How the Rosary Started

Though there are many conflicting accounts of its history – steeped in both fact and legend – early use and development of the Rosary is closely associated with the order of Dominican friars.  It was during the middle of the 15th century that the rosary was first popularized by Dominican Alain de la Roche.  The devotion continued to develop through the 16th century, eventually consisting of 150 Hail Marys, to parallel the 150 Psalms that were recited by religious orders as part of the Divine Office.  Keeping track of prayers using small items such as pebbles is an ancient tradition that pre-dates Christ.  In the case of the Rosary, stones were originally used which eventually gave way to beads strung on a cord.

Why Pray the Rosary

The rosary is a combination of repetitive spoken prayer and meditation upon the central Christian mysteries of the Gospel.  The repetition of the prayers is intended to leave the mind free to ascend to God, thus allowing expression of inner thoughts and feelings that extend beyond the capacity of verbal expression.  In the course of praying each decade of the rosary – a decade consists of one “Our Father” and ten “Hail Marys” – one meditates on a particular mystery in the life of Christ, such as the Crucifixion or His Ascension.  Though Marian in nature, the rosary is a Christocentric devotion.  This means that through the rosary Mary prays with us and intercedes for us with her Beloved Son as we focus on the key events of His life, death and Resurrection.

 “With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of His love.  Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.” 

~Pope John Paul II

The following two videos offer a contemplative and scripturally based praying of the Rosary.  The various components -music, lyrics, images – were created by OCP and have been gathered into these videos for a complete contemplative and prayerful experience.

“The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, the unique contemplative prayer through which, guided by the Lord’s Heavenly Mother, we fix our gaze on the face of the Redeemer in order to be conformed to his joyful, light-filled, sorrowful and glorious mysteries.”

~Pope Benedict XVI Angelus Message October 5th, 2005.

October is dedicated to the Rosary.  Many miracles are associated with the praying of the rosary but few are as dramatic as that of the Battle of Lepanto.  It was this battle on October 7, 1571 which was the occasion by which  the Church dedicated October 7 as the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.

How to Pray the Rosary

  1. Begin the rosary on the crucifix – make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Apostles Creed
  2. Pray the Our Father on the first large bead
  3. On each of the three small beads pray a Hail Mary; pray the Glory Be
  4. On the next large bead, announce the First Mystery and pray the Our Father
  5. On each of the 10 small beads, pray a Hail Mary; pray the Glory Be
  6. On the next large bead, announce the Second Mystery and pray the Our Father
  7. On each of the 10 small beads, pray a Hail Mary; pray the Glory Be
  8. Continue for the remaining beads, announcing the next Mystery on each large bead
  9. After the final Glory Be, pray the Hail, Holy Queen

 

Click here for printable guide: How to Pray the Rosary

For more information check out these websites

Please consider joining us here at St. Augustine Church for any of these opportunities to pray the rosary throughout the year:

  • Daily (Monday – Saturday) at 7:30am prior to the 8am Mass
  • Outdoor Rosary:  Dates TBD at 7PM ( inclement weather- will be moved into church)

Please join us for these special Rosary evenings
on these Wednesdays of each month.

Fall 2023 at 7PM

September 27: Outdoor Rosary (weather permitting, otherwise in Church)

October 25: Outdoor Rosary (weather permitting, otherwise in Church)

November 15: Outdoor Rosary (weather permitting, otherwise in Church)

Winter 2024

January 17:  Holy Hour and Rosary at 7PM in Church