What Is a Catholic Rosary Ceremony?
Most people associate Catholic rosary ceremonies with funerals, but there's more to this rich tradition than mourning. Rosary ceremonies can be joyful, prayerful experiences that bring communities together. Here's what they're all about, and what happens in them.
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Function
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Catholics pray the rosary in groups for many reasons--for specific needs, in thanksgiving, or to deepen their faith. A rosary ceremony can be a spontaneous gathering or a regularly scheduled event. Groups often gather before or after Mass to say a rosary together.
Location
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Rosary ceremonies can happen virtually anywhere: churches, shrines, parks--even airports and subway stations. Participants can stand, sit, kneel or lie down (if the ceremony takes place in a hospital). Many Catholic families gather to say the rosary in their homes.
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Features
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In general, one person leads by reciting the first part of each prayer aloud. Participants pray along in silence, until a certain point when they join in. The leader also announces the mysteries, or events, in Jesus' life. Everyone meditates on these as they pray and finger the beads. It all helps to focus the mind and body entirely on prayer.
Getting Started
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The leader begins by holding the rosary crucifix in his hands and making the Sign of the Cross. Everyone else does the same. After the preliminary prayers, including a profession of faith known as the Apostles' Creed, the main part of the rosary commences.
The Prayers
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Each time he fingers the large rosary bead, the leader says a "Glory Be" prayer. Participants join at the words, "As it was in the beginning..."
On the same bead, the leader announces a mystery, such as the Baptism of Jesus. He then begins the Our Father. Participants join aloud at the words, "Give us this day our daily bread...."
Concluding the Ceremony
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On each of the next ten small beads, the leader recites the "Hail Mary." Participants join at the words, "Holy Mary, mother of God..." The pattern of prayer continues to the last bead of the rosary. Final prayers are said, and the ceremony is finished.
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