The rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning "rose garden") or
"garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the
prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary. The
prayers consist of repeated sequences of the Lord's Prayer followed by ten
prayings of the Hail Mary and a single praying of "Glory Be to the Father" and
is sometimes accompanied by the Fatima Prayer; each of these sequences is known
as a decade. The praying of each decade is accompanied by meditation on
one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall the life of Jesus Christ.
The traditional 15 Mysteries of the Rosary were standardized, based on the
long-standing custom, by Pope St. Pius V in the 16th century. The mysteries are
grouped into three sets: the joyful mysteries, the sorrowful mysteries, and the
glorious mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II announced five new optional
mysteries, the luminous mysteries, bringing the total number of mysteries to 20.
The rosary is part of the Catholic veneration of Mary. Devotion to the rosary
is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality. Saints and
popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary
and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for
instance the need for "focus, respect, reverence and
purity of intention" during rosary recitations and contemplations.
The term has come to be used to refer to similar beads in other religions
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