RELIGION: Year of
the Rosary
By declaring the months through October 2003
the Year of the Rosary and adding Mysteries of Light, the
pontiff encourages Catholics to reclaim the ancient ritual of
the prayer beads.
From News Services
In front of a statue of the Virgin Mary
in Atlanta's Cathedral of Christ the King, about two dozen
people hum a steady rhythm of prayer. "Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners … "
They meet there each day to recite the
rosary after Mass — as do groups of the faithful around the
world.
Now Pope John Paul II is encouraging
more Roman Catholics to reclaim the ancient ritual of the prayer
beads by declaring the months through October 2003 the Year of
the Rosary.
On the 24th anniversary of his
election, the pontiff last month added a new series of
"mysteries," or events in the life of Christ, to the 15 — three
sets of five — that have made up the rosary cycle for more than
400 years.
The new mysteries are called the
Mysteries of Light, which shed light on Jesus' public ministry.
They have sparked renewed interest in
the rosary, the best-known method of meditation within the
Catholic Church but a devotion that few outside the church
understand.
Catholics are supposed to contemplate
the mysteries as they recite the cycle of rosary prayers.
In 1569, Pope Pius V officially
established a pattern that included the Joyful Mysteries of
Jesus' birth and infancy, the Sorrowful Mysteries of his
crucifixion and death, and the Glorious Mysteries of his
resurrection. To these, John Paul II added the Luminous
Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light, of Jesus' earthly ministry.
"All of these are instances in our
Lord's life we should be thinking about,'' said Atlanta
Archbishop John Donoghue.
Although the beads themselves are not
necessary for prayer, "they help you concentrate a little
better,'' Donoghue said.
The Mysteries of Light tell more about
who Jesus is and his ministry, said the Rev. Mike Mullen of St.
Patrick's Catholic Church in Kansas City, Kan.
"They also give us new insights about
who we are because we see ourselves in relation to Jesus," he
said. "For example, as I reflect on Jesus' baptism, I reflect on
his setting out on his ministry and the Holy Spirit descending.
Then I think about my own baptism and my relationship with God
and my call to mission, to spread the Gospel."
To pray the rosary, Catholics first
make the sign of the cross, touching their forehead, chest, left
shoulder and right shoulder, while saying, "In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Hanging down from a circle of beads is
a crucifix, five beads and an emblem, often with an image of
Mary on it. While holding the crucifix, which is at the
beginning of the rosary, Catholics recite the Apostles Creed.
Holding the first bead, they say the
Our Father, or Lord's Prayer.
On each of the next three beads, they
say the Hail Mary prayer.
Usually a chain connects the beads, and
at the end of each group of Hail Marys, in between the beads,
they recite the Glory Be to the Father prayer.
On the fifth bead that hangs down,
Catholics meditate on the first event (or mystery) and say the
Our Father.
Then above the emblem, the beads start
in a circle. Catholics follow a sequence around the beads by
repeating various prayers and contemplating various events in
each set of mysteries.
In the past, to recite all three sets
of mysteries, one would have to go around the rosary three
times. Now, a complete rosary will require four.
"The point is not the recitation but
the meditation on the mysteries," the Rev. Joseph Mancuso of St.
Andrew the Apostle Church in Gladstone, Mo., said. "Think of it
as a loving conversation with him by whom you know you are
loved. So while you are using these prayers, you are meditating
on the mysteries and on a deeper relationship with Jesus and how
Mary can lead us to him."
This story
includes information from Gayle White of Cox News Service and
Helen T. Gray of Knight Ridder News Service.
