There are
many different ways to say prayers: sitting, standing, kneeling, while walking about or
while lying down. Some people like to light a candle, or pray in front of a statue or a
crucifix. Many pray in Church, especially in front of the tabernacle.
For hundreds of years people have also used beads to help them pray (in fact, the word 'bead' comes from an Old English word for 'prayer'). There are lots of different kinds of prayer beads, but the best known is the holy Rosary. The name comes from the 'Rose Garden of Our Lady'.
People say the Rosary with other people or on their own. It can be a very short or a very long prayer. The beads are in five groups of ten, with one bead in between each group. There is also a short chain from the crucifix to the ring. This has five beads on it.
The Prayers of the Rosary
| 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, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among 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 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. |
How the Rosary is said.
Introductory prayers are said on the short chain. There
is one Our Father, three Hail Marys and one Glory be to the Father.
Each group of ten beads is called a Decade. Each decade
begins with an Our Father, has ten Hails Marys and ends with a Glory be. The beads are
used to count the prayers.
The person saying the prayers is supposed to think about a
particular 'mystery' from the life of Jesus or Mary. There are three groups of mysteries:
The Joyful Mysteries - about Jesus' early life
The Sorrowful Mysteries - about Jesus' suffering and death The Glorious Mysteries about Jesus' resurrection and the way Mary and all Christians can live with him in heaven.
The
Rosary: a Bible for everyone
In the days when not everyone could read, the Rosary
helped people to know the most important parts of the Bible and to pray about them.
The Rosary is a very simple way of praying: you can
pray the Rosary anywhere and at any time. You do not need any books to say it, and you
only have to remember three prayers.