How to pray the Rosary
Follow the order below. Prayer names link to the full texts on this page.
Prayer order
Step 1: Begin at the crucifix
Make the Sign of the Cross, then pray the Apostles’ Creed.
Step 2: Pray the opening prayers
On the first large bead, pray the Our Father. On the next three small beads, pray one Hail Mary on each. Then pray the Glory Be.
Step 3: Pray the first decade
Name the first mystery of your chosen set. On the large bead, pray the Our Father. Pray ten Hail Marys, one on each small bead, as you reflect on that mystery. Finish with the Glory Be.
Step 4: Continue through five mysteries
For each remaining mystery, repeat one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. Some people also add the Fatima prayer after each decade; that optional prayer is not included in this version.
Step 5: Pray the closing prayers
After the fifth decade, pray the Hail Holy Queen, the versicle and response below, and the closing prayer beginning O God, whose only begotten Son. Finish with the Sign of the Cross.
Today’s mysteries
Prayer texts
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified: died, and was buried.
He descended into hell: the third day He arose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost 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. Amen.
Hail Mary
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
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. 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 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.
Closing versicle and response
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Closing prayer
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.
Traditional English prayers from the sources below. Holy Ghost is the historical English term for the Holy Spirit. Instructions are our own wording..
Text & sources
Baltimore Catechism No. 1 — Project Gutenberg transcription
PRAYERS and MORNING PRAYERS; ebook 14551
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F. X. Lasance, With God (1911): Day Prayers
Salve Regina, printed p. 151
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F. X. Lasance, With God (1911): Prayers after Mass
Prayers after Mass, printed p. 213
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The Rosary — Project Gutenberg transcription
Manner of Reciting the Rosary / Let Us Pray
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The Garden of the Soul (1843)
Earlier witness of the closing Rosary collect; historical hath/has and in/of variants.
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The Raccolta (1878)
Earlier witness of the Hail Holy Queen; sons/children variant. Comparison source; the displayed wording follows the credited transcription.
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Sequence and weekly schedule: Rosary Center: sequence and usual weekly cycle · USCCB: How to pray the Rosary
Historical prayer wording is kept separate from the current weekly schedule.