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PRAYER


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This window, which the artist called “The Seattle Madonna,” is the work of Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen. Inscribed in German around the figures of Mary and Jesus are words from a poem by St. Hildegard of Bingen: “O leafing branch, abiding in your noble state, just as the dawn light grows, now rejoice and be glad, and see fit to deliver us from our weakened way of life. Stretch forth your hand to strengthen us.”

 

Praying the Rosary

The rosary has been called a “compendium of the Gospel” (Pope John Paul II). It is one of the most beloved prayers of the Church. Praying the Rosary is simple. It is a practice of meditation on “mysteries,” key moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary in the Gospels. Here’s a quick guide:

The Mysteries of the Rosary
It is traditional to pray different mysteries each day: the Glorious Mysteries on Sundays and Wednesdays, the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the new Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays. Not sure what the mysteries are?

JOYFUL
The Annunciation of Jesus' birth to Mary.
The Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
The Birth of Jesus.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

LUMINOUS
The Baptism of Jesus.
The Wedding Feast at Cana.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
The Transfiguration.
The Institution of the Eucharist.

SORROWFUL
The Agony in the Garden.
The Scourging at the Pillar.
The Crowning with Thorns.
The Carrying of the Cross.
The Crucifixion.

GLORIOUS.
The Resurrection of the Lord.
The Ascension of the Lord.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven.
The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven.

Introductory Prayers
Start with the Sign of the Cross. Recite the Creed. Then, on the first four beads of the rosary, recite the Our Father, Three Hail Marys, and the Glory be to the Father.  (Need a refresher course in these prayers?  Click here.)

Announce the Mystery
Take a moment to reflect on the mystery you are praying, letting the scene come to life in your imagination. When you are ready, begin the prayers of the decade: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and concluding with a Glory be to the Father.

Five mysteries make a complete rosary. If you don’t have time to do all five, you might space them out through the day, whenever you can catch a few minutes for prayer. It’s traditional to pray different mysteries each day of the week.

Concluding Prayers of the Rosary
It’s traditional to conclude the rosary with the “Hail, Holy Queen,” and the prayer which follows it, attributed to Leo XIII:

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope:
To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your 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.

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 you,
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.

Back to the Prayer Page

 

 

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804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington  98104
Phone 206.622.3559  Fax 206.622.5303