October – the Month of the Rosary

Praying the Rosary – A Family Activity

This week let’s focus on the actual Rosary Beads. What do the beads mean? What are the ‘mysteries’ of the Rosary? What prayers go with the sections?  You can use this image to help you and your family pray the rosary. The Rosary is a string of beads used to keep track of a series of prayers. The beads are divided up into five groups of ten beads, each called a ‘decade’. At the bottom of the string is a series of 5 beads and a crucifix.

What are the Mysteries?

The mysteries of the Rosary allow us to reflect on the life and death of Jesus. There are four mysteries of the Rosary:

1. The Joyful mysteries – The Annunciation and birth stories of Jesus.
2. The Luminous Mysteries – Jesus as a baby and small child.
3. The Sorrowful mysteries – Jesus’ Passion and death
4. The Glorious mysteries – Jesus’ Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit

Each mystery has a set of readings from scripture that you can use to reflect on. There are certain days of the week that you focus on each mystery.

What are the prayers of the Rosary?

There are a few prayers that are prayed during the rosary. They are:

• The Our Father
• The Hail Mary
• The Glory Be
• The Apostle’s Creed