Once again, the Holy Father has requested that the faithful join him in praying a daily Rosary through the month of May—a “marathon” of prayer for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic. For your convenience, I have once again put together some Rosary guides to help your remember the mysteries and the prayers of the Holy Rosary. These three versions are based on ones I have made in the past, with some modifications. (Also, the last time we had a themed Rosary month, a new prayer was added at the last minute, and we updated accordingly. If it happens again, please let me know on social media so I can update right away.)
These are the three current Rosary guides:
- One page, Letter Size. 11-point type. This one includes the Mysteries, the basic prayers (Apostle’s Creed, Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be), plus the Fatima Prayer, the Hail Holy Queen, St. Michael Prayer, plus Pope Francis’s Prayer to Mary during the Coronavirus Pandemic and a Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope Francis
- Two pages, Letter Size. 12-point type. This one includes the Mysteries, the basic prayers (Apostle’s Creed, Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be), plus the Fatima Prayer, the Hail Holy Queen, St. Michael Prayer, plus two Prayers to Our Lady, written by Pope Francis for May 2020.
- Wallet Size. This short primer includes the names and days of the Mysteries, the Hail Holy Queen, and the St. Michael Prayer.
Pope Francis spoke at his General Audience today about why it is so important to meditate on the Sacred Mysteries of the life of Christ:
“Every moment of Jesus’ earthly life, through the grace of prayer, can become immediate to us, thanks to the Holy Spirit, the guide. But, you know, one cannot pray without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is he who guides us! And thanks to the Holy Spirit, we too are present at the river Jordan when Jesus immerses himself to receive baptism. We too are guests at the wedding at Cana, when Jesus gives the best wine for the happiness of the couple, that is, it is the Holy Spirit who connects us with these mysteries of the life of Christ because in contemplation of Jesus we experience prayer, to join us more closely to him.”
Through contemplative meditation of the mysteries of Christ, whether we are focused on the Mysteries of the Rosary, Sacred Scripture, or simply spending time with Jesus in our hearts and minds, we draw nearer to Jesus, and allow him to heal us and work in us. As the “world’s spiritual director,” Francis is always reminding us of the importance of prayer—not as a duty or obligation, but for our benefit and for the benefit of others. He continued, “For us Christians, meditating is a way of coming into contact with Jesus. And in this way, only in this way, we discover ourselves. And this is not a withdrawal into ourselves, no, no: it means going to Jesus, and from Jesus, discovering ourselves, healed, risen, strong by the grace of Jesus.”
According to a press release issued last week by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Pope Francis will begin the month of prayer on May 1 by leading the recitation of the Rosary at 6 pm Rome time. It will be broadcast live on all Vatican Media platforms. Then, every day for the rest of the month, at the same time, from the broadcast across the Vatican’s media platforms (For your convenience: Vatican Media Live YouTube channel, Vatican News.)
The press release provided additional details:
“In response to the Holy Father’s heartfelt wish, the month of May will be dedicated to a “marathon” of prayer, to ask for the end of the pandemic, which has afflicted the world for more than a year now, and to ask for the resumption of social and work activities. Pope Francis wishes to involve all the Shrines around the world in this initiative, so that they may become vehicles of the prayer of the entire Church. The initiative is being conducted in the light of the biblical expression: “Prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God” (Acts 12:5).
…
Together with the prayer of the Holy Rosary, each day of the month is characterized by a prayer intention for the various categories of people most affected by the plight of the pandemic:for those who have not been able to say goodbye to their loved ones, for all health care personnel, for the poor, the homeless and those in economic difficulty and for all the deceased.”
Each day, the livestream will be broadcast from a different Marian Shrine in locations around the world. Click here for the list of shrines and prayer intentions.
6 pm (18:00) in Rome on May 1 will be at the following local times and dates:
Rome, Italy Sat, May 1, 2021 at 8:00 pm CEST
Washington DC, USA Sat, May 1, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT
Chicago, USA Sat, May 1, 2021 at 1:00 pm CDT
Los Angeles, USA Sat, May 1, 2021 at 11:00 am PDT
Sydney, Australia Sun, May 2, 2021 at 4:00 am AEST
Manila, Philippines Sun, May 2, 2021 at 2:00 am PHST
London, United Kingdom Sat, May 1, 2021 at 7:00 pm BST
Kochi, India Sat, May 1, 2021 at 11:30 pm IST
Source: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20210501T180000&p1=215&p2=263&p3=64&p4=137&p5=240&p6=145&p7=136&p8=1905
Once again, the download links:
Image: Pope Francis prays the Rosary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love, May 2, 2018, Vatican News.
Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. He and Jeannie Gaffigan co-host Field Hospital, a U.S. Catholic podcast.
Popular Posts