Sunday Rosary
Sunday ordinarily belongs to the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. A seasonal custom recommends the Joyful Mysteries on Sundays during Advent and Christmas, the Sorrowful on Sundays during Lent, and the Glorious on Sundays during Easter and Ordinary Time. Your parish or family may follow another custom.
On this page
Glorious Mysteries
Sunday mysteries through the Church’s year
| Season | Mysteries |
|---|---|
| Advent and Christmas | Joyful Mysteries |
| Lent, including Palm Sunday | Sorrowful Mysteries |
| Easter, including Easter Sunday | Glorious Mysteries |
| Ordinary Time | Glorious Mysteries |
The Rosary on the Lord's Day
Sunday celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. The Glorious Mysteries are its usual Rosary, accompanying the Church's worship and prayer for her people. The Rosary is a devotion alongside Sunday Mass.
Seasonal Sunday customs
One seasonal custom is to pray the Joyful Mysteries on Sundays during Advent and Christmas, the Sorrowful during Lent, and the Glorious during Easter and Ordinary Time.
Saint John Paul II's weekly distribution ordinarily assigns Sunday to the Glorious Mysteries and allows pastoral adaptations. It does not prescribe this particular seasonal table. Some families and parishes pray Glorious throughout the year.
Palm Sunday follows the Lenten Sorrowful recommendation; Easter Sunday returns to Glorious. A feast may suggest another set: the Baptism of the Lord, for example, receives a Luminous suggestion. Today's Rosary gives the recommendation for your local date and explains the calendar convention.
Praying together
The set chosen by the leader gives everyone the same mysteries to contemplate. Read Scripture before each decade, then follow the Rosary guide for the prayers in order.