  It is also the prayer that begins each decade.

Catholics, and even non-catholic Christians, claim that the Our Father is the most beloved of prayers in the Catholic Church’s treasury; it was taught to the Apostles by the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. (Matt 6:9-13)  Since the Our Father is the response to the Apostles’: “teach us to pray, ” we can be assured that it is powerful and is the most perfect of prayers. There is so much depth to this prayer that The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes one of its four parts to examining it.  Many argue that it is the summary of the gospels. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas praise it: more...

The Hail Mary prayer is mostly known for being the main prayer in the Rosary, though it is often prayed as an individual prayer. It appears in each decade ten times, and at the beginning, three times, for an increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.

Besides this, the Hail Mary is a testimony of faith—being the most recognized “Catholic” prayer.  No other religion honors Mary to the extent that the Catholics do.  Unfortunately, this love for her is often understood wrongly. Catholics don’t worship Mary; she is not God, but they do recognize her role in salvation.  It is because of her Fiat, her yes to God, that the Incarnation took place.  In other words, she is a key player in redemption.  In particular, she is the new Eve, the woman prophesied in Genesis, and the one spoken of in Revelation. more...

The Apostles’ Creed is the first prayer of the Rosary.  It is an important prayer in the life of the Catholic Church.  Not only is it a summary of the life of Jesus Christ, but an acceptance of the mysteries expressed.  It details the core beliefs of Catholics since the first century; the doctrines are fulfillments of the ancient Jewish prophecies. Each word is key and nothing in it is superfluous.  In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church has an entire part devoted to examining the Creed’s depths. 

This article is a brief glance at the prayer, which includes key Scripture verses, and cursory explanations.  The hope here is to inspire further research. more...

Most people recognize a rosary when they see one. It is a popular Catholic symbol, but many may not be aware of what a rosary really is for, and why it is important to Catholics.

The word, rosary, comes from the Latin, rosarium, which means crown of roses. It is a bouquet that Catholics give to Mary as they participate in her life with a focus on her Son, Jesus Christ. The Rosary is a prayer, more specifically, a meditation, where Catholics get to know the Son by loving the Mother.

“The Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquillity of rhythm or even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life”.” more...