“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.”
- St. Josemaria Escriva
"The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."Archbishop Fulton Sheen
The Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. It's a simple prayer that we can all say together with Mary, the Mother of God. The Rosary is Scripture-based, beginning with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith; the Lord’s Prayer, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels; and the first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary.
The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ's life:
The Joyful Mysteries:
The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Nativity
The Presentation in the Temple
The Finding in the Temple
The Sorrowful Mysteries:
The Agony in the Garden
The Scourging at the Pillar
The Crowning with Thorns
The Carrying of the Cross
The Crucifixion and Death
The Glorious Mysteries:
The Resurrection
The Ascension
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Assumption
The Coronation of Mary
The Luminous Mysteries:
The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
The Wedding Feast at Cana
Jesus' Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God
The Transfiguration
The Institution of the Eucharist