Hello there Rosary lovers! Many people would love to start praying the Rosary, but finding a list of the mysteries isn’t all that straightforward. This post offers a list of Rosary mysteries, plus a very brief and simple guide to praying the Rosary.

If you want to pray the Rosary regularly, you should try to memorise this list of the mysteries, so that you can always pray the Rosary wherever you are.

The Four Sets of Mysteries

The Rosary is split up into four sets of mysteries. These are:

1. The Joyful mysteries

2. The Luminous mysteries

3. The Sorrowful mysteries

4. The Glorious mysteries

Each of these sets contains FIVE unique mysteries of the Rosary.

It is recommended that Catholics try to pray just ONE set of these mysteries daily. That’s just 5 mysteries per day.

Obviously, if you want to do more, go for it! Many of the greatest saints prayed 3 sets of mysteries daily (15 mysteries).

The List of Mysteries

For the following list, the crucial words are in bold, followed by a very brief description in brackets.

You are free to use the words in brackets to help you describe the mystery as you meditate. But simply stating the words in brackets suffices for a meditation on the mystery at hand.

It’s a good idea to be thinking about the mystery as you are reciting the Hail Marys.

Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunication (of the Saviour to Mary by St Gabriel)

2. The Visitation (of Mary to St Elizabeth)

3. The Nativity (of our Lord: Christmas)

4. The Presentation (of our Lord in the Temple)

5. The Finding of Jesus (in the Temple)

Luminous Mysteries

1. The Baptism of Jesus (by St John Baptist in the Jordan)

2. The Miracle at Cana (where Jesus turned water into wine at the behest of his all-holy Mother)

3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Christ’s ministry: his miracles, his preaching, etc.)

4. The Transfiguration (of Jesus on the holy Mountain)

5. The Institution of the Holy Eucharist (at the Last Supper)

Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden (our Lord agonising over our sins and his coming horrendous ordeal)

2. The Scourging at the Pillar (our Saviour brutally beaten by the Roman soliders)

3. The Crowning with Thorns (they places a crown of thorns on his head)

4. The Carrying of the Cross (when Jesus carried his cross)

5. The Crucifixion (our Jesus for our salvation, out of great love for us)

Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection (Jesus comes back to life!)

2. The Ascension (Jesus goes back to heaven to sit with his Father, God Almighty)

3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (at Pentecost, on Mary and the Christians)

4. The Assumption (of Mary into heaven, bodily, at the end of her earthly life)

5. The Coronation (of Mary by her Son in heaven, a foretaste of the coronation of all believers)

How to Pray the Rosary in Brief

To pray the Rosary, it’s a good idea to have a set of Rosary beads. I suggest you check out this company.

It’s very easy to pray the Rosary. You simply pick a set of mysteries (for instance the Luminous mysteries). Then you work your way through each mystery (beginning with the Baptism of Jesus).

For each mystery, you say: ‘The Baptism of Jesus.’ You might pause to briefly meditate on the the mystery or picture the scene in your head.

You then pray 1 Our Father (Lord’s prayer) followed by 10 Hail Marys, and finishing with a Glory Be.

You then do the second mystery: ‘The Miracle at Cana.’ Followed by the Our Father and 10 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be.

And so on until you’ve completed all 5 mysteries.

When you’re done, that’s one Rosary prayed.

Many Catholics use some introductory prayers before beginning the first mystery, but this isn’t strictly necessary. At the very least, perhaps start with the sign of the cross.

You can find a very simple introductory formula here at the bottom of the page.

Many Catholics also use a prayer or two to conclude the Rosary, but this also isn’t necessary. However, if you wish, you could pray the Hail Holy Queen and finish with the sign of the cross.

You do NOT need to pray all 5 mysteries in one sitting, see this post on that.

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If you have any questions about the Rosary, get in touch, and we will try our best to help you.

God’s richest blessings! And happy Rosary praying 🙂