How to Pray the Rosary

The rosary is a meditation on the life of Christ and Mary, prayed on beads: on each of five decades one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be, while thinking of one mystery. Follow the guide below bead by bead.

Pray the rosary bead by bead

Opening1 / 73

Apostles' Creed

On the crucifix, after the Sign of the Cross

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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Use the arrow keys or the buttons to move from bead to bead.

The mysteries

All the prayers

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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Latin

Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum; qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus; descendit ad inferos; tertia die resurrexit a mortuis; ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, Sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen.

Latin from the Manual of Prayers (1889)

Line by line with the English: The Apostles' Creed in Latin (Credo)

From the Complete Manual of Catholic Piety (1844)

Also on The Apostles' Creed

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.

Latin

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Latin from Medulla pietatis Christianae (1868)

Line by line with the English: The Our Father in Latin (Pater Noster)

From the Manual of Prayers (1889)

Also on The Our Father

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.

Latin

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Latin from the Catholic's Latin Instructor (1868)

Line by line with the English: The Hail Mary in Latin (Ave Maria)

From Manuale sacerdotum ad altare (1889)

Also on The Hail Mary

The Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Latin

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Latin from the Manual of Prayers (1889)

Line by line with the English: The Glory Be in Latin (Gloria Patri)

From the Manual of Prayers (1889)

Also on The Glory Be

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 towards us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

℣.Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.℟.That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Latin

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Latin from Manuale sacerdotum ad altare (1889)

Line by line with the English: Salve Regina in Latin

From the Key of Heaven (1901)

Also on Hail, Holy Queen

Closing Prayer of the Rosary

℣.Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.℟.That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, hath purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that, by meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

From the League Devotions for the Apostleship of Prayer (1895)

Also on Prayers to Mary

Questions

Which mysteries do I pray today?

The joyful mysteries on Monday and Saturday, the sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, the glorious on Wednesday and Sunday, and the luminous on Thursday. The guide picks today's set for you; you can change it.

How long does the rosary take?

Five decades take about 15 to 20 minutes when prayed at a steady pace.

Do I need rosary beads?

No. The beads only help you count. The guide on this page keeps count for you, bead by bead.

What are the luminous mysteries?

Five mysteries from the public life of Jesus, added by Pope John Paul II in 2002 and prayed on Thursdays: his Baptism, the wedding at Cana, the proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration and the institution of the Eucharist.