Pray the Rosary

"The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I have always found comfort… The Rosary is my favorite prayer… Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth." — Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter – The Rosary of the Virgin Mary – urges the faithful to pray the Rosary more often. Issued on Wednesday, October 16, 2003, in the letter Pope John Paul also announced the addition of five new "mysteries of light" to the centuries' old devotion of the rosary. He proclaimed the beginning of the "Year of the Rosary," which extended from mid-October 2002 to October 2003.

In his Apostolic Letter, the Pope said that he did not wish to change the Rosary, but to contribute to its evolution as a prayer form. Since the Middle Ages, the Rosary has been the most enduring and popular of Catholic devotions. Within its traditional structure, numerous methods including Scriptural Rosaries, seasonal Rosaries, and Rosaries for special occasions have been developed.

We've developed two special pamphlets to help Catholics learn more about how the Rosary: First, How to Pray the Rosary, and and second, Pope John Paul II's New Mysteries of the Rosary. 

Resources for you:

• Download Rosary of the Hours free ebook (PDF)»
• Download a free PDF file on how to pray the new mysteries of the Rosary
• Download the Rosary chapter (PDF) from The How-to Book of Catholic Devotions
• Download the text of the Luminous Mysteries pamphlet in Spanish
• Learn about the new Luminous Mysteries
• Read the text of the Apostolic Letter
• Order the pamphlets
• Explore additional online resources
• Discover Our Sunday Visitor products to help deepen your prayer life