The rosary : its history and how to say it


M«D.

hVCHHblI

THE

ROSARY 1
Its History and How

to Say It



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/rosaryitshistoryOOforr



THE ROSARY
Its History and How to Say It

By

Rev. M. D. Forrest, M.S.C.

New York
I HE PAULIST PREbb

401 West 59th Street



^ihU Obstat:

Imprimatur:

Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D.,
Censor Librorum.

^ Patrick Cardinal Hayes,
Archbishop of New York.

New York, August 25, 1926.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U. S. A.
BY THE PAULIST PRESS, NEW YORK, N. Y.

Copyright, 1926
,
by

The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle
IN THE State of New York

Descfdffsd



THE ROSARY

I. A Beautiful Devotion

A MIDST the rich variety of Catholic
devotions, there is one of world-wide

popularity, which appeals in a particular

manner to every Catholic heart. It is a

devotion that has grown with extraordinary

rapidity in the Church of Christ; a devo-

tion which was scarcely proclaimed when
it already flourished in various Catholic

countries; a devotion that is now, like the

Church itself, universal. The devotion of
which I write is known as the Rosary.
From our tenderest years we have fond-

ly loved the Rosary. Scarcely had we
learnt to lisp our prayers at our mothers’

knees, when the beads were placed in our
hands, and, though we were yet unable to
grasp all that the Rosary implied, our

Catholic instinct already prompted us to

cherish it, and to recite it before the image

of our heavenly Mother. We were taught
to treasure Mary’s chaplet as an emblem

[ 3 ]



of our faith, and in one of our earliest
hymns we professed fidelity to the Rosary
unto death

—

“I love my cross, I love my beads.
Each emblem of my faith;
Let foolish men say what they will,
ni love them until death.”

As the years passed by, the Rosary
gradually became more familiar to us, and
charmed us with its beauty and sweetness.

We beheld our devoted pastor reciting it
Sunday after Sunday in the presence of

his flock; we saw our pious mother pour-
ing forth her soul in prayer while the beads

gently and silently slipped through her

fingers; we recited the Rosary frequently
with our school-companions; and the clos-

ing act of each day was to cluster around

our parents, and murmur fervently that
sweet devotion which is so suitable as a

family prayer..

The Rosary is cherished alike by the
learned and the ignorant, by the priest
and the layman, by the rich and the poor.

The Sovereign Pontiff derives from it su-
pernatural strength to bear his tremendous

burden, and light and grace to discharge

the duties of his exalted office with Christ-

like fidelity; the priest finds in his Rosary

[ 4 ]



solace and courage in the trials which be-

set him, and the grace to remain faithful

to the superhuman obligations which he

has voluntarily taken upon him; the nun

draws from this wondrous devotion grace

to persevere in the life of angelic purity

which she has embraced in imitation of the

Immaculate Virgin; the mother rises from

the recitation of the chaplet with renewed

strength to carry on her unselfish and even

heroic life, it may be amidst suffering and
poverty, on behalf of the tender children

whom God has entrusted to her; the sol-
dier on the battlefield communes with
Mary on his beads, and knows full well
that the Mother of God will bless and
protect him in life and in death; in fact,
we cannot mention any class of persons
who do not receive the most abundant
graces and the sweetest consolation from

this heaven-sent devotion

—

^^Sweet, blessed beads! I would not part

With one of you for richest gem
That gleams in kingly diadem;

Ye know the history of my heart.

“For I have told you every grief
In all the days of twenty years.

And I have moistened you with tears.
And in your decades found relief.

[ 5 ]



“Ah! time has fled, and friends have failed,

And joys have died; but in my needs
Ye were my friends, my blessed beads!

And ye consoled me when I wailed.

“For many and many a time, in grief.
My weary fingers wandered round
Thy circled chain, and always found

In some Hail Mary sweet relief.

“How many a story ye might tell
Of inner life to all unknown;

I trusted you and you alone.

But ah! ye keep my secrets well.

“Ye are the only chain I wear

—

A sign that I am but the slave.
In life, in death, beyond the grave

Of Jesus and His Mother fair.”

The Rosary has been productive of
marvelous fruits in the Church of God.

It was the powerful weapon that St. Domi-
nic used so successfully against the pesti-

lential heresy of the Albigensians
;

it has

accounted for the manifold graces of con-

version that have accompanied the preach-

ing of zealous missionaries; it has been

one of the secrets of Ireland's constant

fidelity to the faith that Patrick planted

on her soil. The bright light of faith has

[ 6 ]



continued to shine in all its pristine splen-

dor, within the shores of Erin, despite the

cruelest and most tyrannical persecutions,,

for, although despotic rulers could hunt

down her priests like wolves, and murder
them as they offered the adorable sacrifice

on the mountainsides of the Emerald Isle,

such tyrants could never tear from the

hearts of Erin’s faithful children their

tender, undying love for Mary Immaculate,,
and, when those heroic Catholics were un-
able to partake of the Eucharistic Sacri-

fice, and were deprived of the ministrations

of the priest of God, they assembled in

their cottages, around an image of the

Mother of God, and recited with childlike

confidence the holy Rosary.

II. Why the Rosary Is So Effectual
The spontaneous, constant love of Cath-

olics for the Rosary, and the remarkable

results attributed to it, are easily under-

stood when we carefully consider the na-
ture of this devotion.

The great means of salvation and sancti-
fication, the means which God has estab-
lished for procuring efficacious grace to re-

sist every temptation and acquire every
virtue, the means that fertilizes, so to say,
the sacerdotal ministry, is prayer. We
need but read the Gospels attentively to

F7]



be persuaded of this truth. Now, there
are two kinds of prayer, mental and vocal,
which consist respectively in pious reflec-

tion or meditation on the mysteries of our

faith, and in earnest petition for graces

both for ourselves and for others. The
Rosary beautifully unites these two kinds,

and is thus a perfect form of prayer. And
it derives special efficacy from the fact

that it is directed to the Mother of God,
whose intercession on our behalf before

the Throne of Grace is endowed with

extraordinary power, so that Mary is fit-
tingly called “Mother of Divine Grace,”

and “All-powerful Suppliant.”

In the Rosary we survey, or rather pon-
der on, the entire series of mysteries en-

acted in the lives of Jesus and Mary from
the moment of the Incarnation until the
Coronation of the Queen of Heaven. In

the Joyful Mysteries we contemplate
Mary becoming the Mother of the Word
made flesh, visiting her cousin St. Eliza-
beth, bringing forth the Saviour of men,

offering to God the Infant Jesus as a ten-
der victim, and finding Him, after the three

days’ loss, in the temple of Jerusalem.

The Sorrowful Mysteries set before our
minds the Incarnate Word agonizing in
the Garden of Olives for love of us, un-

dergoing an inhuman scourging in Pilate’s

rs]



hall, wearing a thorny crown of ignominy,

laden with a heavy cross, and finally sacri-

ficing His life, in supreme anguish, on

Calvary for our redemption. In the Glo-

rious Mysteries we consider Christ’s tri-
umphant resurrection and ascension, the
coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,

and the assumption and coronation of the

Virgin Mother.

Who shall measure, or even describe the
salutary influence which the successive

prayerful contemplation of these fifteen

mysteries exercises on the soul? Do we
not thereby literally steep our mind and
will and heart in the most sacred truths

of Christianity, and thus flood our souls

with celestial light, strengthened them

with supernatural unction?

While our mind is engaged in the con-
templation of the mysteries of the Rosary,

we devoutly recite the Plail Maryj which is
at once a salutation and an invocation—

a

salutation that was first addressed to the
Holy Virgin by an Archangel inspired by
the Blessed Trinity, and an invocation im-

ploring Mary’s constant protection during

life, and her powerful assistance in our dy-
ing moments. The Hail Mary is as it were
the heavenly anthem whose sweet strains
accompany the contemplation of the touch-
ing mysteries of the lives of Jesus and

[ 9 ]



Mary. It is the prayer that gives most
honor to the Immaculate Maiden, and

which most effectually procures for us her

powerful help, and hence it is a prayer

that Mary^s children delight in offering

their heavenly Mother.

^^The Hail Mary,” writes Blessed Gri-

gnon de Montfort, ‘^is a heavenly dew
which waters the soul, and renders it fruit-

ful in all virtues; a soul not watered by
this prayer, brings forth no fruit, nothing

but briars and thorns. . . . The Hail Mary
is the sanctification of the soul, the joy of

the Angels, the song of the predestined,

the canticle of the New Testament, the
pleasure of Mary, the glory of the most

Holy Trinity. The Hail Mary is a loving
kiss we give to Mary; it is a brilliant rose
we present to her; a special pearl we offer
to her; a cup of ambrosia and divine nec-

tar we give to her. All these comparisons
are made by the saints.”

III. Where the Rosary Is Best
Recited

The Rosary is a devotion which may be
practiced in any circumstances of life. We
may recite it kneeling or walking or sit-
ting; we may even recite it before rising
or after retiring to rest. We may choose

[ 10 ]



it as our morning prayer, and offer it as

the first-fruits of our piety each day; or

we may set it apart as our evening prayer.
We may recite it on our journey to work,
whether we drive, or ride by train, or walk;
or we may possibly find a quiet quarter
of an hour during the day, when we can
withdraw from the distracting worry of

our duties, and silently commune with the
Mother of God.

But there is one circumstance especially,

in which we shall derive most abundant
fruit from the recitation of the Rosary

—

in the seclusion of the Church, before our

Eucharistic God. There our minds are

easily raised above the fleeting joys of

this changing life; there we easily close
our eyes to the false glamour of this world,

which allures us away from God; there our
hearts are quickly inspired with holy and

lofty aspirations and ideals. The heav-
enly fragrance and supernatural sweetness

that linger around the Tabernacle calm

our troubled souls, which no longer resem-

ble a stormy sea, but rather a clear, placid

lake^ wherein God’s perfections are dis-

tinctly reflected. Oh, how sweet it is to
kneel in the presence of our God veiled
beneath the sacramental species, and there

reflect upon the mysteries of Redemption
while we lovingly breathe forth the Hail

[11

1



Mary, thus earnestly entreating Mary to
intercede on our behalf before the Eucha-

ristic Heart of Jesus!

Pope Leo XIII, who is known as the
Pontiff of the Rosary, recognized this

truth, and ordered the Rosary to be pub-

licly recited during the month of October,
in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament

exposed. It would need an Angel to de-

scribe the wondrous graces that inundate

earth during this holy month, when the
adorable Eucharist is enthroned on myr-

iads of Catholic altars, and the voices of

the faithful unite in reciting the Rosary,

thus making sweet music which is wafted

heavenwards to the throne of the glorious

Queen of Heaven.

The Rosary is especially popular as a
form of family prayer, and no Catholic

father or mother should allow a night to

pass without assembling the children, and

offering together to the Mother of God
this tribute of praise and of supplication.

Surely every family can consecrate a quar-

ter of an hour each day to this practice,

which will bring down on the family g,s a
whole, and on each member in particular,
the richest graces that Mary’s sinless

hands can bestow, and will be at the same

time a pledge of her gracious and power-

ful protection in life and in death.

[ 12 ]



As I write these lines, a vision comes

before my eyes, and a sentence uttered
long ago echoes in my ears. I seem to be-
hold, in the dim and distant past, a mother

stretched upon a bed of sickness, grad-

ually sinking, yet perfectly calm. She is

about to leave those on whom she has ever
impressed, by word and example, the need

of devotion to the Mother of God, and

amongst her farewell requests there is one

that is still deeply imbedded in my mem-
ory: ‘‘Don’t forget to say the Rosary to-

gether every night; and offer it for three

months for the repose of my soul.”
Dear readers, though our earthly mother

may not have explicitly expressed that
wish to us, we all know that it is the ardent
desire of our heavenly Mother that we
should daily recite her Rosary in token

of our filial attachment to her. O, let us

regard that practice as one of the most

sacred duties of our life; let us daily pre-

sent the Rosary to Mary as a crown of
roses; let us incessantly honor her by that
sweet devotion until we are at last ad-
mitted into the courts of Heaven, there to

sing for all eternity the glories of Jesus

and of His Immaculate Virgin Mother.

[ 13 ]



IV. Whot 'The Pontiff of the
Rosary" Tells Us

I have said previously that Pope Leo

XIII is known as ‘The Pontiff of the Ro-
sary.” I cannot refrain from quoting a

portion of the touching Encyclical which

that great Pontiff directed to the Universal

Church on September 8th, The Feast of
Our Blessed Mother’s Nativity, 1892.

Space allows me to give but a few extracts
from that celebrated Encyclical, the burn-

ing words of which should sink deeply into

every Catholic heart.

To show the excellence of the Rosary
from its very nature. Pope Leo XIII

wrote: “When in our prayers we fly to
Mary, we fly to the Mother of Mercy,
who is so disposed towards us that in
whatever necessity we are struggling, espe-
cially in our striving after the attainment

of life eternal, she is at once by our side,
and indeed, quite spontaneously—^without
awaiting our appeal—and lavishes upon
us gifts from the treasury of that grace of

which she received from the beginning a

full supply from God, Whose Mother she
was worthy to be. . . . When, using the
words of the Angel, we salute her as full
of grace, and weave that repeated saluta-

tion into a wreath, it is almost impossible

[ 14 ]



to tell what pleasure and delight we give
her, for thus often we revive the remem-
brance both of her exalted dignity and of

the beginning of mankind’s redemption

through her. Thereby we also commemo-
rate that Divine and perpetual bond by
which she is linked with Christ in His joys

and sorrows, in His humiliation and tri-

umph, in ruling men and helping them
unto their eternal destiny.

^Tf we owe it to Christ that He has
communicated in a certain manner to us
the right that belongs to Himself of call-

ing and having God as Father, we like-
wise owe to Him the right He has most
lovingly communicated of calling and hav-

ing Mary as Mother. Now, since nature
itself has made the name of mother the
sweetest name and in her has established
the pattern, as it were, of tender and provi-

dent love, our tongue can scarcely express,

though pious souls can truly feel, the in-

tense flame of benevolent and active love
that burns in the heart of Mary—in her
who has been given to us not by men, but
by Christ, as our Mother.

^‘And much more does she know and
clearly see all our needs—what helps we
need in life

;
what dangers, public and

private, threaten us; in what straits and
evils we are oppressed, how keen especially

[ 15 ]



is the conflict with the bitterest enemies of

our salvation; in these, as well as in the

other difficulties of life, she has a most

beneficent power, and she most ardently

desires to bring us comfort, strength and

health of every kind.

“Therefore, let us go to Mary, not tim-

idly nor carelessly, and implore her by
those maternal bonds, by which she is most

closely united to Jesus and to us. Let us

most religiously invoke her immediate aid

in that form of prayer (the Rosary) which

she personally designated and holds most
dear. Then we can rightly rest secure and
happy under the protection of this excel-

lent Mother.”

V. How to Soy the Rosary

The Rosary really consists of fifteen
decades, and each decade is made up of
one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one
“Glory be to the Father.” Thus the com-
plete Rosary consists of fifteen “Pater

Nosters” and “Glorias,” and one hundred

and fifty “Ave Marias.” This devotion is
usually, though not necessarily, recited on

beads, and it is highly recommended to

have these beads blessed and indulgenced.

It has been stated above that, while recit-

ing each decade, we meditate on some

[ 16 ]



particular mystery in the lives of Jesus

and Mary.

Custom has divided the Rosary into

three parts, each of which consists of five

decades. In fact, when we now speak of

saying the Rosary, we generally refer to

the recitation of five decades, and the Ro-

sary beads are arranged accordingly.

The three parts of the Rosary commemo-

rate respectively the joyful, the sorrowful

and the glorious mysteries in the lives of

Jesus and Mary; hence there are five joy-

ful, five sorrowful, and five glorious mys-

teries. The Joyful Mysteries are assigned

to Mondays and Thursdays throughout

the year and to the Sundays of Advent, as

well as to the Sundays from the Feast of

the Epiphany until Lent. The Sorrowful
Mysteries are prescribed for Tuesdays and

Fridays, and for the Sundays in Lent. The
Glorious Mysteries are designated for

Wednesdays and Saturdays, and for the
Sundays from Easter to Advent.

It is customary to commence the Rosary
by reciting the Apostles’ Creed, one ‘^Our
Father,” three “Hail Marys,” and one
“Glory be to the Father.” We then pro-
ceed to the five decades with the respec-

tive mysteries. At the beginning of each
decade a brief outline of the accompany-

[ 17 ]



ing mystery is often read in order to help

us to fix our mind upon that particular

mystery while reciting the decade. At the

end of each decade, before announcing and

reading the reflection on the following

mystery, a suitable prayer regarding the

fruit to be derived from the previous dec-

ade is frequently recited.

At the end of the five decades the “Hail,

Holy Queen” is generally said.

In the last part of this pamphlet I sub-

mit meditations and prayers that have

been consecrated by long usage. These

reflections and prayers will assist those

who desire to derive the greatest fruit
from the recitation of the Rosary, that

beautiful devotion so dear to the Immacu-
late Heart of our Blessed Mother.

VI. Reflections and Prayers

THE FIVE JOYFUL MYSTERIES

(1) The Annunciation

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Angel Gabriel saluted our Blessed
Lady with the title. Full of Grace, and

declared unto her the Incarnation of our

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

[18 1



LET US PRAY

O Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, through
the most high mystery of the Incarnation

of thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

wherein our salvation was begun, obtain

for us, through thy most holy intercession,

light to imderstand the greatness of the

benefit He hath bestowed upon us, in
vouchsafing to become our Brother, and in

giving thee, His own beloved Mother, to
be our Mother also. Amen,

(2) The Visitation

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Blessed Virgin Mary, under-
standing from the Angel that her cousin

St. Elizabeth had conceived, went with

haste into the mountains of Judea to visit

her, and remained with her three months.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Holy Virgin, spotless Mirror of hu-
mility, by that exceeding love which moved
thee to visit thy holy cousin St. Elizabeth,

obtain for us through thine intercession

that our hearts being visited by thy divine
Son, and freed from all sin, we may praise
and give thanks to Him forever. Amen.

[ 19 ]



(3) The Birth o/ Jesus Christ in
Bethlehem

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the
time of her delivery was come, brought

forth our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, at mid-

night, and laid Him in a manger, because
there was no room for Him in the inns of
Bethlehem.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

0 pure Mother of God, through thy vir-
ginal and most joyful delivery, whereby

thou gavest to the world thine only Son,

our Saviour, obtain for us, we beseech thee,
through thine intercession, the grace to

lead such pure and holy lives in this world

that we may become worthy to sing, with-
out ceasing, the mercies of thy Son, and

His benefits to us by thee. Amen.

(4) The Presentation of Our Blessed
Lord in the Temple

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the day
of her Purification, presented the Child

Jesus in the Temple, where holy Simeon,

[ 20 ]



giving thanks to God, with great devotion

received Him into his arms.
Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Holy Virgin, most admirable example
and pattern of obedience, who didst pre-
sent in the Temple the Lord of the Tem-
ple, obtain for us, of thy Blessed Son, that,

with holy Simeon and devout Anna, we
may praise and glorify Him forever.
Amen,

(5) The Finding of the Child Jesus
in the Temple

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Blessed Virgin Mary, after hav-
ing lost her beloved Son in Jerusalem,

sought Him for the space of three days;
and at length found Him in the Temple,
sitting in the midst of the Doctors, hear-

ing them, and asking them questions.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Most Blessed Virgin, more than mar-
tyr in thy sufferings, and yet the comfort

of such as are afflicted; by that unspeak-

[ 21 ]



able joy wherewith thy soul was filled when
at length thou didst find thy dearly be-

loved Son in the Temple, teaching in the

midst of the Doctors, obtain of Him that
we may so seek Him and find Him in His
holy Catholic Church as never more to be
separated from Him. Amen.

THE FIVE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

(1) The Prayer and Bloody Sweat of

Our Blessed Saviour in the

Garden

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus was so afflicted for us
in the Garden of Gethsemani that His

Body was bathed in a bloody sweat, which
ran down in great drops to the ground.
Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Holy Virgin, more than martyr, by
that ardent prayer which our beloved Sav-

iour poured forth to His Heavenly Father,

vouchsafe to intercede for us, that, our

passions being subjected to the obedience

of reason, we may always, and in all
things, conform and subject ourselves to

the holy will of God. Amen,

[ 22 ]



(2) The Scourging of Our Blessed
Lord at the Pillar

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus Christ was most cruel-
ly scourged in the house of Pilate; the

number of stripes inflicted upon Him be-
ing, it is said, about five thousand.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

0 Mother of God, Fountain of patience,
through those stripes thy only and dearly

beloved Son vouchsafed to suffer for us,

obtain of Him for us grace to mortify our
rebellious senses, to avoid the occasion of

sin, and to be ready to suffer anything

rather than offend God. Amen,

(3) The Crowning of Our Blessed
Saviour with Thorns

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how those cruel ministers of Satan plaited

a Crown of Thorns, and cruelly pressed it

on the Sacred Head of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

[ 23 ]



LET US PRAY

O Mother of our Eternal Prince, the
King of Glory, by those sharp Thorns

wherewith His Sacred Head was pierced,

we beseech thee to obtain, through thine

intercession, that we may be delivered
from all emotions of pride, and escape

that shame which our sins deserve on the

day of judgment. Amen,

(4) Jesus Carrying His Cross

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus Christ, being sentenced
to die, bore, with most amazing patience,

the Cross which was laid upon Him for
His greater torment and ignominy.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

0 Holy Virgin, model of patience, by
the most painful carrying of the Cross, in

which Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain

for us of Him, through thine intercession,

courage and strength to follow His steps,

and bear our cross after Him to the end
of our lives. Amen,

[241



(5) The Crucifixion of Our Lord
Jesus Christ

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus Christ, being come to
Mount Calvary, was stripped of His
clothes, and His Hands and Feet were

cruelly nailed to the Cross, in the pres-

ence of His most afflicted Mother.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, as the
Body of thy beloved Son was for us
stretched upon the Cross, so may we offer
up our souls and bodies to be crucified

with Him, and our hearts to be pierced

with grief at His most bitter Passion; and

thou, O most sorrowful Mother, graciously
vouchsafe to help us, by thy all-powerful

prayers, to accomplish the work of our

salvation. Amen,

THE FIVE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES

(1) The Resurrection of Our Lord
from the Dead

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus Christ, triumphing glo-

[ 25 ]



riously over death, rose again the third

day, immortal and impassible.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Glorious Virgin Mary, by that un-
speakable joy thou didst receive in the

Resurrection of thy Divine Son, we be-
seech thee obtain for us of Him that our
hearts may never go astray after the false
joys of this world, but may be wholly em-
ployed in seeking the true and solid joys

of heaven. Amen,

(2) The Ascension of Christ Into
Heaven

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how our Lord Jesus Christ, forty days
after His Resurrection, ascended into

heaven, attended by Angels, in the sight
of His most Holy Mother and His holy

Apostles and Disciples.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Mother of God, consoler of the af-
flicted, as thy beloved Son, when He
ascended into heaven, lifted up His Hands,

[ 26 ]



and blessed His Apostles, as He departed
from them, so vouchsafe, most holy

Mother, to lift up thy pure hands to Him
on our behalf, that we may enjoy the bene-
fits of His blessing, and of thine, here on

earth, and hereafter in heaven. Amen,

(3) The Descent of the Holy Ghost
Upon the Apostles

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the Lord Jesus Christ, being seated
on the right hand of God, sent, as He had
promised, the Holy Ghost upon His Apos-

tles, Who, after He had ascended, re-
turned to Jerusalem, and continued in

prayer and supplication, waiting for the

fulfillment of His promise.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Sacred Virgin, Tabernacle of the
Holy Ghost, we beseech thee to obtain, by
thine intercession, that this Comforter,

whom thy beloved Son sent down upon His
Apostles, filling them thereby with spir-
itual joy, may teach us in this world the
true way of salvation, and make us walk
in the way of virtue and good works.
Amen,

[ 27 ]



(4) The Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary Into Heaven

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the glorious Virgin, twelve years
after the Resurrection of her Son, passed

out of this world unto Him, and was by
Him taken up into heaven, attended by
the holy Angels.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

LET us PRAY

O Holy Virgin, who, entering the heav-
enly mansions, didst fill the Angels with

joy and man with hope, vouchsafe to
intercede for us at the hour of our death,

that, being delivered from the illusions and

temptations of the devil, we may joyfully
pass out of this earthly estate to enjoy

the happiness of eternal life. Amen,

(5) The Coronation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in Heaven

Let us contemplate, in this Mystery,

how the glorious Virgin Mary was, to the
great jubilee and exultation of the whole

Court of heaven, crowned by her Son with

the brightest diadem of glory.

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

[ 28 ]



LET US PRAY

0 Glorious Queen of all the heavenly
host, we beseech thee to accept these
prayers, which, as a Crown of Roses, we
offer at thy feet; and grant, most gra-

cious Lady, that by thy intercession, our

souls may be inflamed with so ardent a
desire of seeing thee so gloriously crowned,

that it may never die within us until it
shall be changed into the happy fruition

of thy blessed sight. Amen,

VII. Selected Prayers

The Apostles" Creed

1 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 Ghost, born of the

Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified; died, and was buried. He
descended into hell; the third day He
arose again from the dead; He ascended
into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of

God the Father Almighty; from thence He
shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of

the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

[ 29 ]



The Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hal-
lowed 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.

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is

with thee; blessed art 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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world

without end. Amen.

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy;
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,
mourning and weeping in this vale of

[ 30 ]



tears. Turn, then, most gracious advo-

cate, thine eyes of mercy" towards us; and

after this our exile, show unto us the

blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clem-
ent, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mar>’.

P. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
S. That we may be made worthy of the

promises of Christ.

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin
(Also called “The Litany of Loreto.”)

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother
of G(xi. Despise not our petitions in our

necessities: but deliver us from all dangers,

O ever glorious and blessed \irgin.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Ciod the Father of heaven,

have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeems of

the world, have mercy
on us.

Ciod the Holy Ghost, have
mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one (Jod,
have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

Holy Mother of God,
|

Holy Virgin of \irgins,
j

r

Mother of Christ, I
Mother of di\'ine grace,

(
^

Mother most pure, s
Mother most chaste.
Mother inWolate.

Mother imdefiled.
Mother most amiable.
Mother most admirable.
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Re-

deemer,

Virgin most prudent.
Virgin most venerable.
Virgin most renowned.
Virgin m(Kt powerful.
Virgin most merciful.
Virgin most faithfuL
^lirror of justice.

Seat of wisdom.
Cause of our joy.
Spiritual Vessel,

Vessel of honor.

Singular vessel of devo-

tion,

Mv-stical rose.

Tower of David,
Tower of ivory.
House of gold.

[ 31 ]



Ark of the covenant, ^

Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,

Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the af-

flicted, ^

Help of Christians, g
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,

^

Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints, ^
Queen conceived with- W

out original sin,

Queen of the most holy 5
Rosary,

Queen of Peace,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins
of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins

of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.
P. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
S. That we may be made worthy of the

promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts; that as we
have known the Incarnation of Christ Thy
Son, by the message of an angel, so, by His
Passion and Cross, we may be brought
to the glory of His resurrection: through

the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[32 3