What is the Rosary?

The Rosary invites us to meditate on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of His mother, Mary. By reflecting on the life of Christ we learn of His true identity as the Son of God; we also learn of His saving power. By reflecting on the life of Mary we begin to understand how we are called to share the life that Christ offers.

The Rosary consists of 20 ‘decades’, split into four groups of five: the Joyful Mysteries (Christ’s birth and early life), the Mysteries of Light (Christ’s ministry and preaching), the Sorrowful Mysteries (His suffering and death) and the Glorious Mysteries (Christ’s resurrection and our hope).

We meditate on each mystery while saying familiar prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary (ten times) and the Glory be. These words provide the background to our meditation.

Devotions

The Rosary is sometimes accompanied by devotions. These are other prayers which have found a place in Catholic life, even though they do not form part of the Church’s liturgy. Devotions can be prayed in groups or alone. Various prayer books available in the Cathedral contain devotional prayers.

Angelus

The Angelus is a short prayer which invites us to meditate on the Incarnation of Christ. It is usually prayed in the Cathedral on Saturdays at 12noon.

Non-Catholics

Those who are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church are welcome to pray the Rosary and other devotions. For details of other services, click here.