True devotion to the Blessed Virgin always draws us closer to Jesus Benedict XVI
THE MISSIONARY ROSARY It is good to pray the rosary and participate in the mission of the Church every day of the year even though the Catholic Church has designated May and Octobers as special times for those activities. Therefore, at Mary s side, we have a wonderful opportunity to deepen the missionary dimension of our faith. A very simple way of doing this is by praying the rosary, individually and as a community. Pope Paul VI stated: The rosary is a synthesis of the gospel and is one of the most beautiful Christian prayers it is certainly a most important form of prayer that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a school of spirituality centered on the gospel. Vincent himself had great esteem for the Rosary. On January 26, 1645, invoking the example of Francis de Sales, he stated: Our Blessed Father [Francis de Sales] used to say that, if he were not obliged to say his Office, he would not say any other prayer but the rosary. He strongly recommended it, and he himself prayed it without fail for thirty years to obtain purity from God through the purity He gave to His holy Mother and in order to die well. So then, Sisters, the recitation of the rosary is a very beautiful devotion, especially for Daughters of Charity, who have such great need of God s assistance to obtain this purity, which is so necessary for them (CCD:IX:175) In reality the rosary is neither opposed to meditation on the Word of God nor opposed to liturgical prayer, rather it is a natural and ideal complement to the Word and to liturgical prayer. It is a good way to prepare for the celebration of the Eucharist and a wonderful prayer of thanksgiving after the Eucharist. If the Eucharist is the center of our Christian life then the Rosary contributes in a privileged manner to deepen our communion with Christ and to maintain our lives focused on Christ so that we are able to reveal his merciful love to our sisters and brothers. In order to emphasize the universal and missionary dimension of this traditional Marian prayer, Fulton Sheen, a bishop in the United States, in the middle of the last century, devised what we today call the missionary rosary. It is a form of prayer that enables us to pray to the Father, through the intercession of Mary, for the intentions and the needs of all the people in the world. During each mystery, represented by a specific color, we remember the intentions of one of the five continents. The first mystery, with the color green is for Africa the green reminds us of this continent s luxuriant green forests. The second mystery, with the color red is for the Americas the red reminds us that the first inhabitants of these lands were native American Indians. The third mystery, with the color white is for Europe white reminds us of the Pope who is a sign of unity.
The fourth mystery, with the color blue is for Oceania the blue reminds us of the many islands in the Pacific Ocean. The fifth mystery, with the color yellow is for Asia the land of the rising sun and the cradle of civilization. In this way, when one has finished praying the rosary, one will have prayed for all men and women in the world. Thus day by day our prayer becomes less self-centered and manipulative and we open ourselves to enter into solidarity with the needs and the sufferings of people throughout the world. As Pope John Paul II taught us: The rosary is a prayer of the human person made on behalf of other human beings; it is a prayer of human solidarity that reflects the spirit and the intentions of the first woman to be redeemed: Mary. Indeed, Mary is the great missionary who wants to become present to those who have not yet received the seed of faith and she wants to act in those places where Christ is not yet present, in those places where the Mystical Body of Christ is not visible. She wants to be the Advent where there is not, as yet, a Nativity. Therefore, as she revealed to Catherine Laboure, Mary wants to present the whole world to the Lord, begging God that the fruits of Redemption be made visible to all people. Let us go with her to the tropics of Africa, to the green forests and visit the land of mystery and hope; Let us travel with Mary, like the ancient conquistadors, to the distant shores of America but this time we go not to despoil but to share. Let us pause with Mary among the weary people of Europe where the figure of Peter stands as a sign of unity. Let us be one with Mary as we journey through the islands of Oceania and listen to the soothing waves of the Pacific. Finally let us rest in Asia, among our sisters and brothers and their ancient cultures and religions. In this way, with our prayers, we will have contributed to the extension of the Church and we will have become one with the desires of the Redeemer. A PRACTICAL WAY OF PRAYING THE MISSIONARY ROSARY: ---we begin with the Sign of the Cross and with the symbol of the Apostles: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 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. He will come again in glory 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. ---we then pray the Our Father, three Hail Mary s (invoking the three theological virtues: faith hope and charity), a Glory be and some ejaculatory 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. 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. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. 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. O my Jesus, forgive us of our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen. The first mystery is proclaimed: during this first mystery we are to going to remember the people who live on the African continent, more than 900 million inhabitants and we pray that their profound religious sentiment enables them to embrace the fullness of Christ s revelation. ---The following brief information about this continent can also be read: Africa is a continent assaulted by violence. Many peoples and ethnic groups are engaged in bloody wars that make everyone s life more difficult. The silent wars of AIDS and other diseases have taken the life of millions of Africans. Many African nations have recently obtained independence after having been victimized by European colonization for many centuries, a system that impeded their economic development and that destroyed their culture. Poverty is a significant reality on this continent. Of the 47 least developed countries in the world, 31 are African nations. The Catholic Church is a minority of the 993 million inhabitants only 179 million (18%) are Catholic. This continent has the lowest proportion of priests: there is one priest for every 9,881 Catholics. The Vincentian Marian Youth Association is present in 24 countries (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Togo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Tunis, Egypt, Gabon, Island of Maurice, Mauritania) and there are about 8,011 members. The efforts and the sacrifices of the missionaries have made Africa a Church that is young and vibrant, a Church that has a growing number of vocations and very committed Christian communities. Through our humble prayer of supplication and through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Africa, may the Lord grant our brothers and sisters in Africa the gift of faith. ---The Our Father, ten Hail Mary s, the Glory be and O my Jesus are then said. The second mystery is proclaimed: We remember in a special manner the people of the America, the continent of hope where there is the highest percentage of Catholics yet at the same time there is much poverty and a lack of pastoral ministers.
---The following brief information about this continent can also be read: In the Americas we find great contrasts: a few people with great wealth in the midst of many live in misery. Eleven percent of the population are native American Indians who attempt to maintain their identity and reclaim their rights rights which for centuries have been denied them. The Catholic Church in America is the largest in the world half of the world s Catholic population lives in the Americas (more precisely, they live in Latin America). With a total population of 921 million inhabitants, 582 million (63%) are Catholic. It was this reality that led the Pope to proclaim that America is the great hope of the Church and ought to become missionary to the rest of the world. Despite this situation America, after Africa, has the lowest proportion of pastoral ministers: there is one priest for every 4,778 Catholics. Nevertheless the more serious threat to the Church in the Americas is the rapid growth of sects and evangelical groups which attract more and more Catholics to their membership rolls. The Vincentian Marian Youth Association is present in 22 countries (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela) and has 11,998 members. Even though the Christian faith arrived in this area some 500 years ago, yet in many places there is a need for missionaries to engage in a process of evangelization, a process to Christianize the people. May the Virgin of Guadalupe make our brothers and sisters in America disciples and missionaries so that the people of this continent might live in Christ. ---The Our Father, ten Hail Mary s, the Glory be and O my Jesus are then said. ---The third mystery is proclaimed: We offer this third mystery for the people of Europe, that they might return to the source of their faith and grow in their missionary dynamism ---The following brief information about this continent can also be read: The majority of the developed nations are in Europe yet there are pockets of poverty throughout the continent. Historically Europe has been Catholic certainly this was influenced by the fact that the Pope resided in Rome (at the present time he lives at the Vatican) and the majority of the kings and queens had proclaimed Catholicism as the official religion of their country/empire. Nevertheless, more recently this situation has changed and two events have been primarily responsible for said change. First the appearance of Protestantism during the XVI century which divided Christians in such a manner that entire nations became Protestant. Second, the French Revolution and rationalism give birth to the Republics that make up Europe today. Little by little the faith began to disappear from the continent (this is what is known as secularism: a world without God). Today Catholics are no longer a majority in Europe of the 710 million inhabitants only 184 million (40%) are Catholic. This continent has the highest proportion of priests, one priest for every 1,486 Catholics. Nevertheless there is a great lack of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. The Vincentian Marian Youth Association is present in 14 countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czeck Republic, Ukraine, Belorussia, Albania, Kosovo, Greece and Kazakhstan)
with a total membership of 12, 918. May the Mother of Europe give these people the strength to recover their Christian roots so that as they rediscover the beauty of the gospel they might continue to gift the Church with numerous missionary vocations. ---The Our Father, ten Hail Mary s, the Glory be and O my Jesus are then said. ---The fourth mystery is proclaimed: We offer this fourth mystery for the people of the distant and small world of islands known as Oceania we pray that these people might be illuminated and guided by the light of the gospel. ---The following brief information about this continent can also be read: Oceania is the smallest continent and it is characterized by the many cultures that are found in this area. Centuries ago this area was inhabited by a large number of native tribes (some 5,000) with different aboriginal cultures, dialects and religions. For many years Oceania was part of the British Empire and Catholic missionaries were not allowed to enter this region until 1845 when they were able to initiate a process of evangelization. Thus the systematic evangelization of Oceania began less than two hundred years ago and with a total population of 35 million inhabitants, only 9 million (26%) are Catholic, 58% are Protestant and the rest of the population is divided among small aboriginal religions. Though this is the smallest continent it has a high proportion of priests: one priest for every 1,984 Catholics. The Vincentian Marian Youth Association is present in two countries (the Fiji Islands and the Solomon Islands) and has 150 members. The Church in Oceania is still in its beginning stage and there is much to be done. Virgin of the Oceans, we entrust our brothers and sisters who live on this continent to your loving care. We ask you to guide them to the encounter with your Son may they find salvation and true joy. Enable us to sacrifice ourselves so that the missionary activity in this distant and little known area of the world might be fruitful. ---The Our Father, ten Hail Mary s, the Glory be and O my Jesus are then said. ---The fifth mystery is proclaimed: We pray this fifth mystery for the people of Asia and ask that the Virgin Mary turn her eyes toward the most populated continent, where Catholics constitute only 2% of the population and where the Church is persecuted. ---The following brief information about this continent can also be read: Asia is the most populated continent with 4,115 million inhabitants, the majority of whom are children and young people 80% of the people live in poverty and many die of hunger. Discrimination against women is a very significant problem that affects every level of society. The Catholic church in Asia is the smallest in the world and also presents the greatest possibility for growth. Of a total population of 4,115,586,000 million only 126 million (3%) are Catholic. We could say that this is the continent where Christ is most absent, least known and most persecuted. There are different religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, etc.) and in many Asian countries the Church is persecuted by the Official Churches. As a result Catholics are obliged to live their faith clandestinely. Recently there has been a significant
improvement in the relationship between the Holy See and the Church of China. The church needs to double her effort in order to continue the work of so many missionaries and martyrs. The Vincentian Marian Youth is present nine countries (the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, Syria, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam) and has 67,659 members. May the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the rising sun, who is Christ, look kindly upon these brothers and sisters. ---The Our Father, ten Hail Mary s, the Glory be and O my Jesus are then said. --- The rosary is concluded with the praying of the Salve: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our Life, our Sweetness, and our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee 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. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, that we may be 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. ---At this time we pray the Our Father for the intentions of the Universal church, then the Hail Mary and the words: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you is recited with the following intention in mind that the members of our association might grow in their missionary spirit and that many young men and women might take some extended time of their life in order to proclaim the gospel and serve those individuals who most poor, doing this is some country other than their own. ---As the missionary rosary is concluded we are mindful of the fact that we have prayed for the whole world, thus embracing all the continents and all the people with one great universal prayer. In the Missionary Litany, we remember the saints from all the continents, a sign of the universality of the Church and a stimulus for our own missionary commitment: Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Christ, hear us Christ, graciously hear us God, our heavenly Father, have mercy on us God, Son and Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us Blessed Trinity, one God in three persons, have mercy on us Holy Mary, Mothers of the missions, pray for the world Saint Peter, pray for the world Saint Paul, pray for the world Saint Francis Xavier, pray for the world Saint Therese of the child Jesus, pray for the world
Saint Mark, pray for Africa Saint Anthony, the abbot, pray for Africa Saint Augustine of Numidia, pray for Africa Blessed Charles de Foucauld, pray for Africa Saint Charles Luanga and Companions, martyrs of Uganda, pray for Africa Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for Africa Saint Justin de Jacobis, pray for Africa Blessed Ghebre Michel, pray for Africa Blessed Clementine Anuarite, pray for Africa All saints and blessed of Africa, pray for Africa Saint Juan Diego, pray for the Americas Saint John of Brebeuf, pray for the Americas Saint Francis of Solano, pray for the Americas Saint Rose of Lima, pray for the Americas Saint Martin de Porres, pray for the Americas Saint Philip of Jesus, pray for the Americas Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo, pray for the Americas Saint Peter Claver, pray for the Americas Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for the Americas Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliveira, pray for the Americas All saints and blessed of the New World, pray for the Americas Saint Boniface of Germany, pray for Europe Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for Europe Saint Patrick of Ireland, pray for Europe Saint Remigius of Reims, pray for Europe Saint Stanislaus of Poland, pray for Europe Saint Stephen of Hungry, pray for Europe Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac, pray for Europe Saint Isabel of Portugal, pray for Europe Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for Europe Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for Europe Saint Catherine Laboure, pray for Europe All saints and blessed of the Old World, pray for Europe Saint Peter Damian, pray for Oceania Saint Peter Chanel, pray for Oceania Blessed Damien of Veuster, the leper priest, pray for Oceania Blessed James Louise of San Vitores, pray for Oceania Blessed Peter Calungsod, pray for Oceania Blessed John Mazzuconi, pray for Oceania Blessed Maria MacKillop, pray for Oceania Blessed Peter To Rot, pray for Oceania Star of the Sea, pray for Oceania All saints and blessed of the innumerable islands, pray for Oceania
Saint Andrew, pray for Asia Saint Thomas, pray for Asia Saint John Brito, pray for Asia Saint Francis Regis Clet, pray for Asia Saint John Gabriel Perboyre, pray for Asia Holy martyrs of China, pray for Asia Saint Paul Miki and companions/martyrs of Japan, pray for Asia Saint Andrew Duang-Lac and companions/martyrs of Vietnam, pray for Asia Blessed Teofano Venerdi, pray for Asia. Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us Final Prayer: Gracious God, you have established your Church as a sacrament of salvation for all people so that the redeeming work of Christ might continue to the end of time. Touch the hearts of your faithful people and let them hear your urgent call to work on behalf of the salvation of the world. In this way all nations might become one people, one family, consecrated to you name. Grant this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. ***** The Five Joyful Mysteries (Monday & Saturday) 1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) 2. The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin to her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56) 3. The birth of Our Lord (Luke 2:1-20) 4. Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:21-35) 5. The finding of Our Lord in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) The Five Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday & Friday) 1. The Agony in the Garden (Luke 22:39-46) 2. The Scourging at the Pillar (John 18:33-19:1) 3. The Crowning with Thorns (Mark 15:16-20) 4. The Carrying of the Cross (Luke 23:26-32) 5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord (Mark 15:22-39) The Five Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday & Sunday) 1. The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10) 2. The Ascension (Acts 1:3-11) 3. The Coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) 4. The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven (Munificcentissimus Deus) 5. The Coronation of our Blessed Mother (Lumen Gentium, #59) The Five Luminous Mysteries (Thursday) 1. The Baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17) 2. The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) 3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom (Mark 1:14-15) 4. The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5) 5. The Institution of the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-28)
The Rosary is my favorite prayer, a wonderful prayer of thanksgiving! Wonderful in its simplicity and its depth Through the rosary I have received many graces during these years from the Blessed Virgin: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. (John Paul II)