The devotion of the rosary dates back to the 9th century, when monks recited the 150 psalms of the Bible as part of their daily worship. Over time, people were drawn to this beautiful, synchronized form of prayer. Although many people wanted this prayer to be part of their own worship, the psalms were very difficult to memorize, and copies of the Psalter, which is the book in which they were contained, were not available. Due to this fact, an alternative was proposed to the people, that they recite a series of 150 prayers of the “Our Father” instead of the 150 Psalms.

Over time, as this form of prayer became more and more popular, people began to use motto methods to keep track of prayers. Over time, a long rope containing 50 knots was used and gradually turned into a string of beads.

When the laity and clergy took up this devotion as part of their prayer life, they began to recite the “Angelic Greeting” (the first part of what we now know as the “Hail Mary”). The popularity of this prayer led to the adoption of the 50 angelic greetings, said on each of the 50 accounts.

In the early 12th or 13th century, theologians began to recognize the hidden mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, contained in each of the Psalms. They began to compose a series of praises that honored Jesus as represented in each Psalm. In addition to these mysteries of Christ, 150 Psalters were added in honor of Mary to emphasize her special role in the plan of salvation. In order for these Psalters to fit into the existing prayer chain, they were divided into groups of 50 and named “Rosaries.” The word “rosary” refers to roses, or a bouquet of roses, which, as far as the rosary is concerned, represents a collection or “bouquet” of prayers.

It was in 1520 that Pope Leo X officially recognized the rosary. However, it was not until 1569 that the rosary was universally accepted and promulgated by Pope St. Pius V who encouraged its use to combat the evil that was occurring in the world at that time. In 1571 Pope Pius V officially declared the Feast of Our Lady of Victories, now known as the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, which is celebrated on October 7.

In 1917 the Blessed Mother appeared to the children of Fatima and declared herself Our Lady of the Rosary. Through her appearances at Fatima, Mary implored the world to turn their hearts to God, urging each and everyone to “Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world … because only she can keep it. ” (Our Lady, July 13, 1917). Mary 15 promises those who faithfully introduced this request.

In 2002, with his apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II introduced the fourth set of mysteries of the rosary. These mysteries are known as the “Luminous” or “Mysteries of Light”, which lead us from childhood to the public life of Jesus. It is in these mysteries that we can, in a deeper way, come to know Christ during His ministry here on Earth. At the same time, it is through these mysteries that we are given a summit in Christ’s mission of redemption and His establishment of the universal Church.