A Simple Rosary Diagram

  This rosary diagram shows the correct
  sequence of prayers in the Catholic,
  Christian Rosary (#1-9). The loop
  represents one complete decade of
  10 'Hail Mary' prayers, preceded by
  an 'Our Father' (#5) and followed by
  the 'Glory Be' (#7) & 'Fatima' (#8)
  ('O my Jesus...') prayers. The
  recitation of each decade of prayers is
  accompanied by meditation on a
  Rosary Mystery, that is, a significant
  salvation event in the life of Jesus
  - most of which included His mother.

  Conventional rosaries contain beads
  only for the 'Our Father' and 'Hail
  Mary' prayers.

  But setting our rosary beads apart
  from all others, is their mapping of all
  of the rosary prayers, including the
  'Glory Be' and 'Fatima' ('O my
  Jesus...') prayers!  Notice beads #4
  and #7 - they are clear, faceted,
  refective beads, reminding us of the
  Glory of the Trinity to whom we pray
  the 'Glory Be'!  And notice bead #8 -
  it is a red, heart-shaped bead,
  to remind us of the sacred heart of
  Jesus, of whom we ask forgiveness for
  our sins! This unique design makes our
  rosaries ideal for children, beginners
  ...really, for everyone!

Question:  Why, you may be wondering, do conventional rosaries not include beads for the 'Glory Be' and 'Fatima' prayers?

Answer:  Well, in the 16th century, the Church standardized the Rosary, and indulgences* to be gained by its proper practice, using a prayer structure of 'Our Father's and 'Hail Mary's only. Over time, the Rosary prayers grew to include both the Glory Be and Fatima prayers - however the structure of the rosary beads remained unchanged. It wasn't until the 17th century, that St. Louis de Montfort - more than anyone else - popularized the praying of the 'Glory Be' prayer at the end of each decade of 10 'Hail Mary's. Then, in 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared several times to three children in Fatima, Portugal, urging the faithful to pray the Rosary for the peace of the world. She taught the children the following words and asked that they be recited at the end of each Rosary decade: "O my Jesus, forgive us (our sins), save us from the fires of Hell! Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy". This has come to be known as the 'Fatima' prayer. And so, the rosaries exclusive to this website have special beads for both the 'Glory Be' and the 'Fatima' prayers which are universally recited as part of the Rosary prayers!

The style of rosary beads pictured above is called a one-decade rosary chaplet, because it's just long enough to pray one Rosary Mystery. It's sometimes called a 'pocket rosary', because it can easily be carried around in your pocket. Traditionally, five Rosary Mysteries are prayed at one sitting, in which case a five-decade rosary is usually used.

If this unique Catholic rosary design interests you, please visit the Gallery of Rosaries, for dozens of handmade, colourful rosaries in a wide variety of semi-precious stones, glass, acrylic & wood beads.


* Of course, Rosary indulgences still exist today - plenary (full) indulgences for praying the Holy Rosary (with pious meditation on the Mysteries) in a church or public oratory, in a family group, or in a religious Community or pious Association...and partial indulgences in other circumstances!)


This passage, from Pope John Paul II's 2002 Apostolic Letter entitled Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 'Rosary of the Virgin Mary', seems appropriate (bolding & underlining added) :

"In effect, the Rosary is simply a method of contemplation. As a method, it serves as a means to an end and cannot become an end in itself. All the same, as the fruit of centuries of experience, this method should not be undervalued. In its favour one could cite the experience of countless Saints. This is not to say, however, that the method cannot be improved. Such is the intent of the addition of the new series of mysteria lucis" (Luminous Mysteries) "to the overall cycle of mysteries and of the few suggestions which I am proposing in this Letter regarding its manner of recitation. These suggestions, while respecting the well-established structure of this prayer, are intended to help the faithful to understand it in the richness of its symbolism and in harmony with the demands of daily life. Otherwise there is a risk that the Rosary would not only fail to produce the intended spiritual effects, but even that the beads, with which it is usually said, could come to be regarded as some kind of amulet or magic object, thereby radically distorting their meaning and function."



































Rosary Diagram
Rosary Diagram
Rosary Diagram