First Holy Communion Resources
Praying the Rosary
2020
Praying the Rosary
To prepare your child for the sacrament of First Holy Communion and First Penance, it is important that you pray together as a family. We would encourage your child to set up a sacred space in the home. We recommend for the months of May and October to have an altar in honour of Our Lady. The Rosary is a beautiful and simple prayer and the whole family can pray it together and it can be prayed every day all year round.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries (prayed on Monday and Saturday)
The Joyful mysteries reflect on the incarnation. The word incarnate is Latin and means in the flesh. God became man in Jesus Christ. Mary first had to say YES to God and agree to God’s plan. Mary is a model for us on how we should respond to God’s call in our own lives.
The Mysteries of Light (Prayed on Thursday)
The Mysteries of Light are a new addition and a gift from St. Pope John Paul II. In these mysteries we reflect on the ministry of Jesus, in other words his work.
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Prayed on Tuesday and Friday)
The Sorrowful mysteries reflect on the suffering, passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Glorious Mysteries (Prayed on Wednesday and Sunday)
The Glorious mysteries reflect on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and His Glorious Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. In these mysteries Mary is assumed into heaven and is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.
How to Pray the Rosary.
Start by making the sign of the cross.
The sign of the cross is made by touching the hand sequentially to the forehead, lower chest or stomach, and both shoulders, accompanied by the Trinitarian formula: at the forehead in the name of the Father at the stomach or heart and of the Son; across the shoulders and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We then pray the Apostles Creed. The word creed comes from the Latin creed, credo which means I believe/ we believe.
The Apostles were the close friends of Jesus and this is the faith they shared with us. This is what we believe as Catholics.
Starting at the crucifix pray the 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 Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there 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 life everlasting.
Amen.
Then on the first five beads pray;
Our Father …….once
Hail Mary…….three times
Glory be to the Father …….once
There are five decades’ in each Rosary one for each mystery. Each decade starts with one Our Father, then we pray ten Hail Mary’s and one Glory be to the Father…. Each decade ends with the Fatima prayer, O my Jesus….
Our Father (once)
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 (ten times)
Hail Mary, full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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 (once)
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
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy
Once we have prayed all five decades of the Rosary, we pray the following prayer to end the Rosary.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, mother of Mercy,
Hail 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, morning and weeping in the valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile,
show on to us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
The Joyful Mysteries
1st Mystery The Annunciation (Luke 1: 26-29,38 ICB)
The Virgin Mary
During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you. “But Mary was very confused by what the angel said. Mary wondered, “What does this mean?”
Mary said, “I am the servant girl of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.
Our Father…….
Hail Mary x 10
Glory Be to…...
O My Jesus……
2nd Mystery The Visitation (Luke 1:40-42 ICB)
Mary’s Visit
She went to Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the unborn baby inside Elizabeth jumped. Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She cried out in a loud voice, “God has blessed you more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby which you will give birth to.
Our Father…….
Hail Mary x 10
Glory Be to…...
O My Jesus……
3rd Mystery The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:6-7 ICB)
While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. She gave birth to her first son. There were no rooms left in the inn. So, she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a box where animals are fed.
Our Father…….
Hail Mary x 10
Glory Be to…...
O My Jesus……
4th Mystery The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22, 34, 35 ICB)
The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses taught about being made pure. They took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Many in Israel will fall and many will rise because of this child. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept. The things they think in secret will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too.”
Our Father…….
Hail Mary x 10
Glory Be to…...
O My Jesus……
5th Mystery The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:42-43, 46 ICB)
When Jesus was 12 years old, they went to the feast as they always did. When the feast days were over, they went home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. After three days they found him. Jesus was sitting in the Temple with the religious teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Our Father…….
Hail Mary x 10
Glory Be to…...
O My Jesus……
Bringing Parish Home
Killaloe Diocese has created this wonderful resource that gives some advice on how we can ‘Bring Parish Home’ during these uncertain and difficult times.