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JUBILEE TEACHING

The rosary

JUBILEE TEACHING FOR JULY 6, 2008 | 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The rosary is a devotion that encourages the Christian to reflect on the important events, or mysteries, of Christ’s life as experienced by Mary. Although it is less emphasized in the modern church than in the past, it is still an important and meaningful devotion for many Catholics.

The rosary is essentially a series of prayers spoken while fingering the beads of a rosary, which aids in meditation and the contemplation of the mysteries. There are five decades, or groups of 10 beads, the decades separated by a bead in between each group.

The rosary forms a circle. Hanging down from it is a strand with a single bead, a group of three beads, and another single bead, followed by a crucifix. On the two single beads, the devotee says the Our Father and Glory Be. On the three beads, the devotee says a Hail Mary. On the crucifix, the devotee repeats the Creed.

This sequence is something like an introduction to the rosary. On each of the 10 beads, the devotee says a Hail Mary; on the in-between beads, the Our Father and Glory Be. Each decade is dedicated to a mystery from the life of Mary and Jesus.

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The rosary

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