How to …

The Cross: as is traditional with the Catholic rosary, we begin with the Cross, the symbol of salvation. Normally we pray here a strong and very familiar prayer:  e.g., the Apostles’ Creed or the Our Father. This gives a signal of our clear Christian intentions. 

The Invitatory Bead: here we offer here a few words to mark the tone – a prayer that invites us to pray with depth:  e.g., “Lord, open thou our lips, and our mouths shall show forth thy praise”. 

The Cruciform Beads: these beads take the form of the cross when the rosary is laid out, hence the name. Here we pray a prayer to introduce the repetitions in the next beads, and to establish a theme: e.g., praise, hope, sadness, joy. Probably this prayer will be a little longer than those that follow. 

The Weeks: seven days in a week; seven beads here. Throughout the scriptures, the number seven is considered a holy number, with the significance of God’s perfection. With these beads, we generally pray a phrase — something short and simple — slowly, seven times, with pauses in between the repetitions:  e.g., “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name”. This helps us to reflect on the words and be still in God’s presence. 

The Dimissory Bead: at the end, we use the last cruciform bead to pray some appropriate words to finish our time of prayer and enter the world afresh: e.g., the Nunc dimittis: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace …” .

The Cross

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always acceptable unto you, O God, my strength and my redeemer. (Psalm 19.14)

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. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Invitatory Bead

Lord, open thou our lips and our mouths shall show forth thy praise.  

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. (BCP1979)

The First Cruciform Bead

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty saviour, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets God promised of old, that to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:68-79)

The First Week

Pray seven times, one per bead:
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)

The Second Cruciform Bead

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty saviour, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets God promised of old, that to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:68-79)

The Second Week

Pray seven times, one per bead:
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)

The Third Cruciform Bead

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty saviour, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets God promised of old, that to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:68-79)

The Third Week

Pray seven times, one per bead:
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)

The Fourth Cruciform Bead

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty saviour, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets God promised of old, that to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:68-79)

The Fourth Week

Pray seven times, one per bead:
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)

The Dimissory Bead

The hour is coming, and is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. (John 4:23)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.