✦ THE HOLY ROSARY ✦
The Joyful Mysteries
Full prayers and meditations for each of the five mysteries, with scripture references.
📅 Prayed on Monday and Saturday
The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary invite us to contemplate the early events in the lives of Jesus and Mary — from the moment of the Annunciation through to the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. These mysteries are traditionally prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, and they bear a particular richness for those who seek to grow in the virtues of humility, charity, obedience, and perseverance in seeking God.
The complete Rosary consists of five decades. Each decade begins with the Our Father, followed by ten Hail Marys while meditating on the mystery, then the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer. Begin the entire Rosary with the Opening Prayers and conclude with the Hail Holy Queen.
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The Five The Joyful Mysteries
MYSTERY 1 OF 5
The Annunciation
📖 Luke 1:26–38
The Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth and announces that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. Mary responds with the perfect act of faith and surrender: "Let it be done to me according to your word." This mystery invites us to grow in humility and total trust in God's will for our lives.
OUR FATHER
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. Amen.
Pray 10 Hail Marys while meditating on this mystery:
HAIL MARY (repeat × 10)
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
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
MYSTERY 2 OF 5
The Visitation
📖 Luke 1:39–56
Mary, carrying the Christ Child in her womb, travels in haste to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah. At Mary's greeting, the infant John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth's womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out: "Blessed are you among women!" This mystery teaches us the virtue of charity and prompt service to others.
OUR FATHER
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. Amen.
Pray 10 Hail Marys while meditating on this mystery:
HAIL MARY (repeat × 10)
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
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
MYSTERY 3 OF 5
The Nativity
📖 Luke 2:1–20
Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, is born in a humble stable in Bethlehem because there is no room at the inn. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Angels announce His birth to poor shepherds in the fields. This profound mystery of divine poverty calls us to simplicity and wonder before the mystery of the Incarnation.
OUR FATHER
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. Amen.
Pray 10 Hail Marys while meditating on this mystery:
HAIL MARY (repeat × 10)
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
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
MYSTERY 4 OF 5
The Presentation
📖 Luke 2:22–38
In accordance with the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after His birth. The holy man Simeon, who had been promised he would see the Messiah before his death, takes the Child in his arms and prays: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace." This mystery teaches obedience to God's law and the spirit of offering everything to Him.
OUR FATHER
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. Amen.
Pray 10 Hail Marys while meditating on this mystery:
HAIL MARY (repeat × 10)
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
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
MYSTERY 5 OF 5
Finding in the Temple
📖 Luke 2:41–52
When Jesus is twelve years old, he remains behind in Jerusalem after the Passover feast without his parents knowing. After three days of anguished searching, Mary and Joseph find Him in the Temple, seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. He speaks His first recorded words: "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" This mystery teaches us perseverance in seeking God above all else.
OUR FATHER
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. Amen.
Pray 10 Hail Marys while meditating on this mystery:
HAIL MARY (repeat × 10)
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
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.
FATIMA PRAYER
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER — 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 valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this, our exile, show unto us
the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Virtues of the The Joyful Mysteries
Each mystery of the Rosary is traditionally associated with a particular virtue to cultivate through meditation:
- Humility (Annunciation)
- Charity (Visitation)
- Poverty of Spirit (Nativity)
- Obedience (Presentation)
- Perseverance (Finding in the Temple)
The Other Mysteries of the Rosary
The Holy Rosary has four sets of mysteries, each prayed on specific days of the week:
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