The month of October is dedicated to one of the best known Catholic devotions, the Holy Rosary, with the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on the 7th. This was introduced by Pope St Pius V in 1571.
The prayer form of the Rosary was given by Mary to St Dominic. St Pius V, a Dominican pope, then further spread the Rosary and soon saw it become one of the most popular devotions in the Christian faith.
The origin of the Rosary started with the monks and nuns praying the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, reciting all 150 psalms over the course of a week. Due to many lay men and women being unable to read at the time, this tradition transitioned into praying 150 Hail Marys. This was then formed into 15 groups of 10 Hail Mary’s, becoming ‘decades.’ Each of the Hail Mary’s were counted by a bead. Each decade would begin with the Our Father and conclude with the Glory Be and Oh My Jesus. At the end of the completed Rosary, the Hail Holy Queen would be recited.
The Mysteries of the Rosary were introduced to create a focus on a particular part of Jesus and Mary’s life. These are called the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Some time later, in 2002, Pope St John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries.
You can find more information about the Holy Rosary in our resources, by searching ‘Rosary’ in the search bar. For guidance, check out Primary Unit 29 Part 4, and Secondary Unit 13 Part 6.
