Saint Gregory the Great F ormation THE OSARY HOW to PRAY THE ROSARY The Rosary grows with the one who prays it One should not fall into the trap of perfectionism in praying the Rosary. It is a very simple prayer; don't complicate it. Begin the Rosary with a deliberate Sign of the Cross and then set about praying it! The Rosary has a rhythm. It is a sturdy prayer. There is a certain wisdom in simply telling one's beads One should not weave a web of complications around the Rosary. It is exquisite in its poverty, and pleasing to the Mother of God in its simplicity. Dom Mark Kirby, OSB : Prior of Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, County Meath, Ireland
THIS IS THE SECOND OF TWO DOCUMENTS prepared for a catechesis given in July 2012 to the group which later would become Saint Gregory the Great Church, a community of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, one of the Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict the Sixteenth to allow Anglicans and Episcopalians to return to their long-broken communion with Rome and bring their liturgical patrimony with them in the words of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Cœtibus, our founding document as a treasure to be preserved and shared with the Church. England was once known for her devotion to the Blessed Mother and called Mary s Dowry; pilgrims from all over Europe came to her great shrine at Walsingham. That shrine (like all the others) was utterly destroyed when Henry the Eighth severed the bond uniting the English with the Universal Church. In the centuries which followed the position of our Lady in Anglicanism had its ups and downs but her cult never entirely disappeared. The birth of the Oxford Movement in the middle of the nineteenth century (which attempted to restore some Catholic practices and theology to Anglicanism and gave birth to the Anglocatholic movement) resulted in greatly increased veneration of our Lady and increasing devotion to the Rosary (for those who could not quite bring themselves to use the Romish beads, a special Anglican Rosary was devised). Closer to home Servant of God Father Paul Wattson, creator of what is now known as the Week of Christian Unity and Founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, and his lifelong companion in religion Mother Lurana, founder of the Sisters of the Atonement truly an American Francis and Clare were late nineteenth century Anglopapalist Episcopalians who dreamed of their denomination returning to full communion with Rome. Father Lewis Wattson as he was known before taking his name in religion had written The Anglican who pays scant respect to the Holy Mother of God; never says a Hail Mary; has no use for the Rosary is unfaithful to the oldest and most hallowed traditions of the Anglican Communion; he and Mother Lurana founded the [Episcopalian] Rosary League in 1901. Finally, failing hopes for full, denominational, reunion and distress over the 1896 Bull ruling Anglican Orders null moved Father Wattson and Mother Lurana, with their orders, to ask for reception into the Church. They were received at their chapel in Graymoor, New York in 1909 the first organic reunion of a group of Anglicans (or any Protestants) since the breaking of the Western Church in the sixteenth century. The title Our Lady of the Atonement, revealed to Father Paul, was approved by Pope Benedict the Fifteenth for the Universal Church in 1919; Pope Benedict the Sixteenth issued Anglicanorum Cœtibus establishing the Ordinariate for groups of Anglicans exactly one hundred years after those first groups of Anglicans were received under the protection of our Lady of the Atonement at Graymoor. It is the writer s sincere wish these small works may help foster knowledge and love of this beautiful devotion to our Lord through His, and our, blessed Mother. Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us! Our Lady of the Atonement, Pray for us! Kevin McDermott Founding Verger Saint Gregory the Great Church A Catholic Community of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter www.saintgregoryordinariate.org
The Rosary calls to mind the five Joyful; five Sorrowful; and five Glorious Mysteries in the life of Christ and His Blessed Mother. The Rosary proper is composed of fifteen decades (each decade consisting of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be) but it is much more common to say five decades (that is, one Mystery); this properly known as a chaplet is what almost all Catholics mean when they speak of saying a Rosary. When Catholics speak of the Rosary they are sure to mean the Dominican Rosary; but even within this one form many di^erent traditions for performing the devotion exist, varying even from family to family. If one were to do nothing but say an Our Father on the large beads and Hail Marys on the small ones, one would most assuredly be praying the Rosary: all else is addition. The use of the Mysteries, however, is intimately bound up with the devotion and the key to its Christological depth; after becoming familiar with the pattern of the Rosary, introducing them is highly recommended. Whether to use any of the other additions or methods is a matter of private choice. What follows is the basic organization of the Dominican Rosary, with the most common variations as used in the English-speaking world: Before beginning it is traditional to bless one s self, usually with the Crucifix of the Rosary, which is then kissed. If the Rosary is being said for a special intention it is made or announced; if praying with others, and the the Mysteries being meditated upon, the set is announced; then the Rosary, proper, begins: The Apostles Creed is said on the Crucifix; the Our Father is said on each of the large (or single) beads; the Hail Mary on each of the small (or grouped) beads; and the Glory Be after each group of small beads (including the first group of three, which are associated with intentions for an increase of Faith; Hope; and Charity, respectively). When praying in a group it is traditional for the leader to say the first half of the prayers alone (i.e., Our Father as it is in Heaven; Hail Mary thy womb, Jesus; Glory be Holy Ghost), the second half being said by all present. If meditating on the Mysteries and praying in a group, the Mystery is announced by the leader before the Our Father which begins each decade. During the twentieth century it became common to say the Fatima prayer between the decades; and it has long been the custom although not an invariable one to conclude with a final prayer (frequently the Salve Regina or the Litany of the Blessed Virgin) and a special collect. Page 1 of 4
Beginning Prayers The Sign of the Cross, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The Apostles Creed I believe in God, 3 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, su^ered 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; 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. Final Prayer Salve Regina 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. 3 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! Amen. R /. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God: V. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: 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. Page 2 of 4
Prayers of the Rosary The Lord s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3 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 Angelic Salutation Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 3 Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. ^ The Lesser Doxology Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. 3 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. ^ The «Fatima Prayer» O my Jesus, 3 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. Page 3 of 4
Mysteries of the Rosary The Joyful Mysteries the mysteries of Christ s birth and youth (Monday and Thursday; Sundays during Advent and Christmastide) i. An angel announces to Mary that she is to be the Mother of God. [humility] ii. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth to assist her. [love of neighbor] iii. Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable. [spirit of poverty] iv. Jesus is presented in the Temple. [obedience to God s will] v. Jesus is found teaching in the Temple. [fidelity to vocation] The Sorrowful Mysteries the mysteries of Christ s Passion and Death (Tuesday and Friday; Sundays during Lent) i. Jesus undergoes His Agony in Gethsemane. [spirit of prayer] ii. Jesus is scourged at the pillar. [modesty and purity] iii. Jesus is crowned with thorns. [courage] iv. Jesus carries the Cross to Calvary. [patience in su^ering] v. Jesus dies on the Cross for our sins. [self-denial] The Glorious Mysteries the mysteries of Christ s victory over death and Mary s unique role (Wednesday and Saturday; Sundays in Ordinary Time) i. Jesus rises from the dead. [ faith] ii. Jesus ascends into heaven. [hope] iii. The Holy Spirit descends on Mary and the apostles. [ gifts of the Holy Spirit] iv. Mary is taken up into heaven. [eternal happiness] v. Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven. [devotion to Mary] The Luminous Mysteries the mysteries of Christ s priesthood (If used, a common rota is: Sunday, Glorious; Monday, Joyful; Tuesday, Sorrowful; Wednesday, Glorious; Thursday, Luminous; Friday, Sorrowful; Saturday, Joyful) i. Jesus is baptized in the river Jordan. [wisdom] ii. Jesus performs His first miracle in Cana of Galilee. [good works] iii. Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God. [witness] iv. Jesus is transfigured on the mountain. [adoration] v. Jesus institutes the Eucharist. [unification] Page 4 of 4