The rosary is a string of prayer beads, consisting of beads or knots. The rosary involves praying ten Hail Marys five times and five Our Fathers. These are referred to as “decades”. A “decade" represents ten small beads or knots and signifies ten Hail Marys. An Our Father is usually preceded by a larger bead or knot. A complete rosary means using the string of beads three times in succession. This then amounts to fifteen "decades" or 150 Hail Marys. A chaplet is one-third of a complete rosary and consists of 50 Hail Marys and 5 Our Fathers. It involves moving the beads of the prayer string through one's fingers once, bead by bead.
The tail of the rosary consists of a cross, a large bead or knot for the Our Father and three small beads/knots for three Hail Marys. The prayer of the rosary begins with making the sign of the cross.
During the praying of the rosary, one of the mysteries of faith is introduced at the beginning of each decade. These mysteries of faith depend on the day on which the rosary is being prayed:
– on Sundays and Wednesdays, the five Glorious Mysteries are contemplated
– on Monday and Saturday, these are the five Joyful Mysteries
– on Tuesdays and Fridays, the five Sorrowful Mysteries are highlighted
– on Thursday, the Secrets of Light will be discussed.
