rosary
None of us can erase the mark of the umbilical cord and this gives a special meaning to our relationship with our mother. The Mother is usually closer to the child than the father, as it is she, who is always with the child. She is the one who takes care of the baby in every way, and teaches almost everything that the child learns in the early years. The natural psychological and emotional link with the mother is very strong. We can approach our mother easily to get special favors done. One finds the most beautiful person in one's own mother.
Mother is a mystical figure, and Mother Mary is all the more so. There is a Chinese saying which goes... even though God is present everywhere, we cannot see Him; So God created mothers, so that through them we can see, touch and feel the loving presence of God. Jesus, the Son of God also had a mother in this world to take care of His human needs. It is through Mary that Jesus came into this world. It was from her that He learnt His first lessons of life. And Mary herself is a gift of God to the human race. Jesus himself has given Mary to us as our mother (cf. Jn 19: 27), to be honored and loved by us.
Mother Mary has been the powerful object of devotion for the last two thousand years. The Church recognizes the unique role of Mary in the salvation history. She has become a part of Christian life. If we take her away from the Church it will produce an immense void in the Christian culture. After the Second Vatican Council, there was a decline in the Marian devotion. This was due to the lack of understanding of the teaching of the Council. History progresses by finding solutions throughout crisis, when values respond to the cultural needs. Mary has now been rediscovered as the ideal model of faith which every Christian should copy.
There are many customary devotions to Our Lady, such as the Angelus, the Office of the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Rosary. Among all these devotions, the Rosary is the most popular one. Numerous are the private revelations and communications through which Mother Mary asked that the Rosary be prayed more and more. Down the ages, the Rosary has nourished the spiritual and prayer life of the faithful. It has provided spiritual sustenance to the unlettered, the devout, the peasant, the erudite scientist and the scholarly theologian. It has brought comfort to people in all types of situations: personal joys and sorrows, including sickness and death, and in prison, in times of persecution, in wars etc. It has truly been a continuous life- line joining earth to heaven.
The Origins
The Rosary, as we know it today, began evolving in Ireland in the eighth or ninth century. Those days in the monasteries the 150 Psalms were said or sung every day. The people living in the neighborhood of the monasteries recognized the excellence of this practice. But very few persons other than the monks could read. Besides, it was not easy to memorize the 150 Psalms. Therefore this prayer did not become popular. Then, around the year 800, a monk invited lay people to pray 150 Our Fathers in place of 150 Psalms. Thus began the development of the Rosary. When a man has set himself to recite a certain number of prayers, he will naturally look for a method of counting. Some of the Desert Fathers used pebbles, others pegs stuck into a board. But very soon the string of beads appears: at first chiefly used to count psalms, later Our Fathers, or Paternosters. These strings or chains of beads were called paternoster. In the Middle Ages, we find, people recited Hail Mary’s in sets of fifty like the Psalms, especially in England, where mediaeval devotion to Our Lady was intense.
It was in the year 1214, that Holy Mother Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St Dominic, who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a powerful means of converting Albigensians and other sinners. This incident is found in the very well known book 'De Diginitate Psalteri’ by Blessed Alan de la Roche. St. Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins, which was hindering the conversion of Albegensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse where he prayed unceasingly for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to pacify the anger of God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated and finally he fell into a comma. At this point Our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said: Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world? Oh, my Lady, answered St. Dominic, You know far better than I do because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have been always the chief instrument of our salvation. Then Our Lady replied: I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic Psalter which is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter. He got up and burning with zeal for the conversion of the people in that district, he ran to the Cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together and Dominic began to preach. At the very beginning of his sermon a terrible storm broke out, the earth shook, the sun darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when looking at a picture of Our Lady exposed in a prominent place, they saw her raising her arms to heaven three times to call down God's vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of Holy Mother of God. At last, at the prayer of St. Dominic, the storm came to an end, and he went on preaching. He explained fervently the importance and value of the Holy Rosary and compelled everyone that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.
Apparition in Lourdes
Through the apparitions in Lourdes and Fatima Blessed Virgin confirmed the Rosary devotion. In 1858, Our Lady appeared with a shining Rosary in the grotto of Massabielle in the French foothills of the Pyrenees in France, to Bernadette Soubirous aged fourteen, eighteen times. In the first apparition, February 11, 1858: Our Lady passed the beads of her Rosary between her fingers as Bernadette prayed the Hail Mary's. Our Lady said only the 'Gloria'. She disappeared after the Rosary was over. In the thirteenth apparition on March 1st, 1858, She confirmed the Rosary devotion.
The Story of Fatima
The First World War had been raging in Europe, and other nations were being drawn into the bloody conflict. Leaders of atheistic communism had a firm hold on Russia, and were determined to spread their ideology around the world. In the midst of this devastation, the Lord sent his Mother to bring hope and reassurance. Our lady appeared at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 at the Covada Iria to three shepherd children: Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia. Standing on a cloud hovering over a small oak tree, Our Lady asked the three young seers to pray the Rosary daily and to encourage the spread of the devotion of the Immaculate Heart throughout the world. She promised that if enough people prayed the Rosary fervently each day, the war would soon end and eventually Russia would be converted. She appeared six times that year, on the thirteenth day of each month from May to October. Repeatedly Our Lady asked the seers to pray the Rosary and spread its devotion to others: Say the Rosary every day to earn peace for the world and to end the
war... Say the Rosary, inserting between the mysteries the following ejaculation", O my Jesus, forgive us. Save us from the fires of Hell. Bring all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy... I come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and to make reparative Communion on the First Saturdays of the month". History has proven the truth of Mary's message and also her powerful intercession with God. Responding to our Lady's request for a crusade of prayer for the conversion of Russia, we have witnessed the power of prayer by a sudden and peaceful collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. In October 1930, the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima was authorized under the title of "Our Lady of the Rosary".
Dogmatic part of the Rosary
The value of the prayer of the Rosary is to be found in its concentration on the saving mystery of Redemption. It was Christ who brought this redemption, but Mary is actively present and associated with the whole of this historical order of salvation. The Rosary is a synthetic Christological creed, a symbolum or compendium of dogma and doctrine, in the form of a prayer of meditation, a summary in prayer, on the whole of the dogma of Redemption. Because its use has become so widespread, the Rosary is clearly a most important weapon in the instruction of the Church Community in Christian dogma. The dogmatic faith of the believing community can be confirmed through this prayer. The rosary, enables us to go back into the past and put ourselves in Mary's position and to follow her with faith and hope, to experience all the phases of the mystery of Christ, to proceed from the joys of the mother and child, to go beyond the sufferings endured by the Redeemer and his mother and eventually to reach the point where we share in Mary's happiness in her Son's victory and triumph. Redemption itself is at the center of this Marian prayer. When we pray the Rosary we are focusing our attention inwardly on the living mysteries of Christ and outwardly on the vocal prayers.
Criticisms against this Devotion
It is objected that there is much repetition in the Rosary because the 'Lord's Prayer' and the 'Hail Mary' are said so often; therefore it is monotonous and useful only for children or the very old. Actually, we do not feel repetition as such, in the real loving situation. This can be proved from the incident that had happened in Bishop Sheen's life. This he explains in his book The World's First Love as follows: Once a woman approached him and said, 'I would never become a Catholic. You say the same words in the Rosary over and over again, and anyone who repeats the same word is never sincere. I would never believe anyone who repeated his words, and neither would God.' I asked her who the man was with her. She said he was her fiancé. I asked: 'Does he love you?' 'Certainly, he does.' 'But how do you know?' 'He told me.' 'What did he say?' 'He said I love you.' 'When did he tell you last?' 'About an hour ago.' 'Did he tell you before?' 'Yes, last night.' 'What did he say?' 'I love you.' 'But never before?' 'He tells me every night.' I said: 'Do I
not believe him. He is repeating; he is not sincere.' Here, it means that there is no repetition as such, in saying 'I love you', because each time it is new. The same words in different time and space do not mean the same. Another example, a mother says to her son: 'You are a good boy.' She might have told it ten thousand times before, but each time it means something different; the whole personality goes out to it anew, as a new historical circumstance summons for a new outbreak of affection. Love is never monotonous in the uniformity of its expression. The mind is infinitely variable in its language, but the heart is not.
Sometimes we feel the scarcity of words in the face of expression. The heart of a man, in the face of the woman he loves, is too poor to translate the infinity of his affection into a different word. So the heart takes one expression, 'I love you'. When he says it again and again he is not repeating. That is what we do when we say the Rosary, we are saying to God, the Trinity, to the Incarnate Savior, to the Blessed Mother: ' I love you, I love you. I love you.' Each time it means something different because, at each decade, our mind is moving to a new expression of the Savior's love: for example, from the mystery of His Love which willed to become one of us in His Incarnation, to the other mystery of love when He suffered for us, and on to the other mystery of His love where He intercedes for us before the Heavenly Father The counting and repetition of the same prayer is such a widespread practice in almost all the ancient religions of the world that it is possible to regard this phenomenon as a universal religious fact. This plays an important role in the spiritual growth of many people.
Teachings of the Magisterium
It is true that of all exercises of piety, no other has received such praise and encouragement by the magisterium of the Church as of the Rosary. From Pope Pius V to the present day, there has been an enormous number of papal statements about the Rosary. Pope John Paul II was an excellent promoter of the Rosary devotion. Some of his exhortations are given below. "The Rosary is my favorite prayer- a marvelous prayer. Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth... I cordially exhort everyone to recite it". It can be said that the Rosary is, in a certain way, a prayer commentary on the last chapter of the Constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican II, a chapter which deals with the wonderful presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and Church. This prayer of Mary, immersed in the light of God himself, is at the same time always open to the earth especially to all human problems. To the problems of every man and woman and, at the same time, of all human communities, families and nations; to the international problems of mankind The Rosary recited slowly and meditated upon, in the family, in community, personally, gradually let you enter into the sentiments of Christ and his Mother, recalling all the events that are the key of our salvation. In the present situation, basing on the tragedy of September 11, 2001 in New York, the Holy Father called for unceasing prayer to the Queen of peace for world peace. He says: 'In the present international situation, I appeal to all individuals, families and communities to pray the Rosary for peace, even daily, so that the world will be preserved from the dreadful scourge of terrorism.
Writings of Saints about this Devotion
Many saints have been great devotees of Mary and they propagated this devotion through their lives and teachings. Here we examine only some of these statements about Rosary devotion.
Louis de Montfort
He assures us that anyone who prays the Rosary everyday will never be led astray. He adds that this is a statement he would gladly sign with his own blood. Such was the confidence he had in the Rosary.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa had a special love for Rosary and she had it in her hand as a spiritual weapon. She advised her sisters to pray the Rosary devoutly and faithfully, both in the community and in the homes of the poor so that Our Lady would enter their life and take care of them. Alphonsus Liguor: Immense is the good, which this devotion has done to the world". Many have been delivered from sin, or led to a holy life and a good death by means of it. It should be recited with devotion, keeping in mind what Our Lady once said to St Eulalia that five decades said slowly and devoutly were more pleasing than fifteen said hurriedly and without devotion.
Fifteen Promises of the Rosary
Besides the Indulgences attached to the Rosary, Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary. Our Lady's promise is shown in orange color text. Additional explanation on and doctrinal connections to each promise is shown following in the normal text font and color. Note that the Rosary is the prayer (non-Liturgical) with the most published Magisterial / Papal documents expounding on its excellence. Vatican II's summary on Our Lady is contained in Lumen Gentium chapter VIII.
1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our state in life. See the remaining promises for an explanation for which these will consist. St. Louis de Montfort states emphatically that the best and fastest way to union with Our Lord is via Our Lady [True Devotion to Mary, chapter four].
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
Our Lady is our Advocate and the channel of all God's Grace to us. Our Lady is simply highlighting that She will watch especially over us who pray the Rosary. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62) [a great more detail is available on this topic in True Devotion to Mary, chapter four, by St. Louis de Montfort]
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
This promise, along with the next, is simply the reminder on how fervent prayer will help us all grow in holiness by avoiding sin, especially a prayer with the excellence of the Rosary. An increase in holiness necessarily requires a reduction in sin, vice, and doctrinal errors (heresies). If only the Modernists could be convinced to pray the Rosary! (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42) St. Louis de Montfort states "Since Mary alone crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary)..." [True Devotion to Mary #167]
4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
This promise, along with the previous, is the positive part, that being to live in virtue. Becoming holy is not only avoiding sin, but also growing in virtue. (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42)
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in the Memorare prayer, "... never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided ..."
6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.
This promise highlights the magnitude of Graces that the Rosary brings to whomever prays it. One will draw down God's Mercy rather than His Justice and will have a final chance to repent (see promise #7). One will not be conquered by misfortune means that Our Lady will obtain for the person sufficient Graces to handle said misfortune (i.e. carry the Crosses allowed by God) without falling into despair. As Sacred Scripture tells us, "For my yoke is sweet and my burden light." (Matthew 11:30)
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick). Being properly disposed while receiving these Sacraments near death ensures one's salvation (although perhaps with a detour through Purgatory) since a final repentance is possible.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.
Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death. The merits of the Saints are the gift of God's rewards to those persons who responded to His Grace that they obtained during life, and so Our Lady indicates that She will provide a share of that to us at death. With this promise and #7 above, Our Lady is providing the means for the person to have a very holy death.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession as Advocate.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
This promise is a logical consequence of promises #3 and #4 since anyone who truly lives a holier life on earth will obtain a higher place in Heaven. The closer one is to God while living on earth, the closer that person is to Him also in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "Spiritual progress tends toward ever more union with Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2014)
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.
This promise emphasizes Our Lady's role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God's Most Perfect Will. God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of God of course.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
Since Our Lady is our Advocate, She brings us additional assistance during our life and at our death from all the saints in Heaven (the Communion of Saints). See paragraphs 954 through 959 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.
Since the Rosary is a most excellent prayer focused on Jesus and His Life and activities in salvation history, it brings us closer to Our Lord and Our Lady. Doctrinally, Our Lady is our Mother and Jesus is our Eldest Brother, besides being our God. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace. (See Summa Theologica, Question 23 for a detailed theological explanation). Said another way, if God has guaranteed a person's salvation but has not revealed it to Him, God would want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the benefits and Graces obtained. Therefore the person gets a hint by devotion to the Rosary. This is not to say that praying the Rosary guarantees salvation - by no means. In looking at promises #3 and #4 above, praying the Rosary helps one to live a holy life, which is itself a great sign that a soul is on the road to salvation. (See also paragraphs 381, 488, 600, 2782 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) In fact, St. Louis de Montfort says even more strongly that "an infallible and unmistakable sign by which we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from one of God's true friends is that the hardened sinner and heretic show nothing but contempt and indifference to Our Lady..." [True Devotion to Mary, #30]
CONCLUSION
Our Lady's Rosary occupies a unique place in the Church's treasury of devotions, because it contains all the principal salvific events accomplished in Christ from his virginal conception to the effects of his Paschal Mystery radiating out into the Church and upon Mary. Our spirituality is certainly Christocentric and God oriented, and not Mariocentric. The Rosary devotion facilitates us to grow in this Christocentric spirituality with the help of our dear Mother Mary. This devotion is not merely an act of piety, but it directs people to a deep Christian life. The Rosary, if properly recited leads one to contemplation and thus transformation of life. It becomes a source of commitment to God and to our brothers and sisters. Praying the Rosary helps us to be united to Christ through Mary and induces one to live according to the teachings of Jesus and Mary. Jesus teaches us the right way to love God and neighbor, and Mary tells us, "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn2: 5).
How to Pray the Rosary
-
Make the Sign of the Cross and say the "Apostle’s Creed."
-
Say the "Our Father."
-
Say three "Hail Mary’s."
-
Say the "Glory be to the Father."
-
Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our Father."
-
Say ten "Hail Mary’s," while meditating on the Mystery.
-
Say the "Glory be to the Father."Also say "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy."
-
Announce the Second Mystery; then say the "Our Father." Repeat 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.
-
After finishing all the five mysteries pray:
-
The Litany of The Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Hail Holy Queen
-
Memorare
-
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES (Monday & Saturday)
I. THE ANNUNCIATION
II. THE VISITATION
III. THE NATIVITY
IV. THE PRESENTATION
V. THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES (Thursday)
I. THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
II. THE WEDDING OF CANA
III. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM
IV. THE TRANSFIGURATION
V. THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES (Tuesday & Friday)
I. THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN
II. THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR
III. THE CROWNING WITH THORNS
IV. THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS
V. THE CRUCIFIXION
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES (Wednesday & Sunday)
I. THE RESURRECTION
II. THE ASCENSION
III. THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
IV. THE ASSUMPTION
V. THE CORONATION
PRAYERS OF THE ROSARY
THE APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, the creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.
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.
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.
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.
After finishing all the five decades say the following prayers till Memorare
LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.
(Response : Have mercy on us.)
God, the Father of heaven,
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
(Response : Pray for us)
Holy Mary
Holy Mother of God
Holy Virgin of virgins
Mother of Christ
Mother of the Church
Mother of divine grace
Mother most pure
Mother most chaste
Mother inviolate
Mother undefiled
Mother most amiable
Mother admirable
Mother of good counsel
Mother of our Creator
Mother of our Savior
Mother of mercy
Virgin most prudent
Virgin most venerable
Virgin most renowned
Virgin most powerful
Virgin most merciful
Virgin most faithful
Mirror of justice
Seat of wisdom
Cause of our joy
Spiritual vessel
Vessel of honor
Singular vessel of devotion
Mystical rose
Tower of David
Tower if ivory
House of gold
Ark of the covenant
Gate of heaven
Morning star
Health of the sick
Refuge of sinners
Comfort of the afflicted
Help of Christians
Queen of Angels
Queen of Patriarchs
Queen of Prophets
Queen of Apostles
Queen of Martyrs
Queen of Confessors
Queen of Virgins
Queen of all Saints
Queen conceived without original sin
Queen assumed into heaven
Queen of the most holy Rosary
Queen of families
Queen of peace
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants,may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;and by the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
may be delivered from present sorrow,and obtain eternal joy.Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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 vale 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.
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.
MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen
The Power of the Rosary