Christians have used beads to mark the recitation of prayers since ancient times. In the 12th century, the Rosary emerged as a meditative devotion centering on significant moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In the words of St. Leo XIII, “there is no more excellent way of praying.”

The Rosary is traditionally attributed to a Marian vision received by St. Dominic de Guzman (1170-1221). Though scholarship on this point is uncertain, the Dominican Order was undoubtedly crucial in establishing and evangelizing the Rosary as a devotional prayer.

Over the centuries, the formula of the devotion eventually took the shape of 50 Hail Marys divided into five “decades,” with each decade focused on a different mystery. The Church has defined the Joyful Mysteries (to be recited on Saturdays and Mondays), the Glorious Mysteries (Sundays and Wednesdays), the Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays and Fridays), and most recently the Luminous Mysteries (to be recited on Thursdays).

©LPi

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