Our Lady of the Rosary: Traditional Prayers After Each Glorious Mystery

October 7 is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope St. Pius V instituted it after the Christian victory at Lepanto on October 7, 1571, which he credited to the Rosary prayed across Christendom, and Pope Leo XIII later dedicated the whole month of October to the Rosary. This year the feast falls on a Wednesday, the day the Church customarily prays the Glorious Mysteries.

Older American prayer books added a short prayer to Our Lady after each decade, drawn from the mystery just meditated. Below are the five prayers for the Glorious Mysteries from the 1889 Manual of Prayers issued under the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. Pray one after each decade, or pray all five as a meditation of their own. The last, offered "as a Crown of Roses," is a beautiful way to close the Rosary.

The Prayer

The Resurrection: O glorious Virgin Mary, by that unspeakable joy thou didst receive in the Resurrection of thy divine Son, we beseech thee obtain for us of Him that our hearts may never go astray after the false joys of this world, but may be wholly employed in seeking the true and solid joys of heaven. Amen. The Ascension: O Mother of God, consoler of the afflicted, as thy beloved Son, when He ascended into heaven, lifted up His hands and blessed His Apostles, as He departed from them; so vouchsafe, most holy Mother, to lift up thy pure hands to Him on our behalf, that we may enjoy the benefits of His blessing, and of thine, here on earth, and hereafter in heaven. Amen. The Descent of the Holy Ghost: O sacred Virgin, Tabernacle of the Holy Ghost, we beseech thee to obtain, by thine intercession, that this Comforter, whom thy beloved Son sent down upon His Apostles, filling them thereby with spiritual joy, may teach us in this world the true way of salvation, and make us to walk in the way of virtue and good works. Amen. The Assumption: O holy Virgin, who, entering the heavenly mansions, didst fill the Angels with joy and man with hope: vouchsafe to intercede for us at the hour of our death, that, being delivered from the illusions and temptations of the devil, we may joyfully pass out of this earthly estate to enjoy the happiness of eternal life. Amen. The Coronation: O glorious Queen of all the heavenly host, we beseech thee to accept these prayers, which, as a Crown of Roses, we offer at thy feet; and grant, most gracious Lady, that, by thy intercession, our souls may be inflamed with so ardent a desire of seeing thee so gloriously crowned, that it may never die within us until it shall be changed into the happy fruition of thy blessed sight. Amen.

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.

New to the Rosary? Start with How to Pray the Rosary and the Glorious Mysteries.

Sources: A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1889), "A Method of Reciting the Rosary." Public domain.

See also: The Holy Rosary, Glorious Mysteries, Traditional Prayers After Each Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary, and Prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary.

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