Outside of the Mass, the Rosary is perhaps the most well-known and beloved prayer of the Catholic faith. In the apparitions to the children at Fatima, Our Lady urged them to pray the Rosary daily, and to this day many Catholics around the world practice this devotion.
But this meditative devotion can be challenging to pray on your own, especially in an increasingly busy and distracted world. That’s why it can be helpful to pray the Rosary with a guide to keep you focused on the meditation, like CatholicTV!
Cultivating a daily prayer life is hard–even for the holiest among us! We’re surrounded by distractions, such as the many screens and notifications that demand our attention throughout the day (and night). But what if there was a way to use technology to your advantage so that it could help—rather than hinder—your prayer life?
When you pray the Rosary with CatholicTV, you’ll have a host to lead you through the prayers of this beloved devotion and offer inspirational reflections before each mystery. If your mind wanders, the beautiful scenery from one of many sacred (or sometimes exotic!) locations will captivate your attention and aid in your meditation. Enjoy stunning cathedral interiors or breathtaking landscapes from around the world. You may find that praying the Rosary with CatholicTV is your new favorite way to practice this devotion!
Tune in to the Rosary today and every day from Monday through Saturday at 10am ET, or watch past episodes anytime that works for your schedule. There are separate episodes for each of the mysteries—Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous. You can also choose an episode by location, from Saint Teresa’s Church in Dublin to the sunny shores of Hawaii!
If you’re new to the Rosary, you may be wondering what it is and where it came from. Even if you’re already familiar with this ancient devotion, you can refresh your knowledge of its rich and interesting history.
The Rosary is traditionally attributed to an apparition St. Dominic received from Our Lady in the early thirteenth century, but other sources indicate that parts of the Rosary predate Dominic’s lifetime. During the medieval period, monks would recite all 150 Psalms on a daily basis. But for the laity, this would have been impossible, as most didn’t own a Psalter (and, with the rate of illiteracy, many wouldn’t be able to read it if they did). The Our Father served as an easy-to-remember alternative to the Psalms, divided into fifteen sets of ten, or “decades,” matching the 150 prayers of the Psalter. Eventually, the Hail Mary replaced the Our Father, which was placed between decades.
It wasn’t until the sixteenth century that the Glory Be was added to the end of each decade and mysteries from the life of Jesus and Mary were included as meditations: Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious. More than four centuries later, Pope St. John Paul II would introduce the Luminous mysteries.
Today, the Rosary is prayed every day by millions of Catholics around the world, and many conversions, miracles, and answers to prayer have been attributed to it. If you haven’t practiced this beloved devotion yet, why not try it and see what graces you’ll receive?
If you’re new to praying the Rosary (or it’s been a while since you’ve prayed it and you could use a refresher), here is the basic structure of the prayers:
Of course, you don’t need Rosary beads to be able to pray the Rosary, but as sacramentals, they can be an additional source of grace (especially when they’re blessed by a priest!). You can find Rosaries at any Catholic gift store or online. You can even purchase kits to make your own!
If you’re wondering which set of mysteries to pray with on a given day, here’s the traditional schedule by day of the week:
But why specific mysteries on certain days? Saturdays are traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Joyful Mysteries reflect on her life as the Mother of Jesus. On Thursdays, we remember the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist, which is the concluding event of the Luminous Mysteries. Friday is the day we remember Jesus died for us, and the Sorrowful Mysteries help us meditate on the events of Christ’s Passion. And of course, on Sunday we remember and celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection, which introduces the Glorious Mysteries.
Of course, you can pray whichever mysteries you’d like on any day—better yet, if you have the time, pray them all! (In case you’re wondering, in the time it would take to watch an average-length movie, you can pray the four sets of mysteries with CatholicTV.)
The Joyful Mysteries focus on the events of surrounding Jesus’ conception, birth, and early childhood:
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The Sorrowful Mysteries center on the events of Jesus’ Passion and Death. These mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays and, appropriately, Fridays.
The Glorious Mysteries include the events of Easter and Pentecost, as well as a couple of events that are not explicitly recorded in Scripture but are handed down through Sacred Tradition. These mysteries are prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The newest set of mysteries, instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002, added more events from the life and ministry of Jesus.
When you don’t have time to pray the Rosary with CatholicTV, you can still practice this powerful devotion. Find creative ways to include the Rosary in your daily schedule. Pray when you go for a walk or a run, or during your daily commute. If you don’t have a set of rosary beads with you (or you can’t use them because you’re driving!), you can keep track of the Hail Marys on your fingers. On the days when you don’t have time to pray five decades of a Rosary at one time, you can break it up and pray different decades throughout the day.
If you have a family, try praying the Rosary with them. It’s never too early for children to benefit from the graces of this devotion (even if they squirm and are easily distracted). If you live by yourself, finding a friend to pray with can help motivate you and keep you accountable. Perhaps you have a coworker you can pray with on your lunch break, or a friend or family member you can pray with over the phone or a video call. As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).
We hope these ideas inspire you to pray the Rosary more often. Join us for the Rosary on CatholicTV via one of many available apps, or you can also watch the Rosary and other CatholicTV shows (including the daily Mass and Chaplet of Divine Mercy) on our YouTube channel.
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