The Rosary with the Great Artists: the Mysteries of Light

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Virgin and Child with a Rosary


'The Rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. Developed in the West, it is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding in some way to the “prayer of the heart” or “Jesus prayer” which took root in the soil of the Christian East.' [St John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, No 5.]


The Rosary here is the formula prayed by members of the Legion of Mary, the way I prefer. There are various ways of beginning and ending the Rosary but the Five Mysteries are the heart of the prayer. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
v. Send forth Your Spirit, O Lord, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

God our Father, pour out the gifts of Your Holy Spirit on the world. You sent the Spirit on Your Church to begin the teaching of the gospel: now let the Spirit continue to work in the world through the hearts of all who believe. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.



The Mysteries of Light 
(Thursday)

First Mystery 
The Baptism of Jesus

Baptism of Christ
El Greco [Web Gallery of Art]

Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory be

Second Mystery 
The Wedding at Cana

The Marriage at Cana
Marten de Vos [Web Gallery of Art]


Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory be

Third Mystery 
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

Christ as Saviour
El Greco [Web Gallery of Art]


Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory be

Fourth Mystery
The Transfiguration

Transfiguration of Christ
Paolo Veronese [Web Gallery of Art]


Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory be

Fifth Mystery
The Institution of the Eucharist

The Institution of the Eucharist
Federico Fiori Barocci [Web Gallery of Art]


Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory be


Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy; hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile, show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

v. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech You, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.


v. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus R. Have mercy on us.
v. Immaculate Heart of Mary R. Pray for us.
v. St Joseph R. Pray for us.
v. St John the Evangelist R. Pray for us.
v. St Louis-Marie deMontfort R. Pray for us. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 




Salve Regina
Notre-Dame de Paris


Salve Regina is one of four seasonal Marian anthems sung or recited at the end of Compline (Night Prayer) in the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours, Breviary). It is traditionally sung as a seasonal anthem from the day after Pentecost Sunday until the first Sunday of Advent.


Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy; 
hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. 
To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve,
 to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping 
in this valley of tears. 
Turn then, O most gracious advocate, 
your eyes of mercy towards us, 
and after this our exile, 
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. 
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Salve Regina
Setting by Palestrina
Sung by The Sixteen, Harry Christophers



Ravensburg Madonna of Mercy
Michael Erhart [Web Gallery of Art]



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