Prayers of the Rosary

Reciting a rosary is simple, but it still requires knowing a few prayers. The essential prayers for the rosary are the great Catholic prayers: the Our Father and the Hail Mary, but also the I believe in God (Symbol of the Apostles or Creed) and the Glory Be to the Father. By saying the rosary, we are anchored in the very heart of the Catholic faith.  

The Creed: the opening prayer of the rosary

The rosary begins with the recitation of the Creed, which is done on the cross at the end of the rosary. This prayer recalls the elements of the Christian faith, in particular this faith in a Trinitarian God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This prayer exists in two versions: the symbol of the apostles and the symbol of Nicaea-Constantinople (longer version).

Words of the Apostles' Symbol

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 Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where He will come 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

(Find the location of each prayer and the process of the Rosary in pictures.)

The “Our Father:” the prayer with which each decade begins

The prayer of Our Father is fundamental for every Christian. Indeed, it is the prayer that Jesus transmitted to us. In the prayer of the rosary (or of the chaplet), the Our Father is recited 6 times: on the first large bead, after the cross (and therefore just after the prayer of the Creed), then on each large bead that begins a decade.

So we remember that it is in Christ that we pray and that each decade is offered to God the Father, through Jesus his Son.

Words of 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.
 Forgive us our trespasses,
 as we forgive those who trespass against us.
 And lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.
 Amen.

The “Hail Mary,” the prayer that nourishes the rosary

The prayer of the Rosary is a Marian prayer, and it is through the intercession of Mary that we pray to the Lord. The prayer of “Hail Mary” is therefore central in the recitation of the rosary. For an entire rosary, we recite it 53 times: three times at the beginning of the rosary (after the Creed and the first Our Father), then 10 times every decade (once per small bead).

Words of Hail Mary

 Hail, Mary, full of grace,
 The Lord is with
  you; blessed are you among women, and
  blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
 pray for us sinners,
 now and at the hour of our death.
 Amen.

The “Glory Be:” the prayer that concludes each decade

The prayer of “Glory be to the Father”, also called a small doxology, is a formula of praise addressed to the three persons of the trinity. Thus we end each decade by giving glory to God, three times holy.

Words of 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.”

The Fatima prayer: a prayer that can be added to every decade

The Fatima prayer is a short prayer that the Virgin Mary entrusted to the little shepherds to whom she appeared at Fatima. She asked them to pray the rosary daily and to add this prayer at the end of each decade. We can therefore recite this prayer after the “Glory Be”.

Words of the Fatima prayer

“O my Jesus, forgive us, protect us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.”

Pray the rosary with Hozana and Rosario

The rosary is a beautiful prayer, but we may need help and encouragement to pray it regularly.

• Join this community of prayer on Hozana, and pray the rosary every day with thousands of praying people live.
• Download the free Rosario app and create a group with loved ones to encourage you in your practice.