Catholic rosary
Rosary mysteries by day
In the common weekly pattern, the Joyful Mysteries are prayed on Monday and Saturday, the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday, and the Luminous on Thursday. See the set for today or any date. It's a custom, so you can pray any set on any day.
Mysteries for the day
Choose a day
Today's mysteries appear here once the page has loaded. You can also pick any weekday.
Pray any set on any day:
Which mysteries are prayed on which day?
The USCCB gives this weekly pattern, which Saint John Paul II suggested in 2002 when he added the Luminous Mysteries:
| Day | Mysteries |
|---|---|
| Monday | Joyful |
| Tuesday | Sorrowful |
| Wednesday | Glorious |
| Thursday | Luminous |
| Friday | Sorrowful |
| Saturday | Joyful |
| Sunday | Glorious; Joyful on Sundays in Advent, Sorrowful on Sundays in Lent |
The tool doesn't work out the Church calendar, so for a Sunday you choose whether it falls in Advent, in Lent or neither. Your parish calendar has the dates.
A custom, not a rule
In his 2002 letter on the rosary, John Paul II described the weekly pattern as a way to give each day its own focus. He added that it shouldn't limit freedom in personal or group prayer, which can adapt to pastoral needs and to particular feasts.
So if a feast, an anniversary or a hard week calls for a different set, pray that one. The buttons under the result open any of the four sets.
The pattern before 2002
Before the Luminous Mysteries, there were three sets. In the same letter, John Paul II describes the pattern used until then:
| Day | Before 2002 | Since 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Joyful | Joyful |
| Tuesday | Sorrowful | Sorrowful |
| Wednesday | Glorious | Glorious |
| Thursday | Joyful | Luminous |
| Friday | Sorrowful | Sorrowful |
| Saturday | Glorious | Joyful |
| Sunday | Glorious | Glorious |
Only Thursday and Saturday changed. Some people and groups still keep the older pattern, and either is fine.
The four sets of mysteries
Each set has five mysteries, one for each decade, drawn from the life of Jesus and Mary. References are the ones the USCCB lists; links open the chapter in the World English Bible.
The Joyful Mysteries
- The Annunciation: Luke 1:26–27
- The Visitation: Luke 1:39–42
- The Nativity: Luke 2:1–7
- The Presentation in the Temple: Luke 2:21–24
- The Finding in the Temple: Luke 2:41–47
The Sorrowful Mysteries
- The Agony in the Garden: Matthew 26:36–39
- The Scourging at the Pillar: Matthew 27:26
- The Crowning with Thorns: Matthew 27:27–29
- The Carrying of the Cross: Mark 15:21–22
- The Crucifixion and Death: Luke 23:33–46
The Glorious Mysteries
- The Resurrection: Luke 24:1–5
- The Ascension: Mark 16:19
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:1–4
- The Assumption: Luke 1:48–49
- The Coronation of Mary: Revelation 12:1
The Luminous Mysteries
- The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan: Matthew 3:16–17
- The Wedding Feast at Cana: John 2:1–5
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God: Mark 1:15
- The Transfiguration: Matthew 17:1–2
- The Institution of the Eucharist: Matthew 26:26
How each mystery is prayed
The rosary opens with the Sign of the Cross and a few introductory prayers. Then, for each of the five mysteries, you name the mystery (some read a short Scripture passage), pray one Our Father, then ten Hail Marys while reflecting on that event, then a Glory Be. It closes with the Hail, Holy Queen and a final prayer.
The USCCB's How to Pray the Rosary page has the full order and the words of each prayer.
A prayer before your phone
PrayLock is an iPhone app that puts a prayer before the apps you choose, once a day with Daily Devotion or before each app session with Mindful Moments. It isn't a rosary app: it has no beads, mysteries, audio or calendar.
PrayLock requires a Pro subscription and iOS 18.0 or later. See how PrayLock works, or browse our other tools.
Rosary mysteries: common questions
Which rosary mysteries are prayed today?
It depends on the weekday. In the common pattern: Joyful on Monday and Saturday, Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday, Luminous on Thursday. The tool on this page shows the set for your own date.
Which mysteries are prayed on Sunday?
Usually the Glorious Mysteries. The USCCB lists the Joyful Mysteries for Sundays in Advent and the Sorrowful Mysteries for Sundays in Lent. In the tool, you choose which kind of Sunday it is.
Do I have to follow the weekly pattern?
No. It's a custom, not a rule. Saint John Paul II wrote that the pattern isn't meant to limit freedom in personal or group prayer, so you can pray any set on any day.
Why are the Joyful Mysteries no longer on Thursday?
Before 2002 they were usually prayed on Monday and Thursday. When John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries, he suggested moving the second Joyful day to Saturday and keeping Thursday for the Luminous. Some people still keep the older pattern.
Does PrayLock have a rosary?
No. PrayLock puts a prayer before the iPhone apps you choose. It has no rosary beads, mysteries or audio guide. PrayLock requires a Pro subscription.
Sources
- USCCB: How to Pray the Rosary (the four sets, their weekdays, Advent and Lent Sundays, Scripture references)
- John Paul II: Rosarium Virginis Mariae (2002), §38 (the earlier pattern, the move to Saturday, freedom in prayer)
- World English Bible on eBible.org (chapter links)
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